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.

Myra Katz