Accidents and illnesses can happen anywhere and can be more stressful when away from home. Equipping yourself with an appropriately stocked First Aid kit and the knowledge to help, means you are ready for action if something happens.

Here are my top tips for essential travel kits and medication:

1)Paediatric Paracetamol or Ibuprofen sachets – to have on the plane in case the air pressure hurts their ears and superb painkillers to have to hand anyway.
2)Paediatric Piriton – in case they have a mild allergic reaction to new foods, stings etc…

Please note that medication should not be kept in your first aid kit – but stored safely out of reach of children

3) A couple of calico triangular bandages; superb versatile sterile non-fluffy material, ideal to stop bleeding, easy cover for head wounds, elbows, knees, mouths – pretty much anywhere and can be folded to make a flat supportive bandage or used for a sling.
4) An instant ice pack – can be activated when you need it (without a freezer). Wrap and then apply to a bump or bruise to reduce swelling.
5) Non-adherent dressings for grazes and micropore tape to secure them to the wound. A couple of finger bandages and small bandage-style dressings are useful too.
6) Burn Gel – use after cooling a burn under cool running water for at least 10 minutes, or helpful if burnt when there is no running water available, also great for sunburn.
7) Tough cut scissors to cut off clothes and good quality tweezers to remove a splinter or sea urchin spines.
8) Plasters – for short term covering of a wound. Remove as soon as possible, clean and then cover with an appropriate dressing, as plasters can lead to wounds becoming soggy.
9) Sterile wipes to clean a wound or pods of saline and some gauze squares – the saline is also useful to irrigate sand out of eyes.
10) Small crepe bandage to provide a support bandage for an injured limb.