Review and Giveaway! Med Basics Travel Pack

I've posted before about how it seems like the best products for kids are those that are created by parents. Combine the practical expertise of a parent and the knowledge of a health care provider, and you have the ultimate in baby products! If you've ever experienced the terror of watching a child choking or woken up in the middle of the night to a screaming baby with a raging fever, then you know that having instant access to information is essential. Having all this information in one place means that vital, potentially life-saving information is always available and easy to locate. This is the service that the Med Basics Packs provide.

If you are at all like me, you don't mind leaving your children in the care of others, but doing so means that you write down every piece of information that the sitter could possibly need. As much as I try to include, I've never really thought beyond the basics of names, phone numbers, routines, etc. Maybe it's because I don't want to think about it happening, but I always assume there's not going to ever be a medical emergency while we are away. When I saw the Med Basics Packs, I realized that it was somewhat irresponsible of me to not provide basic emergency information for the people who are sitting with my children. Even if they say they have had infant and child CPR training, would they remember what to do in a situation where one of my children was choking? Would I remember what to do if one of my children was choking for that matter? What about the new parents who've never experienced a baby with a high fever before? What should they do while waiting for a phone call from their pediatrician? Created by a mom who is also a nurse and her husband, Luke, who is an MD, the Med Basics Pack is your one-stop resource for information like how to perform CPR on an infant, what to do if your baby is choking, how to care for cuts and burns, and what to do when your child has a fever.

Most parents that I know have their one go-to parenting book with information about feeding, sleeping and general infant and child care. These books are an indispensable resource as well, but they do not provide the same instant access to life-saving info that you might need in an emergency situation that the Med Basics Packs provide. In addition, the packs are designed to provide information specifically for infants from birth to age 1. That first year is so full of worry the first time around, and I've noticed that I worry just as much and feel just as inexperienced the second time around as well. Isaac has just barely started experimenting with finger foods, mostly just puffs and really small pieces of banana, but the worry about him choking has already begun. I've been trained in infant CPR, but it's been several years, and I have no idea if I'd be able to remember what to do if the situation arose where I needed to actually use what I learned. It's reassuring to know that I have a very easy to read resource to refer to just in case. Both the CPR and chocking sections of the Med Basics Pack have diagrams, written explanations and a summary at the end. The pictures are clear and the explanations clear and concise. I really, really hope that I never have the need to use this book in an emergency situation, but it's been a nice refresher course, and a comfort to know the info is right there if I need it.

The Med Basics Pack come in two versions. There is the Home Pack and the Travel Pack. Both versions provide the same basic information. The Home Pack is obviously a little larger and has a handle for hanging on a doorknob for easy access (we'd hang ours on the doorknob of our nursery.) Inside, you'll find a pocket for keeping important health documents, instructions for what to include in your baby's medical history and a checklist for preparing for an emergency. The Travel Pack is a smaller version of the Home Pack and includes a clip for attaching to a stroller or diaper bag as well as weather-resistant fabric. Both Packs include a page for basic information and emergency numbers including poison control. The books are also spiral-bound which means they easily stay open so you can refer to them while you are performing CPR, taking a temperature, etc. Tara and her husband have definitely given a lot of thought to the practical use of this product.

Read the full review below, based on a 4-star scale:

Functionality **** - The diagrams are clear, the instructions are complete, but concise, and the book stays open easily thanks to the spiral binding. When I first started flipping through the guide, I thought, "Wouldn't it be great to have a place to write emergency info?" And then, I turned to the first page and saw a place to write names, cell phone numbers, allergy info, home address, etc. Like I said, Tara and Luke, the creators of Med Basics, really thought of everything.

Price *** - The Home Pack is $39.50 and the Travel Pack is $29.50. While yes, it's true, I have books on the shelf that contain much of this information, none have it as easily accessible. I also end up writing and rewriting a lot of the emergency contact info out every time we have a sitter. At first glance, these might seem a little expensive, but if you ever need them in an emergency situation, their value would be priceless.

Overall Rating ***1/2 - While I hope that we never, ever have to open our Travel Pack in an emergency situation, it's a real comfort to know that it's there. These Med Basics Packs would make wonderful gifts for inexperienced first time parents as well. Again, each detail has been well thought out, all the way down to the spiral-bound pages. It's a product you hope you never need, but will feel so much more safe and comfortable knowing that it's there if you do.

**The Med Basics Packs are available for sale directly from the website at http://www.babymedbasics.com/.

Would you like to win a Travel Med Basics Pack of your own? Simply leave us a comment letting us know where you would store a Home Pack or a Travel Pack if you owned one. All entries must be received by midnight on Wednesday, October 8th. Winner will receive one Travel Med Basics Pack in color of choice. You must be 18 or older to win and please only one entry per household. Feel free to leave us your email, but know that I will be submitting the winner to Prizey.Fetch. You can read all of our official giveaway rules here. Thanks for reading and good luck!