Children tend to come with a lot of bumps, bruises, and scrapes. Always be prepared with these first aid kit essentials!
Hurry! Your kid fell down the stairs again and his knee is bleeding!
Oh, that’s right. You ran out of bandages and antibacterial cream a month ago. I guess you should just run the wound under some water and hope that that’s good enough.
I’m sure that all of us as mothers have run into some sort of problem when it comes to running out of first aid supplies, but there are some situations where this basic supplies can be life-saving.
Read on to learn what first aid kit essentials you should always have in your home to keep you and your entire family safe. Also, it is important that you have the essential first aid skills.
First Aid Kit Essentials
As you’re exploring the most important medical supplies to keep in your home, keep in mind that any numbered suggestions that we give are calculated for families of four. Please reconsider the proper amount of supplies if your family is larger.
1. Personal Information
This may seem like the last thing that would come to your mind when you’re preparing a first aid kit, but it can actually be crucial to your medical care if a small accident turns into a 911-worthy injury. Make sure to check out this link for great first aid kits.
The personal information that you should worry about keeping in your first aid kit should include your family’s medical history as well a medication list for everyone. Be sure to keep lists separate to minimize any confusion by the paramedics and doctors that may have to read the list.
Don’t forget to include emergency phone numbers as well. This could be family members that the medical staff can contact, primary care provider’s phone number, specialists’ numbers, and anyone else that you think could help the doctor(s) if a problem were to arise.
2. First Aid Manual
What is the point in having any supplies in your first aid kit if you don’t know how to use any of it. Having a manual with updated information about how to properly use various first aid supplies is pertinent to actually being able to help someone who needs it.
3. Basic First Aid Kit Contents
There are a few basics that each first aid kit should have. We have highlighted what these are and what the recommended amount of each is:
- Adhesive bandages (about 25 bandages of different sizes)
- Antibiotic ointment (5 packets or 1 tube)
- Antiseptic wipes (5 packets)
- Absorbent compress dressings (2 rolls)
- Instant cold compress (1)
- Adhesive cloth tape (1)
- Triangular bandages (2)
- Gauze (2 rolls)
- Sterile gauze pads (5)
- Oral thermometer (1)
- Tweezers (1)
- Non-latex gloves (2 pairs)
- Hydrocortisone ointment (2 packets)
- Breathing barrier (1)
- Emergency blanket (1)
Gathering all of these supplies can be intimidating especially when some of these words may seem foreign. A great tip for gathering all of these supplies is to order in bulk. Doing so will save you money and ensure that you have more than enough supplies for your family.
4. Medications
Many people don’t think about keep medication in their first aid kits, but you never know when you may be able to medicate someone who is having an allergic reaction faster than a doctor can.
There are some common medications that you should consider keeping in your first aid kit:
- Acetaminophen
- Ibuprofen
- Aspirin
- Antacid
- Antihistamine
- Auto-injection epinephrine (if prescribed)
- Cough and cold medications
- Antidiarrheal
- Laxative
- Other personal medications (if they do not need to be stored in the fridge)
For all of these medications, you should take into consideration how many people you have in your family and what their different medical histories are. We recommend having at least a few doses of every medication, but a small bottle may be a better goal if you have a larger family.
If someone in your family has a history of gastrointestinal issues, you may want to consider keeping more medications related to treating gastrointestinal symptoms. If someone else has a worrying cardiac history, you may want to keep more aspirin.
Customizing your first aid kit to your family’s needs is the best way to prepare you and your family for any emergencies that may occur in the future.
5. Other Considerations
Even though the following items may not be needed for your everyday bump and bruise, they still make great additions to a first aid kit and come in handy when more daring situations arise:
- Flashlight (preferably waterproof)
- Headlamp
- Matches (preferably waterproof)
- Notepad and writing utensil
- Extra batteries (different kinds)
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent
Keeping Up With Your Kit
Don’t leave your first aid kit in the depths of your basement forever. It is fantastic if you never need to use it, but you don’t want to have an expired, disgusting kit when you do actually have a worthy emergency.
You should be sure to check your kit often. This check-up should include testing batteries and checking expiration dates.
Educating Your Children
You could also take this time to teach your children about the importance of keeping a first aid kit and what the kit should have in it. This refresher of your kit could also be a great time to review the first aid manual that you’re choosing to keep with the rest of your supplies.
Be sure to prepare your children for emergencies in age-appropriate ways and be open to any questions that they may have.
Involving Physicians
Feel free to also reach out to your doctors and ask for their recommendations. If you or another family member has a chronic illness, the specialist may have a great idea about what medications or other treatment you may require.
If someone has an exacerbation of a chronic illness, you will want to be sure to have the appropriate supplies to tackle the problem. This could mean having breathing treatments available or a back-up inhaler present.
Finalizing Your Kit
As you prepare your first aid kit, keep all of these first aid kit essentials in mind. If you’re in doubt about including something in your kit, it may be worth it to include it anyways.
I’m sure we’d all rather be too prepared than not prepared enough.
To learn more about what is important to keep in mind as a mother, feel free to explore the rest of our blog.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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