This post is sponsored by Mirum, but opinions expressed are my own.
When we first started traveling, I had a conventional first aid kit. It got dismantled as certain things were needed and others weren't. Ointments and some other often-used stuff earned a permanent spot in the diaper bag and other items were relegated to the glove box (we have yet to find a need for that space-age blanket). The pouch that gets tossed in my suitcase morphed over the years, and eventually shrunk into a modern medicine bag that holds items that help with the little emergencies we encounter fairly often.
It's a cute pouch that I picked up during our trip to Goleta. Some sort of swag came in it, and it happened to be sitting on my nightstand when the zipper broke on my old medicine bag. It made me giggle: the irony of putting emergency items in a bag with lemons on it. “When life gives you lemons,” I told Nate, “reach for the bag with lemons on it.”
My suitcase is sorted into various packing bags. My clothes are in a couple mesh totes, and then I have a clear pouch for makeup, a big satchel for toiletries, and this medicine bag. I like having the medicine bag separate from my other bathroom items, so it's not taking up unnecessary space on the counter.
Inside is a totally strange mish-mash of stuff that's proved invaluable during our travels. Lip balm cures our lips when wind or temperature changes irritate our skin. A little set of clippers and nail file take care of the inevitable hangnail or crazy-fast-growing kid fingernails. Some menthol chest rub helps with congestion, and sniffing it opens up clogged ears on an airplane. I also have an immune-boosting essential oil that helps ward of germs and doubles as a room scent in case we wind up somewhere that smells…unpleasant. There's also some vitamin C, bandages, hair bands and chewable ibuprofen. A couple individually-wrapped melatonin gummies to help with the occasional bout of traveler's insomnia, a mini sewing kit takes care of rogue buttons, and extra quarters help get a load of laundry done.
The biggest item up there is Omeprazole, an acid reducer just released in a NEW disintegrating tablet form – Omeprazole ODT! This may seem like a weird thing to be taking up a boxful of space in my medicine bag, but for me it's the most important thing in here. I've had gnarly heartburn ever since my first pregnancy (thanks, hormones) and it tends to get a lot worse when we travel. A lot of people who don't normally have heartburn actually get it when they travel due to increased stress and changing environmental factors. These little tablets are delayed release and work for up to 24 hours so they get it taken care of without the need to constantly be popping pills. I just make sure that I take the full amount, which is a 14-day regimen. Plus, since they melt in my mouth I don't have to track down water when I already have my hands full. Perfect travel solution!
Oh yeah, there's also some super glue in here. Because my kids tend to break stuff. For real.
This bag is with me on long road trips, airplane rides, cruise ships, train treks and everywhere in between. It's come to my rescue late at night and early on disheveled mornings.
In my suitcase, this medicine bag sits right next to my curling iron. You know, in case I have a hair emergency on top of everything else!
You can learn more about Omeprazole ODT on their website, and compare it to Prilosec here.
What's in your medicine bag?