My Travelling Medicine Cabinet

A few things about me:

1. I love to travel.

2. I do not love to carry heavy luggage around the airport.

3. I do not love to pay for extra checked bags at the airport.

4. I pack light.

Now when I say pack light, I don't mean I only bring one pair of heels and I limit myself to a medium sized makeup bag. I mean my entire family of 3 can fit our things for a 10-day vacation into one suitcase and the carry-on only has snacks and books in it. This includes diapers for the vacation. So, bottom line: I bring almost nothing.

The fact is a bottle of Dr. Bronner's pure castile soap (for makeup removal, laundry/dishes if you're staying in a condo, bathing, etc.) and a good pair of jeans go a long way. I typically call up any other females travelling with me and ask if they have plans to bring: a blow dryer, an aluminum-free deodorant... you know, those share-able things. (Ha ha.) And if Calvin has toothpaste along, well then we're good to go!

There's one place I won't skimp though. I mean, I'd rather wear the same pair of socks all week than forget this little detail. And that is: my travelling medicine cabinet.

Ollie has a monster immune system, so we don't use these medications on him very often but for the few times we have, the majority have been while we're out of the country. A bad flu in California. Trouble sleeping in Chicago. I think he was teething Brazil. Oh the joy!

And if I crossed my fingers that whatever international pharmacy we're near would carry my homeopathic brand of choice, well, I might end up with empty hands & a crying toddler. So we just bring three things along where ever we are staying.

1. Homeocan Kids 0-9 CALM - This is the child equivalent of a nice glass of wine and a bubble bath. Oliver will literally go from turbo-wrecking ball to cuddly bed-ready-babe moments after drinking what he calls his "purple juice". It's great for those hysterical moments, for too-late nights when your child gets overtired and they can't sleep, or for long flights.

2. Homeocan Kids COUGH & COLD - I pack our tiny sampler bottle because it's never been opened and is that less likely to spill it's magical juices all over my clean clothes. It soothes a cough, and even a cold - aptly named.

3. Homeocan Kids FLU BUSTER - I owe this product my life. It brings down a fever and a grumpy pumpkin in no time. I use it before I even think about Tylenol for Kids. If Oliver is sick and I need to work, therefore sending him to Grandma's house I send him along with a bottle of Flu Buster to continue giving him doses to make both their lives easier.

To this day Oliver has come down with a handful of things, but for the most part he has spent his "under the weather" days more, what I would call "fighting the bug", than actually being down & out. He's never sick for long. And I thank these glorious products for that. They make my life as a mama easy and have NO CHEMICALS.

All-Natural Kids Cold Medication AND Another 18w18d Update

Oliver has had a cold for a few days now. The typical runny nose and seeming 'off' turned into a hacking-man-cough and trouble sleeping. Couple this with the fact that we still practice co-sleeping, and I caught the same nasty cold around Saturday night = we have a problem. Our family typically wakes up at 7am or 8am every morning (we get ready for the day super-fast) but this morning I woke up bright and early at 6:30am because I was just fully rested - we hadn't woken up once the whole night. Why? An amazing all-natural kids cold medication.

Homeocan's Kids 0-9 is a line of children's medication that is homeopathic so it doesn't need any chemicals or traditional medicines in it, but it's still extremely effective. It also does not contain any sugar or dyes, two things that really have no place in kids medications but always seem to make their way in for the sake of appeal. The line, as the name suggests, is suitable for children 9 and under, and is even safe for babies. Oliver has used the Teething and Fever since he was tiny, and he now plays with the empty bottle because he has such fond memories of it.

So last night he took the Kids 0-9 Cough and Cold right before bed and we truly saw a whole new boy. We're just so relieved that there's something out there that works and that we are comfortable giving to him (because Tylenol we are not).

Also, an update on my challenge to use only Dr. Bronner's for 18 purposes - this stuff is great for classic armpit 'sweat smell'. I've been washing with the tea tree soap and I think it has to do with the antimicrobial function of it, because so often armpit odour is a problem with bacteria (hence crystal salt rock deodorant working). The tea tree deals with the problem from the root, not masking it but getting rid of it. I think if I washed with the tea tree soap every day I could give up deodorant forever.