Summer is wrapping up, and school’s about to begin! This means we need to restock our cold and flu survival kit because you can’t have back to school without germs.
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Stocking up
My first cold and flu kit was actually a covid kit that I created back in 2020. This was when restrictions were super high and supply was super low. No, I am not a hoarder at all. I pick up a couple of extra items when they come on sale and tuck them away until needed. It has served me well over the last few years, and honestly, I can’t imagine not having these items on hand when one of us gets sick.
I keep my items downstairs with my other extra items that I get from Costco hauls. Food and Drinks are kept on the shelves and moved around properly, and the meds are kept in a bin.
Over the Counter Meds
Obviously, don’t stock up too much on these as they expire, but keeping a couple on hand will make life a lot easier if someone becomes ill in the middle of the night, or the entire family comes down with a virus and no one is able to get the drug store.
- Advil
- Tylenol
- Gravol (Dimenhydrinate)
- Throat Lozenges (Fisherman’s Friend, Cepacol, Ricola, etc)
- Neocitrin
Basic stuff most of us have on hand anyways. I like to keep them together as I have learned over the last 19 years of being a mom, that there is nothing more frustrating than trying to find something at 2 am with a small child throwing up on you.
Misc Stuff
I also keep on hand a bunch of items that help make sick life easier
- Humidifier. If you have this one, I highly recommend these fish cleaner things and Vicks pads.
- Vicks Vapo Rub
- Vicks nasal inhaler
- Hot Water Bottle
- Covid tests (cause you never know, and the school hands them out like candy).
Food/Drinks
In an ideal world, I would make homemade chicken noodle soup. In fact, my favourite recipe of all time is this one. The real world though consists of me not having the patience to make soup when everyone including myself is sick. So for that…. I make sure I’ve stocked up with the next best things.
- Ginger Ale
- Gatorade
- Orange Juice
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken and Rice Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Jello
- Freezies
- Crackers
- Tea
- Honey
Side note: If you’re that amazing mom and wife who’s taking care of your whole family while they’re sick. You’re cleaning up after them, disinfecting everything, holding their hair back, changing cold cloths on their foreheads, and making them the homemade soup…. throw a bottle of wine or 2 into that cold and flu survival kit, as you deserve it!
If you have any tips or ideas for what to put in a cold and flu survival kit, I would love to hear about them in the comments!
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