The Sick Day Stash: What I Keep at Home So I’m Not Running to the Store at Midnight

With fall here, we're knee deep in new routines, classroom germs, and a rotating door of runny noses.

Every year, I get caught off guard. One of the kids spikes a fever at bedtime, and suddenly I’m raiding the back of the bathroom drawer like I’m on Survivor: Cold & Flu Edition.

So this year, I’m getting ahead of it. No midnight runs to the pharmacy. No realizing we’re out of tissues after the nose explosion. I’m building my Sick Day Stash — a simple kit that keeps everything in one place so I can focus on taking care of the kids (instead of scrambling).

Here’s what I keep stocked at home — and what I’m grabbing during Prime Day to top it up.

The Medicine Drawer (A.K.A. Calm in a Box)

These are the basics I always want ready to go — especially at 3 a.m. when no one’s thinking clearly.

• Children’s Tylenol (acetaminophen)

• Children’s Advil (ibuprofen)

• Vicks BabyRub or Chest Rub for Kids

• FridaBaby NoseFrida or saline spray kit

• Braun No-Touch Forehead Thermometer

The Comfort Kit

Not essential for treatment — but 100% essential for everyone’s sanity. These little comforts make sick days feel less awful.

• Microwavable animal heat pack

• Cool mist humidifier

• Ultra soft fleece throw blanket

• Reusable popsicle molds for hydration hacks

• Spill-proof straw cups for water or ginger ale

• Kleenex Lotion Tissues (bulk pack)

The Entertainment Zone (Low Energy, Low Mess)

Because if they’re going to be stuck on the couch, you want options that don’t involve a tablet dying mid-movie.

• Yoto Mini Audio Player for Kids

• Water Wow mess-free colouring books

• LEGO DOTS or small build kits

• Sticker activity books

• Dog Man or The Bad Guys graphic novels

• UNO or Go Fish card games

🧼 The Parent Survival Section

We deserve to be prepared too — especially if we’re the ones getting sick next.

• Hand Sanitizer

• Lysol Disinfectant Spray

• Disposable nitrile gloves

• Ginger chews or herbal tea

• Nuun electrolyte tablets

• Face + hand wipes (unscented)

• Starbucks or Nespresso pods

• Clif Bars or RX Bars

🧺 Sick Day Laundry + Cleaning Kit

Not glamorous, but this is the stuff that helps keep your house from turning into a full-blown biohazard zone.

• Waterproof mattress protector

• Extra pillowcases

• Quick-dry towels

• Small plastic bowls or puke basins (get a few!)

• Febreze-scented garbage bags

• Tide Free & Gentle laundry detergent

• Lysol or Clorox wipes (multi-pack)

Future You Will Thank You

You don’t have to go overboard — but having just a few of these things ready makes sick days easier for everyone. No panic. No guilt. Just calm, clean vibes and ginger ale with a bendy straw.

For more from Matt on parenting, single Dad life and more check him out on Instagram, or view his other lists on Amazon here.