Every September, the same wave hits every home in Laois: the runny noses, the nits letter, the scraped knees, the tummy bugs. You can’t stop it — but a well-stocked press and a few smart preparations in late August take most of the panic out of it. Here’s the checklist our pharmacists recommend to Portlaoise families, with an interactive version you can tick off as you shop.
The back-to-school health checklist
Tick off what you already have — we’ll keep count.
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The three conversations worth having before term starts
- Inhalers and EpiPens: schools need an in-date spare, and children need to know where theirs is. We can check dates in ten seconds at the counter.
- Regular medicines and school hours: if a medicine is due mid-day, ask us whether the timing can be shifted — often it can, which spares everyone the school-office medicine run.
- The flu vaccine: children aged 2–17 can get the free nasal-spray flu vaccine — worth planning for October. Our flu vaccine guide covers who’s eligible.
When fever means the doctor, not the pharmacy: a fever in a baby under 3 months, a rash that doesn’t fade under a glass, unusual drowsiness, or trouble breathing — those are GP or emergency situations, always. Our full child fever guide lists every red flag.
Want us to build the kit for you?
Call in with the list — or message it to us — and we’ll put the whole back-to-school press together, dosed right for each child’s age. Two minutes of chat now saves a frantic dash in October.
Reviewed by Deirdre O’Donovan MPSI, pharmacist (registered since 1981), Laois Pharmacy, Portlaoise — July 2026.
