Traveling abroad to adopt a child is hardly an ordinary trip overseas. This pediatrician and adoptive parent recommends what to bring for a happy and successful journey.
Medical Supplies To Pack
Most children adopted internationally come from remote regions of the world with little access to modern medical care. Pharmacies in these places are often woefully understocked, and if they have antibiotics available they are usually in pill form only, which makes them difficult to administer to a baby or young child. Does that mean you should carry antibiotics with you when you travel to get your child? Yes. Clearly, it’s ideal for a child’s illness to be properly diagnosed before starting an antibiotic, but “ideal” is often unattainable when traveling overseas. It’s much simpler to bring basic medical supplies with you than to try to find them when you arrive.
PLAN TO PACK:
- Children’s acetaminophen (Tylenol), children’s ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil)
- An antihistamine suspension (Benadryl)
- A bulb syringe (for nasal congestion)
- Saline nose drops
- A medication dosing syringe
- Bottles or powdered packets of pediatric electrolyte (these can be mixed as directed with safe drinking water and given to prevent dehydration in kids who are vomiting or have diarrhea)
- A digital thermometer
- Vaseline or K-Y Jelly (for lubricating the thermometer if needed)
- A nasal decongestant (Children’s Sudafed)
- Diaper cream
- A child’s growth chart (pediatrician can provide)
- A cloth or paper tape measure so that you can plot growth parameters (a head circumference is easily obtained by placing a tape measure from the most prominent part of the forehead to the most prominent part of the back of the head)
- A developmental milestones chart (for the general age group of your child)
- Prescription medications, obtained from a pediatrician before your trip. These should include an antibiotic in powder form so it doesn’t need refrigeration (make sure you have instructions for how to mix it with safe drinking water and how to dose it if necessary)
- Antibiotic eye drops for pink eye
- Elimite cream to treat head lice or scabies
This ConceiveOnline.com article originally appeared in a 2006 issue of Conceive magazine.
