A better first question would be — do you HAVE a first aid kit? I hope you do. In an emergency, a first aid kit is an extremely handy thing to have. In fact, the Red Cross suggests keeping a first aid kit in your home and another in your car. They also suggest knowing where your first aid kit is at work and keeping one in the dorm.
There are lots of first aid kits available for sale. Mine came from Costco. You can pick one up at your local pharmacy, or even order one from the Red Cross website. (Those Red Cross folks probably know what they’re doing when it comes to first aid kits!)
You don’t have to buy a first aid kit if you’d rather make your own. Here is a recommended list of items to include for a family of four. If you have a larger family, include more of everything!
Protective Gear:
- A breathing barrier with a one-way valve
- Two pairs of non-latex gloves (some people do have a latex allergy)
Bandages:
- Two 5×9 inch absorbent compress dressings
- 25 adhesive bandages in assorted sizes
- One roll of adhesive cloth tape
- One three-inch wide roller bandage
- One four-inch wide roller bandage
- Sterile gauze pads (3×3 inch and 4×4 inch sizes)
Medical Supplies:
- Five packets of antibiotic ointment
- Two packets of hydrocortisone ointment for bites, stings, and rashes
- Five antiseptic wipe packets for cleaning wounds
- Aspirin (you can get the individual dose packets or keep a bottle in the kit)
- An instant cold compress — like the kind you snap to mix the chemicals
Other Supplies:
- A space blanket
- Scissors
- Oral thermometer
- Tweezers
- A first aid instruction book
- A list of emergency phone numbers
Check your first aid kit regularly — at least every six months or so. Make sure the batteries in the flashlight work, and check the expiration dates on medications and ointments.
If your family has other specific health issues, you may want to include emergency items for those issues. For example, I’d probably add Benadryl to my first aid kit, because I tend to have bad reactions to bee stings.