A List for a good First Aid Kit

[Delmar Morgan]

How about a list for a good First Aid Kit.

[Teg]

Found this list a while back, covers most items but folks can add and subtract as they like.

Activated Charcoal (for poisoning emergencies)
Adhesive strip bandages - assorted sizes
Adhesive tape
Alcohol - rubbing 70%
Alcohol wipes
Antacid
Antibiotic ointment
Baking soda
Calamine lotion
Chemical ice packs
Chemical hot packs
Cotton balls
Cotton swabs
Decongestant tablets & spray
Diarrhea medication
Disposable latex or vinyl gloves
Elastic bandages
Face mask for CPR
First aid guide
Flashlight
Gauze pads - various sizes
Hot-water bottle
Household ammonia
Hydrocortisone cream .5%
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hypoallergenic tape
Ice bag
Insect repellent
Insect sting swabs
Matches
Meat tenderizer (for insect bites)
Moleskin
Needles
Non-adhering dressings [Telfa]
Oil of Cloves
Over-the-counter pain medication [aspirin]
Paper & pencil
Paper drinking cups
Roller guaze - self adhering
Safety pins
Salt
Scissors
Soap
Space blanket
Sam splint
Sugar or glucose solution
Syrup of Ipecac
Thermometer - oral & rectal
Tongue blades
Triangular bandages
Tweezers
Waterproof tape

[firegirl969]

Poison control no longer recommends syrup of ipecac. Glucose pills are available cheap at many drug stores. If you have a Dollar Tree Store near you, many of these items are available there.

[NCLee]

Here's a list for a basic kit for a family of 4.
http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d229a5f06620c6052b1ecfbf43181aa0/?vgnextoid=f247e8afd40ee110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCR D

Add & substract to suit your needs. Agree with using $ stores for some of the items. Places like Sam's Club usually offer good prices if you're making up several kits.

Besides what we keep in the house, we have several other kits around the place. For example, there's one in each of my shops and one in the camper. Need to put small kits in the vehicles. That's still on the to-do list.

Once you set up the kits, be sure to watch the expiration dates on applicable items. And, periodically check the gloves, especially if they're latex. These don't hold up very long. Especially where the temperature isn't controlled.

BTW, some of the premade kits that you can buy have cheap scissors in them. Replace those scissors with a better pair. In an emergency you won't want to waste time trying to hack through something with the equivalent of a kids pair of safety scissors that won't cut hot butter.

Hope this helps you get started.
Lee

[Travis]

Couple things I'll add

Duct tape

Feminine hygiene pads

[marnee]

When we were putting together first aid kits, I realized that, really, they generally contain a lot of stuff that isn't always applicable for every situation. Sometimes there just isn't a need to have everything, so for all of our kits except our main one at home, I try to rotate applicable supplies for the situation. There are some things I definitely want to have on a hike that I dont necessecarily need in the car, and things that I want in the summer but probably won't need in the winter. I make sure to keep everything handy, but sort of independant so I can just grab what we need rather than all of the extras.

I also add bandanas (same use as triangle bandages but a bit more versitle), a lighter, and a couple of glow sticks in our first aid kits.

[CapeCMom]

Old fashioned drawing salve. I've used it to take out not only pieces of splinters I couldn't reach but the heads of ticks that didn't come out.

[MountainMan497]

Nasal pharyngeal airway, and knowledge of when to use one
Oral pharyngeal airway, and knowledge of when to use one
Ambu-bag
Tourniquet
Kerlix
Ace wrap
Israeli Dressing
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) for allergic reactions
Epi-Pen if have any allergies to food, insects, etc.
Chlorhexidine and iodine paint for antiseptic cleansing
Sterile water for irrigating wounds
To add to the OTC pain meds, Tylenol and ibuprofen, since both can be administered to pediatric patients for fever
Oral re-hydration salt packets for diarrhea/vomiting
Take a first-aid course and know how to use what you have.
Get certifies in basic life support.
Preventative care for yourself and loved ones (take care of that cavity before it becomes an abscess, etc.).