Do you have a child with tons of allergies? Are you a mom that carries single dose allergy medication in your purse “just in case”?
When my daughter visited an allergist and underwent the dreaded allergy skin test, the results were unsurprising. We already knew she was allergic to a bunch of stuff; the hives are an “alert” that is impossible to miss. Besides, I’d spent much of my own childhood covered in welts. (Yay, fun times.)
As I was telling the doctor all of the things we suspected she was allergic too, his eyebrows went up. I get that reaction a lot. Let’s just say that if she wore a bracelet that said each thing she is allergic to, then you wouldn’t be able to see her arm.
He thought I was a little off-kilter, I’m sure. (I am–who else uses the word kilter?)
After the skin test, the doctor walked in the door and said “Whoa, princess, your mother wasn’t lying. You are one allergic little girl!”
No kidding. Her back was one huge allergic reaction after the little allergen pricks.
My daughter’s pet dander allergy is the worst. She has to carry around an Epipen because of dander, not the food allergies, of which there are several.
Dander. Really? Yes.
Her food allergies are something I do worry about. Dairy, eggs, and peanuts are in most processed food so she rarely eats processed food. The silver lining, I guess.
Diphenhydramine HCL (Benadryl) is a must-have when you have kids with allergies. I love the convenience of the pre-measured single-dose packets. However, single-dose anything is pricey!
A bottle of generic Benadryl has about 37 more servings for way cheaper! So obviously I bought the cheaper version (which has the same active ingredients and effectiveness) and made my own single-dose packets.
How to make single-dose medication packets for kids on the go
I don’t like the idea of melting straws (which is a popular DIY solution.) But I use my Food saver vacuum sealer all the time. (True Story – This post was originally written in 2014. I’d already had the Vacuum Sealer shown in the poorly lit image below for several years. I still use the same exact vacuum sealer. I love it when appliances work for years!)
I turned to my trusty FoodSaver to make the little plastic pouches to hold each 5 ml dose. I cut four-inch sections from a vacuum sealer bag. 
Then I measured out 5 ml (1 teaspoon) and used a medicine syringe to fill the little plastic tubes I made. Then I sealed them closed. Voila! Easy peasy lemon squeezy!
However, since they are not in the hard plastic that the store-bought ones come in (no doubt the reason for the high price) I placed the packets inside a small tin with a small pair of scissors.
Altoid tins would work perfectly for this.
I didn’t make very many because I am lazy did not want to worry about it expiring. My son is allergic to bug bites so between the two of them, I have never had a bottle reach expiration!
How to make Single Dose To Go Packets of Benadryl without a Food Sealer.
It’s 2021 and my kids now are able to swallow capsules. (This is a game-changer for real.) However, I am still frugal and my pediatrician still recommends my tween daughter take liquid Benadryl immediately if we suspect an allergic reaction.
I am also still lazy and taking out the food saver then pulling my box of vacuum sealer bags out seems like a lot of work sometimes.
It really isn’t all that much work for sealing medicine packs but resealing food bags can save tons of money by keeping things fresh. I stumbled across this little hanging sealer gadget for a couple of bucks while surfing Amazon deals one night. (It’s a problem I have.)
While many of my “late night” deal finds are disappointing. This one is not and makes this DIY even easier.
Behold the magic of the mini bag sealer. It hangs in my pantry and seals and cuts mylar bags and plastic bags. And… it only costs a few bucks. You’re welcome.
Good luck this allergy season. It’s been wreaking havoc in my house!
Related:
On the food allergies and the first day of school.
Cough Remedies from Moms who hate to hear their kids hacking at night!
What you need to know about Benadryl for Cough
Anom says
OMG You are a genius! I am a mom of a now 26 year food allergy child( first child). I had the same situation happen to me when I took him to a pediatric allergist. He thought I was crazy and gave me a huge lecture of how it was not possible to be allergic to so many things (dairy, eggs, peanuts, nuts, lentils, oranges, wheat, fish, shellfish…and the list goes on), but I listened to him tell me how it was intolerance not allergy. Low and behold, skin testing confirmed by blood testing, my son was allergic to so many things. The physician was kind, called me at home later that day and apologized and said he never met a patient like this. We did take him to a teritary center in Colorado (with our doctor’s mutual concern) for another hopeful opinion, but we have not had much improvement. He is still allergic to most. I appreciate the idea of single packs because I have not been able to find any in a very long time, brand name or not.
Nancy Webb says
Can you cut a tiny notch in the side to make them easy to tear open?
Herchel says
I wouldn’t unless you can make sure not to puncture the actual packet. It would make a huge mess if it spilled in your purse.
becka says
This is like the best idea I have seen in regards to medicine. I bet it would work well to have already measured out doses of any medication. I am an allergy sufferer too. 🙂 I need to get a food saver.
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Herchel says
My sister in law uses big fat straws. She melts one end shut with a lighter and fills it and seals the other end. So…I rarely use my foodsaver except for making these kinds of crafts!
Echo says
This is an awesome idea! I am going to make these for the summer!
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Gabby@MamaGab says
Wow, this is super smart! Now I wish I had a Foodsaver! My 2 year old son has nut allergies, so we always keep Benadryl & Epipens handy. I can’t even find the premeasured benadryl anymore, so I need to do something like this.
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Herchel says
My sister in law seals a fat straw with a lighter on one end, fills it then melts the other end closed. I have seen the generic single doses at drugstores but haven’t seen name brand Benadryl single doses lately.
Elizabeth (Rock-A-Bye Parents) says
First off your poor little girl! I’ve never heard of someone needing an EpiPen for dander! Second what a fantastic idea! My son has a sever egg allergy (although luckily he’s almost outgrown it) and carrying a bottle of Benadryl around gets so heavy!
Thanks for linking up at Rock-A-Bye Parents Parenting Pointers linky party.
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Amila says
this is a very helpful idea.with a newborn,I will use this idea when travel.Easy to bring the enough quantity than whole bottle.
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Rachel says
This is a great idea! Hopefully my children won’t have these kinds of allergies, but I would think you could use this in a variety of ways:) Thank you for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board.
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Herchel says
Thanks, Rachel! I also like to make single doses of Tylenol or Motrin when we travel.
Rabia @TheLiebers says
We go through a lot of Benedryl at our house too! My middle son is the worst, but all three have “seasonal” allergies-in every season! Our pediatrician also recommends it for helping my middle one sleep sometimes.
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Michelle says
What a clever idea! I am so sorry your daughter has to deal with this. Two of my kids had food allergies when they were little, but they outgrew them. And the allergies they have now are minor. I can see why you would go back to school to study health care!
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Tamara says
What a great idea! Has she been struggling with allergies since birth? I remember my brother having seriously every allergy ever (and some so random?!) and he outgrew them all but he has a son now and another on the way and so far, so good. But he worries.
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Herchel says
Yes, she has had them since birth. The peanut and egg allergies seem to be going away. She isn’t likely to outgrow the dairy and dander allergies.
Kim Miller says
Great idea Herchel! I especially like the thought of putting them in a small tin with the mini scissors (those by themselves could come in handy SO many times!) If you are worried about the expiration dates, you could always write that on the label as well- I noticed you wrote the drug name and dose (smart!) you could always add the expiration from the bottle too, that way you’d have no guessing!
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Herchel says
I started doing that too, Kim. Great minds….the little sewing kit scissors broke pretty quickly so I replaced them with a new pair of dollar store nail clippers! They are much stronger and get through the foodsaver bags easily.