Single moms: how will you handle an emergency?
A friend of mine recently had to scramble. Her husband was out of town, and one of her twins had to go to the emergency room in the middle of the night. It got me thinking: what on earth am I going to do when an emergency hits? What are YOU going to do? Do you know?
Let’s start with the medicine cabinet. While we were creatively homeless, my son woke in the middle of the night with horrible leg pains (hello, growth spurt). It sent me rummaging through a friend’s medicine cabinet (sorry, I didn’t peek at the labels! I promise!) in search of a child-friendly pain reliever. Thankfully, the Children’s Motrin was quickly found, and my child stopped howling. What sorts of things should you keep on hand for middle of the night needs?
- Pain reliever, age appropriate (never give children asprin!) — ibuprophin and acetometaphine, both, because you can alternate the two for serious pain. Dr. Sears explains how.
- Emetic in case your child accidently ingests something awful. A caveat here: call Poison Control before inducing vomiting. There are some things that are better in than out.
- Eye wash and eye wash cup. Cause let’s be honest. It’s impossible to rinse out a kid’s eyeball with cupped hands and tap water.
- Antihistamine– good first line of defense for mild to medium allergic reactions
- Bee sting kit in case someone you know is suddenly allergic to insect stings
- Antiseptic for scrapes and cuts
- bandages of various shapes and sizes. Bacon band-aids are our current favorite.
- Decongestant and cough medicine - I usually try to keep these on hand, as separate medications, rather than buy one of those cure all potions… because mostly, my kid gets a stuffed up nose, but not the cough. Or vice versa
Also, you should have a good thermometer on hand. Know what kind of thermometer you are using (aural, sublingual, rectal, etc) to tell the doctor because each type of thermometer measures temperature differently.
Telephone numbers:
- On-call nurse practitioner for after hours questions (your doctor’s office should have this service attached to their main line)
- Emergency (in the USA, dial 911)
- All-night pharmacy (check if there is one in your area who delivers!)
- Poison Control (USA dial 1-800-222-1222)
Now. Your kid is sick. You don’t have a car. The all night pharmacy doesn’t deliver. What are you going to do? Be sure you have a close friend or neighbor who doesn’t mind getting a phone call in the middle of the night. He or she can either sit with your sick babe while you go get medicine, do the midnight run to the pharmacy, or take care of your other children while you run to the emergency room.
Know more than one way to get out of your house in an emergency. If you have exterior doors that latch with a deadbolt that has no turn handle on the outside, get them switched out, or at the very least, keep a key in the door or hanging (low enough so a child can get it) right next to it. Check your smoke alarms when you change back and forth with daylight savings time.
6 opinions for Single moms: how will you handle an emergency?
Hsien Lei
Dec 6, 2006 at 8:20 am
You must be a mind reader. I’m going to start a new series at A Hearty Life in the new year called What’s In Your Medicine Cabinet? You’ll be first up. :)
Carrie
Dec 6, 2006 at 8:34 am
I agree with all of this (we have had to do midnight hospital trips in the past, and I have had to call the poisons hotline TWICE - I have a ratbag child!!)Except!! I have to hide my keys, as my monkey tends to escape… Seriously, she would have given Houdini a good run for his money. She has made it past three locked doors, a group of adults, a gate, a HEDGE (!!) and onto a main road. In about two minutes. She sounds like a monster, but she is normally very, very good, she is just like the little girl with a little curl on her forehead.
christina
Dec 6, 2006 at 9:05 am
Hsien! Fabulous. So, what am I missing from mine? I’m thinking of doing an herbal list, too… arnica for bruises, eucalyptus oil to dab on a pillow for stuffy noses, chamomile tea (did you know, someone’s doctor recommended she soak her son’s penis in tepid chamomile tea when it got an irritation, balanitis, to ease discomfort?), ginger root…
I wish I’d had the time and money to stock up on medicine when in Dubai. You don’t need a prescription for most things, and sometimes, it’s nice to have the common things on hand. If the ex comes to visit, I’ll have him bring us a few things.
christina
Dec 6, 2006 at 9:08 am
Carrie, I knew someone would have a litle jail break baby. You’re right, of course. if the little ones will break out and make a run for it, you can’t leave the keys in temptation’s way. But you then have to think very carefully about how your front door works…
Course, a child would never be left alone in the house, so she should never have to open the door by herself, right? ;-)
A Hearty Life » What’s in Christina’s Medicine Chest?
Jan 12, 2007 at 6:10 am
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