Home First-Aid Kit: Important Reminders

Enroll in a first-aid and CPR course. You should also be trained in CPR for infants.

Prepare two first-aid kits, one for home and one for travel.

Include a first-aid chart complete with written instructions for CPR in each kit.

Store home first-aid supplies in a locked box or locked closet. Store travel first-aid kits in locked trunk or locked glove compartment.

Tape emergency information card to the lid on the outside of the first-aid box.

If any family member requires special medication for a life-threatening emergency, include that medication in each first-aid kit. For example, include injectable epinephrine for a child with a known life-threatening allergy to bee stings.

If any family member has a medical condition that is likely to require special medicine, include that medication in each first-aid kit. For example, include an inhaler for a child with asthma.

Tape a supply list to the inside of the lid. Write the date the kit was assembled or last checked. Beside each medication, write the expiration date. Replace medications before they expire. Replace all other supplies immediately after use.

First-Aid Kit Contents

. Adhesive bandages - assorted sizes
. Nonstick dressings - 4-inch squares
. Roll of gauze - 1- and 2-inch rolls
. Adhesive tape - 1-inch roll
. Butterfly bandages
. Elastic bandage - 3-inch roll (with safety pins)
. Packet of cotton swabs
. Roll of absorbent cotton
. Round-tipped scissors
. Tweezers
. Unbreakable, digital thermometer
. Children's acetaminophen tablets or liquid
. Antihistamine tablets or liquid
. Antibiotic cream
. Calamine lotion
. Alcohol wipes
. Disposable gloves
. Flashlight
. FIRST-AID CHART

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Information about Home First-Aid Kits was graciously shared by Dr. Patricia Keener, author of Caring for Kids: Useful Information & Hard-to-find Facts About Child Health and Development , and Riley Hospital for Children.