It makes sense to keep a few medicines locked away (out of the reach of children) for the management of minor illnesses and minor injuries. Here is a suggested list of the kind of things you could keep at home:

• Selection of plasters in assorted sizes
• 1 triangular bandage
• Sterile dressings in assorted sizes
• Tweezers for removing splinters
• Thermometer for fevers
• Calamine lotion for dabbing onto insect bites, stings and sunburn
• Antiseptic cream to treat sores, spots and grazes
• Vapour rub for steam inhalation, or to rub on the chest and nose of a child with a stuffy nose or dry cough
• Paracetamol syrups to relieve pain or fever in young children
• Soluble aspirin/paracetamol/ibuprofen tablets which are good for headaches, colds, sore throats and painful bruises
• Strepsils, Dequacaine or other throat lozenges
• 5cm wide crepe bandage to keep dressings in place or support sprains
• Indigestion remedy e.g. milk of magnesia or Gaviscon
• Mild laxative e.g. Senokot
• Oral rehydration solution e.g. Dioralyte