Water Cooler: How to plan a home first-aid kit

As we head into warmer months, we will spend more time outdoors enjoying fun activities and projects.

Unfortunately, this means warmer months can cause an uptick in injuries, be it getting a scraped knee on an asphalt basketball court, cutting your hand while using a power tool or getting burned while cooking on a grill or open fire. That makes it the perfect time to create or refill a home first-aid kit. Here’s what to consider when creating a first-aid kit for your home.

First, consider your lifestyle and how it influences who will use this first-aid kit and for what purposes. If you are a single adult living in an urban area, then you might only need a few basic supplies for occasional small injuries as you likely live close to medical services for something more serious. A family of five living in a rural area would need to be stocked with a larger quantity of basic supplies, plus items that can treat more serious injuries while waiting for response from medical professionals or transport to a medical facility. If you or someone you care for has specific medical conditions such as allergies or diabetes, keep extra items in your kit that can treat flare-ups of that condition.

The next thing to think about is how you intend to store and organize your first-aid supplies. Choose storage that is sized appropriately for your supplies and allows you to easily access and keep track of what you have. The necessities should be able to fit in one kit for quick responses to emergencies. Emergencies don’t always allow time to fumble through multiple containers to find what you need. You can keep extra supplies in adjacent storage if you like to buy in bulk, but the kit itself should be quick to grab and easy to transport to an injured person.

A fabric medical pouch is lightweight for easy transport, comes in a range of sizes and provides many compact compartments for organization. A hard container with a lot of compartments can be great for large first-aid kits for families. You can find containers specifically made for first-aid, or people often use fishing tackle boxes as an inexpensive alternative. Find what works best for you.

Now to fill in the kit. Here are a few of the basic supplies to consider:

Wound cleansers – This covers a wide range of supplies. For minor cuts and scrapes, soap and warm water can usually do the trick, but additional antiseptic supplies are great for sensitive wounds and for maintaining the hygiene of a wound. Wound washes made from sterile saline solution often come in spray or squeeze bottles which are helpful at gently washing out cuts or burns. Hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol and Betadine cleanser can all be used for initially cleaning a wound.

Dressing and bandages – Used to control bleeding and cover wounds during healing, bandages are essential. Keep good quality, adhesive bandages in assorted sizes for everyday cuts. Rolls or pads of gauze are important to have for wounds that require pressure to control bleeding and for wounds that are larger than what adhesive bandages can cover. Pair that with medical adhesive tape. Butterfly closures are great for helping close deep lacerations. Triangular bandages are versatile triangles of cloth, able to be used for arm slings, head dressings, splint bindings or holding wound dressings and cold packs in place. Antibiotic ointments are great everyday dressing for the first few days of wound healing, and burn gels are essential for those unpredictable wounds, especially if you have children.

Miscellaneous – It can be helpful to dedicate a pair of shears and tweezers, a few pairs of sterile gloves and a few packets of over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or aspirin for pain and an antihistamine for allergic reactions in the first-aid kit. You can also keep an oral thermometer for checking temperatures, an instant cold compress for treating minor burns and sprains or breaks on the spot, a breathing barrier for emergency CPR and an emergency blanket to reduce heat loss. It’s also not a bad idea to keep a first-aid guide for quick, reliable reference.