Summer holidays are often the chance for a longer stay away from home. But more time abroad can also bring a different set of 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.
Check the age guidance on everything you pack. Several of these treatments are adults 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. Reapply it every two hours and straight after swimming, even if it says "water-resistant". Babies under six months are best kept out of direct sun altogether, rather than relying on sunscreen.1
Has a child caught the sun? A cool bath, aftersun and children's paracetamol or ibuprofen will ease the soreness while their skin recovers. The same approach works for adults, just with adult-strength painkillers.
Packing enough sun cream with the rest of your kit means you won't have to rely on whatever the local shop has in stock.
Use more than you think. Most people apply far less sunscreen than they need for the SPF on the bottle.
2. Cystitis treatment
Not drinking enough in the heat, long stretches in a wet swimsuit and being out of your usual routine can all make cystitis more likely on holiday. It's one of the more common reasons parents end up needing a pharmacy while they're 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 your tummy.
Mild cystitis in women often clears up on its own within a few days, with plenty of water and paracetamol for any discomfort. If it doesn't, a short course of an antibiotic, such as trimethoprim, may be needed.2
Know you're prone to cystitis? Packing cystitis relief means you won't have to explain your symptoms to a pharmacist in a language you might not speak.
Cystitis symptoms in a child, or in a man? Do not self-treat. Get same-day medical advice.
3. Eczema flare-up cream
Heat, sweat and chlorinated pool water are all recognised eczema triggers. That makes a beach or pool holiday a common time for symptoms to get worse, even in children whose skin is usually 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 time in the pool.
You can buy 1% hydrocortisone cream over the counter in the UK without a prescription, which makes it one of the easier items on this list to pick up before you go.4 It's suitable for adults and children over 10, for up to 7 days. For younger children, check with a pharmacist first.
Do not use hydrocortisone cream on broken, weeping or infected skin, or on the face, without medical advice.
4. Cold sore antiviral treatment
Strong sunlight is a recognised trigger for cold sores. So a family holiday is one of the more likely times for an outbreak in whoever tends to get them, adult or child.
Aciclovir works best when you start it at the very first tingle, before a blister appears. Aciclovir tablets are for adults, though. A child with a cold sore is usually better suited to an antiviral cream, so ask a pharmacist for the right option if it's your child who gets them.5
A sunblock lip balm of SPF 15 or above, worn throughout the day, can help stop sunlight triggering an outbreak in the first place. It's one of several tips in our guide to getting the most from your cold sore treatment.
Packing aciclovir tablets means you're ready to treat a cold sore as soon as those first symptoms appear.
5. Threadworm treatment
Threadworm is extremely common in school-age children. 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. Because threadworm spreads so easily, the whole household is usually treated at the same time, not just whoever has symptoms. That covers everyone from parents down to children over two. For anyone younger, or if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, a GP can advise on what to do instead.6
The itching is worst at night. So if the whole family is sharing a room or holiday let, it's worth having threadworm treatment with you, rather than trying to track down the same thing abroad.
Keep up good hand washing for two weeks after treatment. It helps stop threadworm 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. It's 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 isn't 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.
Already know you get migraines? Packing a triptan like sumatriptan means you'll have a familiar treatment to hand if one comes on.
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.