Nontoxic Medicine Cabinet Essentials You Need To Try

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There was a point in my life where a Band-Aid in my car glove box sufficed as a First Aid kit. Now I wouldn’t dream of leaving the house without 12 of them in my child’s diaper bag, even though I have a full First Aid bag in the trunk of my car. Kids have a way of making you want to prepare for any crisis, whether it’s a skinned knee or full blown RSV. I’m writing this post to share with you all of the nontoxic medicine cabinet essentials I love.

Disclaimer:

In the six years of my raising boys, I’ve been to the Emergency Room over broken bones and spider bites. I’ve dealt with RSV, Covid, ear infections, and fever spikes topping at 104. I love a good natural remedy just like the next person, but am so thankful for modern-day medicine and the opportunity to seek medical help at the drop of a hat if the need arises.

This list in no way guarantees to heal what ails you (or rather, your child) and should never be taken as medical advice. These are just tips and tools I’ve used that work fantastic for me and my family and wanted to pass along to you. As always, you should consult your Medical Professional with any questions you may have. Additionally, this blog post contains affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure here.

Eucalyptus Oil and Wool Socks

When I was a kid, I remember several nights where my mom would come up with a cloth diaper insert (we’re talking the old school diaper pin diaper cloths) lathered up in Vicks VapoRub. She smothered it onto my chest at 3 o’clock in the morning due to a coughing fit.

I haaaated it! Grant it, it worked, but I woke up zonked. I always had this weird slimy feeling on my chest for the rest of the day. I shudder just thinking about it.

I’ve looked at different chest rubs ingredients and compared different methods. My favorite quick fix for one of my son’s early morning/late night coughing fits is by far eucalyptus oil and wool socks. For sure, you’re going to want to use a carrier oil, like coconut oil, when you apply it to your child’s feet.

FYI

Pro tip: I’ve also realized that if I don’t take my rings off before I mix the eucalyptus with coconut in my hand, I can develop an itchy rash around my ring finger.

After I apply it to my child’s feet, I immediately slap a wool sock on, to keep that oil locked in so it works its magic for longer. This method has kept me from going the cough syrup (that’s typically full of food dye and sugar, or if it’s a “natural” cough syrup, it doesn’t work as well) route multiple times. Shoot during my third son’s RSV battle of ’22, it saved me from a second visit to the doctor, when his coughing fit wasn’t subsiding.

Arnica Gel

If you didn’t realize it, I’m a boy mom through and through. My boys rough and tumble, climb and jump, and leap and bounce all. day. long. I love all of the energy and fun that comes with raising a boy. Unfortunately, the amount of bruises along the way are insane.

Having arnica gel for them is imperative. This stuff works like no other for the tumbles and spills that are bound to happen. I keep some in my car, diaper bag, and my house because of how good it works.

Burn and Wound Ointment

What’s even worse to me than the goose eggs on the heads and skinned knees, are the inescapable burns that happen during a childhood. I wish I could say I was the perfect parent that kept my sons from all harm. Unfortunately, accidents happen, and inevitably, your child gets burned (no pun intended).

Let me tell ya, it is so hard to help a toddler when he’s in excruciating pain over touching something just too hot. This stuff soothes and takes away the pain very quickly. Sure, it can be a tiny bit on the pricier side. I promise though, you’ll be thankful you have it. Also, it’s going to last you for awhile.

Pro tip: I’ve also used a raw egg white to take the sting out before, and it does help soothe until I can get B&W back on.

Additionally, B&W ointment is great for burns AND wounds, so I’ve used it for cuts and scrapes before too. Last month when I had an unfortunate mishap with a cutting knife and some onions (yes, it hurt like the dickens), I attribute B&W ointment for the healing.

Calendula Gel

Calendula gel is my go-to remedy for post sunburn treatment. Of course, because of how well it works, it’s going to make its spot on my nontoxic medicine cabinet essentials list.

A lot of the over the counter, typical after sun treatments you can find at the supermarkets contain food dyes and fragrances. I personally see these ingredients as counterintuitive, but that’s another story for a different day.

Aside from this product containing ingredients I trust, Calendula Gel works well, effectively, and immediately.

Obviously, there should be first lines of defense in place before sunburn becomes a problem. For example, pay attention to how much sun exposure they have and encourage wearing shirts and hats. But, things happen, including sunburn. It’s nice to know you nontoxic medicine cabinet essential in your “arsenal” when needed.

Tallow Balm

I cannot talk enough about the tallow balm I buy and how much it’s helped me as a mother. It’s helped heal three boys Molluscum Contagiosum (when I say boys get everything, I mean it), mild eczema and other skin rashes, and significantly reduced wretched stretchmarks from four pregnancies.

So first, I am going to give a huge shoutout to Touch of Tallow. You can find her on Instagram as well. Unfortunately, she is almost always out of stock, and only restocks on a somewhat regular basis (you can find out all of the information and why on her Instagram highlights).

A word of caution, though. Because getting her tallow balm is almost a hat trick, you’re going to want an alternative. A typical next choice is to find some from a neighbor that makes them. You can also purchase one of the countless jars that you can find on Amazon. Be careful. Not all of the jars are superb quality and won’t live up to the claims that are stated.

