How To Stock Your Home First Aid Kit


Everyone should have a well-stocked first aid kit handy for the home as well as the car. You never know when you will need it, and it is always better to be prepared for an emergency. First aid kits should also be checked once or twice a year to ensure that the supplies have not expired, and refill any items that have been used. There are ready-made kits available at many retailers, but you can also stock your own to ensure that the products you have on hand are good quality items. A plastic shoebox with a snap-top lid can make an effective first aid kit, and fits nicely on a shelf or under a seat in your car. You can also fill a smaller box with some bare essentials to create a first aid kit for the park or soccer games. No matter where you are, it is always a good idea to have some band-aids and a few other supplies available.

The Necessities

Bandages are usually the first basic that people think of when they begin stocking a first aid kit. Bandages of assorted shapes and sizes are a good idea, so you are prepared for a variety of cuts and scrapes. Butterfly bandages should be included to hold cuts closed, and gauze pads can come in handy to help stop bleeding. Include a roll of hypoallergenic adhesive tape to help hold your gauze pads in place. A roller bandage is also a good choice in your first aid kit, to give support to a sore ankle or other joint. Other supplies that you will need to have on hand to treat cuts and abrasions will be antibiotic ointment and latex gloves. A bottle of water and antiseptic towelettes are a smart addition for cleaning and rinsing wounds out before dressing them.

There are a number of medications that your first aid kit should include. Pain relievers such as acetaminophen and allergy medication are both good choices. You can add eye drops, and stomach medications for indigestion and antidiarrheals to round out your medicine inventory. Syrup of Ipecac is also important to have on hand, but never administer it without checking with your poison control center first. Make sure before taking any medication from your first aid kit that the medicine is not expired and check dosage information every time you use it - especially when administering medicines to children.

Last but definitely not least, a first aid manual should be a top priority for your first aid kits, along with emergency numbers for your doctor, pharmacy and poison control. A first aid kit filled with supplies is only useful if the owner knows how to use the items! Don't wait until an emergency to wish you had a first aid kit on hand; stock it now and rest assured that you will be prepared if an urgent situation comes along.

If you obtain a military first aid kit in a kit form, there may be some items you would add, depending on your location.

How To Stock Your Home First Aid Kit

first aid class A First Aid Class and People When taking a first aid class, people tend to think it's soley for the purpose of learning tips and techniques to dealing with minor issues such as small bumps or bruises, or scrapes when a kid falls off their skateboard.

Always check with your veterinarian before giving any type of medication to your pet, since it is difficult to know which are safe. A first aid kit for hiking must be compact and contain essential items, which will assist you in need and here are some suggestions: sterile gauze in different sizes with adhesive tape, cloth bandages, which can easily be wrapped around in need, sharp scissors that can easily cut through thick clothes that you might be wearing when hiking but with blunt nose so you don't hurt yourself in the process, antibiotic cream and spray to sterilize and treat open wounds and gloves for the same. First Aid Training Can Empower You First aid training can give you confidence in knowing that you are capable of handling the situations that life might throw at you. Now, if you only have a tiny bag you can forget everything else and just carry the bandages and some sanitary wipes, they will take care of a wound until help arrives.