A First Aid Kit Should Include…

 

You may decide to make your own first aid kit, or you may rather purchase a ready-made first aid kit, perhaps designed for specific activities such as hiking, camping or boating. Whether you buy a first aid kit or put one together, make sure it has all the items you may need.

Include any personal items such as medications and emergency phone numbers (your doctor, hospital, contacts…). Check the kit regularly. Make sure the flashlight batteries work (Include a small LED flashlight, which will last a very long time on a set of batteries). Check expiration dates and replace any used or out-of-date contents.

The Red Cross recommends that all first aid kits for a family of four include the following:

2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)
25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)
5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 gram)
5 antiseptic wipe packets
2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)
1 blanket (space blanket)
1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
1 instant cold compress
2 pair of nonlatex gloves (size: large)
2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)
Scissors
1 roller bandage (3 inches wide)
1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
5 sterile gauze pads (3 x 3 inches)
5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)
Oral thermometer (non-mercury/nonglass)
2 triangular bandages
Tweezers
First aid instruction booklet

Personally, I would add a bit more to this minimum recommendation by the Red Cross… some Tylenol (fever), Ibuprofen (muscle pain), and a few more Aspirins (small-mg-dose tablets, good for kids and adults). When you think about it, there is a lot more you could add to cover more emergency situations, but what you carry will depend on how much room you have, where the kit will store, and it’s intended purpose.

Point is, think about it, and put one together, or purchase one, now (what better time?), at least one for your vehicle, and a smaller one to throw in a pack for a hike, bike ride, or other outdoor excursion.

What do you think? Any further suggestions?

Update from a reader, who is a doctor:
…i noticed that Aspirin (ASA) is recommended as “good for kids and adults”. Actually, Aspirin is quite dangerous for children under the age of 15 because of low probability of Reye’s syndrome (encephalopathy and liver failure, with mortality from 20 – 50%). Therefore Aspirin IS NOT recommended for kids. Tylenol (acetaminophen) and ibuprofen are just fine for any age.

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