Summer holidays are often the chance for an extended stay away from home. But the longer time period abroad can also surface a different set of potential health issues to a quick weekend break. Here are six holiday essentials covering both the kids and the adults looking after them. Some you can buy over the counter, others need a short online consultation first, and a few are for grown-ups only.
1. Sun Cream and Sunburn Relief
Six weeks of longer, hotter days makes sunburn one of the most common holiday mishaps, and everyone in the family needs the same protection - not just the kids. NHS guidance recommends a sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and high UVA protection, reapplied every two hours and straight after swimming, even with "water-resistant" formulas. Babies under six months are better kept out of direct sun altogether rather than relying on sunscreen.1
If a child does catch the sun, a cool bath, aftersun and children's paracetamol or ibuprofen will ease the soreness while the skin recovers, and the same approach works for adults, just with adult-strength painkillers instead. Packing enough sun cream alongside the rest of the kit helps you avoid relying on whatever the local shop happens to stock.
2. Cystitis Treatment
Not drinking enough in the heat, spending long stretches in a wet swimsuit, and generally being off your usual routine can all make cystitis more likely on holiday, and it's one of the more common reasons parents end up needing a pharmacy while away.2 The main symptoms are a burning feeling when you pee, needing to go more often than usual, and a dull ache low in the tummy.
A short course of an antibiotic such as trimethoprim usually clears it up within a few days for adults, alongside plenty of water and paracetamol for any discomfort. This is not something to give a child. If a child seems to have similar symptoms, they should get same-day medical attention. If you know you're prone to cystitis yourself, packing cystisis relief means you're not trying to explain your symptoms to a pharmacist in a language you might not speak.
3. Eczema Flare-Up Cream
Heat, sweat and chlorinated pool water are all recognised triggers for eczema flare-ups, which makes a beach or pool-based holiday a common time for symptoms to worsen, even in children whose skin is normally well controlled at home.3
Moisturising before swimming and rinsing off in fresh water afterwards both help, but a short course of hydrocortisone cream is useful to have on hand if the skin becomes red, itchy or inflamed, whether that's a child's arm or a parent's hands after too much pool time. Yes, you can buy 1% hydrocortisone cream over the counter without a prescription in the UK, which makes it one of the easier items on this list to pick up before you travel.4 It is suitable for adults and children over 10. For younger children, check with a pharmacist first rather than using it without advice, and either way it is not suitable for broken or infected skin, so it treats a flare-up rather than anything that has started to weep or scab.
4. Cold Sore Antiviral Treatment
Strong sunlight is a recognised trigger for cold sores, which makes a family holiday one of the more likely times for an outbreak in whoever tends to get them, adult or child. Aciclovir works best when it is started at the very first tingle, before any blister has appeared. Aciclovir is for adults though. A child with a core sore is usually better suited to an antiviral cream, so ask a pharmacist for the right format if it's your child who gets them.5
A sunblock lip balm of SPF 15 or above, worn throughout the day, can help reduce the chance of sunlight triggering a flare-up in the first place, and it's one of several tips covered in our guide to getting the most from your cold sore treatment. Packing aciclovir tablets means you're prepared to treat any cold sores as soon as those initial symptoms appear.
5. Threadworm Treatment
Threadworm is extremely common in school-age children, and busy pools, playgroups and holiday clubs are exactly the kind of shared spaces where the eggs pass easily from child to child. A single dose of mebendazole is the standard treatment, and because threadworm spreads so easily within a household, it's usually recommended that the whole family is treated at the same time, not just whoever has symptoms. This covers the parents down to children over two years old. For anyone younger than that, a GP can advise on a suitable alternative.6
The itching is worst at night, so if you're sharing a room or a holiday let with the whole family, it's worth having threadworm treatment with you rather than trying to track down the same brand abroad. Good hand hygiene for two weeks afterwards helps stop it coming straight back.
6. Migraine Treatment (For the Grown-Ups)
It's easy to focus entirely on the kids' health kit and forget your own. Heat, dehydration, disrupted sleep and long travel days are all recognised migraine triggers, which makes a family holiday a fairly reliable time for one to strike.7
Sumatriptan is an adult migraine treatment, best taken as soon as a migraine starts rather than waiting to see if it passes, and it works within around 30 to 60 minutes for most people. It is not suitable for children. If a child on the trip gets a bad headache, plain paracetamol or ibuprofen and a chat with a pharmacist is the right first step.
If you already know you get migraines yourself, packing a triptan like sumatriptan means you have a familiar treatment to hand in case an episode occurs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to put sun cream on a baby?
For babies under six months, the NHS recommends avoiding direct sun altogether rather than relying on sunscreen — shade and covering up are the safer option. Older babies and children can use a sunscreen of at least SPF 30 with high UVA protection, reapplied every two hours and after swimming.
Can I give my child the same cystitis treatment as an adult?
No. Trimethoprim is an adult treatment and is not something to give a child. If a child has symptoms that sound like cystitis, such as pain when weeing or needing to go more often than usual, they need a same-day GP or pharmacist assessment rather than an adult antibiotic.
Can you buy hydrocortisone cream over the counter?
Yes. 1% hydrocortisone cream is available over the counter in the UK without a prescription, for adults and children over 10. For younger children, a pharmacist should check it's appropriate before it's used.
Can children take aciclovir tablets for a cold sore?
Aciclovir tablets, like the ones typically prescribed for adults, are not usually the right choice for a child's cold sore. Children are generally better suited to an antiviral cream, so it's worth asking a pharmacist for the right format for their age rather than reaching for an adult's tablets.
What age can children take threadworm treatment?
Mebendazole, the standard threadworm treatment, is suitable for the whole family from age two upwards, and it's usually recommended that everyone in the household is treated together. For children younger than two, a GP can advise on a suitable alternative.
Can children take sumatriptan for a migraine?
No, sumatriptan is an adult migraine treatment and is not suitable for children. If a child has a bad headache, paracetamol or ibuprofen alongside a chat with a pharmacist is the right first step instead.
References
- NHS. Sunscreen and sun safety. nhs.uk
- NHS. Cystitis. nhs.uk
- National Eczema Society. Swimming and eczema. eczema.org
- NHS. Hydrocortisone for skin: steroid for skin conditions. nhs.uk
- NHS. Cold sores. nhs.uk
- NHS. Threadworms. nhs.uk
- NHS. Sumatriptan: medicine for migraines and cluster headaches. nhs.uk
This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice. Always read the patient information leaflet supplied with your medication and speak to a healthcare professional if you have specific concerns.