More people need to understand how important it is to have a well stocked first aid kit at home and also in their cars. At your place of work or at school you would expect there to be first aid kits in accessible places for when accidents and injuries happen. Why not have the same expectation at home? We should look after ourselves better. Some of us have some supplies, some have nothing at all. But with a good kit in a location anyone in the home knows and can reach, people in the home will be more able to react appropriately when something happens. Cooking burns, cuts and grazes, bumped heads, to more serious concerns that need first aid attention while you wait for medical services to arrive. A first aid box could really make a difference to your pain, how fast you heal and so on.
Choosing a first aid kit
You have a lot of options now when it comes to creating or buying a family first aid kit so you can choose to do what best suits your preferences and needs. You might create your own kit, below we will list some of the popular things people put in their kits, or you might buy one, or you might buy one but then personalize it better to suit your home or car. A good first aid kit will have things you might not use often, or have not needed yet, but are a good basic supply should something happen.
- Bandage scissors
- Tweezers
- Antibiotic cream
- Burn cream
- Adhesive tape
- Bandages
- Plasters
- Rolls and pads of gauze
- Antiseptic cream and/or spray and wipes
- Thermometer
- Calamine lotion
- Benadryl
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Painkillers in forms anyone in the family needs
- Blood clot spray
- Emergency numbers
- Antacids
- Instant cold pack
- Inhalers
When you buy a kit premade most of these things will be in there. Not every first aid is the same, so check out a few to look for what is best for you. A lot of larger kits rather than having more new things, just have more of the same things, so multiple bandages, plasters, wipes and so on. Make sure if you find some of the things get used up more often like the painkillers, antacids, or plasters then these things are re-stocked often so it is not empty when you or someone in the home needs the first aid box next.
Away from home and your car
It is also a good idea as well as having a larger family first aid kit in the home, to have smaller kits you take on trips with you and to have one for the car. Anytime you go camping, hiking, for a family bike ride, swimming and so on, an accident could happen. It could happen just going to the shops, especially with kids involved! Having a personal small kit on you is an excellent idea so you can get it treated right away. You could again buy something smaller, or you could make your own from the larger one, and again re-stock.
