With a well-stocked home pharmacy, you have everything you need on hand to respond to minor—and (hopefully rare) more serious—illnesses and complaints your baby may have. This way, you’re not only well prepared for emergencies, but you also avoid the stress of having to run to the pharmacy for harmless ailments—especially since illnesses and injuries often happen on weekends or in the evenings. In this article, you’ll learn what shouldn’t be missing from your baby’s home pharmacy and find a handy downloadable list.

Why do you need a separate first aid kit for your baby?

Babies deal with infections and other ailments much more frequently than adults, so it helps to be prepared. These include typical childhood illnesses, colds, eye problems, and pain during teething. As your baby becomes more mobile and starts exploring their environment, they may also occasionally get scrapes and minor injuries that you can treat at home. For bandaging materials and other supplies, you can rely on the contents of a “normal” household first aid kit for adults. However, medications for adults are strictly off-limits for babies and children, even in small doses. Instead, keep specialized medicines that are explicitly suitable for your little explorer. These contain a lower dosage or a different active ingredient than products for adults.

What belongs in the first aid kit?

To be prepared for the most common illnesses and injuries, the following items shouldn’t be missing from your baby’s home pharmacy:

First aid supplies, aids, and more.

• Digital thermometer (for infants: a flexible rectal thermometer)

• Tweezers, for example, for removing splinters

• Alcohol-free disinfectants for cleaning wounds

• Tick tweezers or a tick card

• Various sizes of (waterproof) plasters

• Hot water bottle or cherry stone pillow for stomach pain or muscle discomfort

• Disposable gloves for treating open wounds

• Cold packs for insect bites, inflammation, or bruises (store in the freezer)

• Bandaging materials: adhesive plasters and sterile wound dressings for small wounds; compresses, sterile dressing packs, and gauze bandages for larger wounds; burn dressings; triangular bandages for securing wound dressings or as arm slings; bandage scissors

• Flashlight, for example, to look into the throat when you have a sore throat

• Pipette or disposable syringe with a capacity of 2 to 5 milliliters for precise medication dosing

• Linen cloth for wraps

• Nose aspirator

Medicinal product

• Remedies for stomach and intestinal complaints: electrolyte solution for children with Diarrhea , anti-colic drops for constipation, and bloating , suppositories, almond oil for abdominal massage, fennel and chamomile tea for stomach pain and nausea

• Nasal drops for colds (decongestant nasal drops for short-term use only)

• Cough syrup or cough medicine (preferably plant-based, for example, thyme, ivy, or plantain)

• Fever-reducing and pain-relieving agents, such as suppositories or syrup (to be administered only in consultation with the pediatrician)

• Plant-based, soothing eye drops for irritated, sticky eyes as well as for mild conjunctivitis

• Wound and healing ointment for abrasions and minor injuries

• Cooling ointment/antihistamine for sunburn, insect bites, and minor burns

• Ointment for sprains and bruises

• Wound protection cream

If your child has a chronic illness, your home pharmacy should also always contain a sufficient supply of the medications your child needs to take regularly or in certain emergencies—for example, in cases of asthma or febrile seizures.

Ask your doctor which specific medications they recommend for you. They can also tell you at what age you should expand the first aid kit.

Where and how should you store the first aid kit?

Store the first aid kit in a fixed location that is cool, dry, and dark. A hallway or storage room is suitable, whereas the bathroom isn’t ideal because it’s too humid. Your child’s medications should be stored separately from your own to prevent mix-ups in an emergency—for example, in a lockable box or a separate cabinet.

Always note the opening date on the packaging when you open medications, and check twice a year whether the medicines and aids are still valid. Keep in mind that some medications can only be used for a limited time after opening. In that case, the opening date—not the expiration date—is what matters. You can dispose of expired medications in household waste, but never down the drain, to prevent them from entering the water cycle.

Emergency phone numbers

In addition to medications and aids, it’s worth keeping the most important emergency phone numbers readily available in your home pharmacy or another central location. The following numbers can be very helpful in an emergency:

• Emergency services / Emergency call:

  • Germany: 112

  • Austria: 144

  • Switzerland: 144

• Poison Control Center:

  • Germany: 0761 19240

  • Austria: 01406 4343

  • Switzerland: 145

• Your pediatrician's number

• Medical on-call service:

  • Germany: 116 117

  • Austria: 141

  • Switzerland: 144

• Number of the local hospital

Finally, your home first aid kit should include instructions specifically for babies, as many procedures differ from those for adults. To avoid having to look them up in an emergency, it’s worth attending a specialized first aid course.

Everything that belongs in the home pharmacy, along with an overview of the most important emergency numbers, is also available as a handy checklist to download:

We hope you’ll only need the first aid kit for minor ailments. Still, it can be reassuring to know you’re also well equipped for more serious emergencies and can respond quickly. If you’re unsure or have doubts about how best to treat your child, always seek medical advice first. We wish you and your little explorer all the best!