 |
| Are you ready for an emergency? |
No one likes to prepare ahead for accidents, cuts, burns, but they can happen at home regardless of how careful that you may be. Instead of running around trying to grab what you need to address the wound, it simplifies life by keeping a home first aid kit handy.
If you’re going to build your own home first aid kit, you should include the following:
1. sterile gauze dressings (large, medium and small sizes) or large size with a pair of scissors to cut them to size
2. a digital thermometer
3. antiseptic (hydrogen peroxide or alcohol)
4. antibiotic cream
5. safety pins
6. tweezers
7. alcohol-free cleansing wipes or baby wipes
8. antiseptic cream
9. bandages of various sizes, including triangular shapes
10. pain relievers
11. hydrocortisone cream for rashes
12. cloth tape or waterproof sticky tape for securing your gauze dressing
13. paper tape (won’t stick to delicate wounds)
14. eye wash and cup
15. lubricant eye drops
16. A gallon of distilled water in case of an emergency
17. a hand towel (to create a sterile place for the supplies that you are using while tending to the injury)
18. info cards (list your insurance, medications, allergies, health conditions, birthdays of everyone, physician phone number for each family member and store in a zip-lock storage bag inside your kit).
19. a small package of treats (This can help calm a small, crying child while you are doctoring the injury).
20. a package of antihistamines
21. a tube of aloe vera gel for burns
You’re probably wondering why you want both an antibiotic cream and antiseptic cream in your supplies. An antiseptic cream kills things like bacteria and fungi that you can come in contact with when hurt. However, you shouldn’t use this on a fresh burn. The only time that you should apply an antibiotic cream to a burn is later after it blisters and opens.
Hydrogen peroxide kills more bacteria than alcohol, but it also stings more when you have a significant wound. Soap and water can help in a gentler fashion to fight bacteria in that case.
It is always good to be prepared; however, I sincerely hope that you never need to pull out your first aid kit.
