DIY First Aid Kit
General Supplies:
- Tweezers
- Automatic ice pack
- Syringe, medicine cup or spoon
- Adhesive tape
- Antiseptic solution and/or towelettes or alcohol wipes
- Bandages, including a roll of elastic wrap (Ace, Coban, others) and bandage strips (Band-Aid, Curad, others) in assorted sizes
- Instant cold packs
- Cotton balls and cotton-tipped swabs
- Disposable latex or synthetic gloves, at least two pair
- Duct tape
- Gauze pads and roller gauze in assorted sizes
- First-aid manual
- Petroleum jelly or other lubricant
- Plastic bags for the disposal of contaminated materials
- Safety pins in assorted sizes
- Scissors and tweezers
- Soap or instant hand sanitizer
- Sterile eyewash, such as a saline solution
- Thermometer
- Triangular bandage
- Turkey baster or other bulb suction device for flushing out wounds
- Polysporin or other antibiotic ointment
- Eye cup, rinse solution and eye patch
Medications
- Activated charcoal (use only if instructed by your poison control center)
- Aloe vera gel
- Anti-diarrhea medication
- Over-the-counter oral antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl, others for allergy emergencies)
- Aspirin and nonaspirin pain relievers (never give aspirin to children)
- Calamine lotion
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Personal medications that don't need refrigeration
- Drugs to treat an allergic attack, such as an Albuterol inhaler or auto-injector of epinephrine (EpiPen, Twinject, others - If prescribed by your doctor)
Emergency items
- Emergency phone numbers, including contact information for your family doctor and pediatrician, local emergency services, emergency road service providers and the regional poison control center at 1-800-222-1222
- Medical consent forms for each family member
- Medical history forms for each family member
- First-aid instruction manual
Other
- Menstrual pads and tampons (which as it turns out work for heavily bleeding wounds as well as tinder for making a fire!)
Give your kit a checkup
Check your first-aid kits regularly, at least every three months, to be sure the flashlight batteries work and to replace supplies that have expired. (Most medications last long after their expirations, but make sure crucial drugs like nitroglycerine or epi-pens are up to date. Read this report for more info on expiration dates.)
Consider taking a first-aid course through the American Red Cross. Contact your local chapter for information on classes.
Prepare children for medical emergencies in age-appropriate ways. The American Red Cross offers a number of helpful resources, including classes designed to help children understand and use first-aid techniques
