First Aid Kits
Help!!!! The cry comes from your child playing on the swing set. Or from your husband who is slicing bagels. Or from your daughter playing on the deck with a foot full of splinters.
Are you prepared? Do you have a first aid kit in your house? Do you have one in the car? Do you know where it is, and has it been checked recently?
If you don’t have one, it is easy (and necessary) to buy one ready-made (Amazon, REI, drugstore) or put your own together. And, if you use up an item, be sure to replace it. Check your first aid twice yearly when you change the batteries in your smoke alarm.
Here are the basics that you should have in your home kit:
Adhesive tape
Elastic wrap bandages (in various sizes)
Band-aids and butterfly bandages in various sizes
Liquid Band-aids
Nonstick sterile bandages
Eyeshield or pad
Instant cold packs
Duct tape (it is also waterproof. When my son lacerated his arm on a canoe trip,
And was unable to get stitches, which he needed, the counselor used butterfly
bandages and duct tape. It stayed dry in the river and healed well.
Disposable non-latex gloves
Scissors and twisters
Hand sanitizer
Antibiotic ointment
Antiseptic solution and towelettes
Eyewash solution
Hydrogen peroxide
Thermometer
Medications:
Aloe Vera gel
Antihistamine, i.e. diphenhydramine
Hydrocortisone cream
Pain relievers, i.e. acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, CHEWABLE ASPIRIN, 81 mg (to be
used if any possibility of a heart attack
Auto-injector of epinephrine, if prescribed by your health care provider.
Emergency Items:
Phone numbers for doctors, family members
Flashlight
Fire extinguisher
Remember, first aid kits should not be limited to your home, put one in your car, and if hiking, or bicycling, one in your backpack.