Elderberry Syrup

Elderberry is my number one defense against flu/RSV season. I love using it to prepare the kiddo’s immune system (as well as that of myself and Permanent Roommate’s). Growing Elderberry is on my garden bucket list; until I accomplish that, I either purchase this already made, or I buy dried elderberries and make my own elderberry syrup. Be on the lookout for a recipe soon!

A Good Diffuser

I’m picky about my diffusers (hence a “good” one). I want one that’s able to be cleaned easily. If you’re using a diffuser that you’re not cleaning at a regular basis, you’re causing more harm than good.

I think sometimes essential oils are used and turn out to be nothing more than a placebo effect. I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to know that in the ways that I’ve used mine, I’ve gotten nothing major else out of it.

My three main reasons for using a diffuser:

• to replace toxic fragrant candles and air fresheners
• diffuse eucalyptus when I know we have a cold/flu virus
• diffuse peppermint during the stomach bug hits

I know that I’m onto something with those first two reasons. Reason number 3 is most likely a placebo effect; however when my stomach is churning and I’m wondering if I’m gonna spend hurl in the next few minutes, if a diffuser is on, 9 times out of 10, I don’t.

Manuka Cough Drops

I can’t say enough positive comments about these manuka honey drops from Wedderspoon. These things work so well at soothing a sore throat and keeping a cough down. Compared to regular cough drops with food dye and unnecessary ingredients, you’d think you had hit the jack pot.

Athlete’s Tape

One of my biggest “mom” fears was dealing with a broken bone. I was hoping my kids would be lucky and we would avoid that catastrophe, but to no avail. Ever since my oldest son’s mishap, I’ve sworn I would never leave the house without Athlete’s Kinesiology Tape.

It’s come in handy a few times, too. I have a ridiculous tendency to sprain my ankle. It’s probably directly related to the amount of times I choose to wear high heels, but I digress. It’s nice to have them on hand for situations that call for compression, ice and elevation of a body limb.

Ear Oil (Garlic Mullein Oil)

I have found these Ear Oil Drops to be a lifesaver with the ear infections that babies and toddlers are prone to develop. Of the four ear infections that I have used this on, only one of them caused me to take the child in to get some antibiotics. I’m so glad I was told as soon as I was.

Disclaimer is that you for sure don’t want to put anything into someone’s ear if the eardrum is already ruptured. That brings me to my next point:

Basic Medical Equipment

Take this with a grain of salt. I have almost two years of nursing school courses that I’ve taken, so I’m very comfortable with using basic medical equipment at home. By all means, if you’re not in that boat, skip this suggestion. However, I have found that I rely on these four tools heavily.

Stethoscope

I use a stethoscope to listen to breath sounds and coughs in my boys to determine whether or not I need to take them in to a doctor. Look up videos on YouTube to familiarize yourself with different breathing sounds (think asthma, bronchitis, RSV, etc). Then, you can compare what you’re hearing and that can help you decide how serious things seem to be.

Blood Pressure Cuff

My blood pressure cuff is more-so for me. In my first year of nursing school, we took each other’s blood pressure numerous times. I have typically low blood pressure and that seemed to be the case a lot during my last pregnancy. There were two different times in this pregnancy where I was beginning to feel like something was off and was able to take my blood pressure to make sure everything was normal. It’s called a vital sign for a reason, and if you know how to take someone’s blood pressure, you definitely want this in your arsenal.

Otoscope

As mentioned before, I use an otoscope to check my son’s ears before applying ear oil. It also tells me if there is an ear infection already and if I need to think about heading into a clinic.

Thermometer

Lastly, this thermometer has been with me through the ups and downs (no pun intended). Aside from taking my temperature every day to gauge where I’m at on my cycle, I currently use it to check my sons’ temperatures. I really like this brand because of how easy it us to use. It saves previous readings and tells me a good reading almost immediately. It’s very reliable for me.

Instant Cold Packs

These Instant Cold Packs stay in my car and my house. I’ve actually used them more for someone else than for myself/my own family. When you go out into the world, fingers get jammed, heads get bumped, elbows get knocked and your body swells. You’re not always going to be around a place that has ice on the go, and these come in handy so much.

Clean Remedies Muscle Gel Roll On

Last winter I went sledding for the first time in years when we were visiting family up in Minnesota. I had a blast until I fell sideways (I’m really not a good sledder) and literally rolled on top of myself. My neck hurt instantly. I just knew I had given myself whiplash and that that night was going to be an awful one.

Cue in a sister-in-law who knows all the fixes (she’s an actual nurse, so there’s that too) and she gave me this rub. “Okay, it’s like Bengay or Absorbine Jr or Icy Hot, and it’ll help soothe, but won’t really help too much” I told myself as I applied it. Boy, was I ever wrong. I couldn’t believe how great I felt when I woke up the next morning, restful and without pain. I tell everyone about this stuff because it’s so amazing.

The Complete List

So that’s it–my complete list of everything I feel like I can’t live without when it comes to being prepared for tumbles, rumbles, slips and falls. I hope you found some items that in the future blow your socks off by how well and effective they work. If you have a favorite nontoxic item you think I need to try, drop it in the comments!