Having a well-stocked first aid kit in your house will allow you to respond quickly to a wide variety of emergencies.
Here are 27 essential items to include in your first aid kit.
27 items to include in your first aid kit
- Adhesive bandages (Band-Aid or similar brand) in assorted sizes for minor cuts, scrapes, and injuries
- Sterile gauze pads, nonstick (Adaptic-type, petrolatum) gauze, and adhesive tape
- Elastic (ACE) bandage for wrapping wrists, ankles, knees, and elbows
- Triangular bandage for wrapping injuries and making an arm sling
- Moleskin to apply on blisters or hotspots
- Eyeshields and pads
- Aluminum finger splints
- Thermometer to measure body temperature
- Tweezers to remove small splinters and ticks
- Small pair of scissors to cut gauze or fabric
- Syringe, medicine cup, or medicine spoon for giving specific doses of medicine
- Blue baby bulb or a soft plastic suction device to clear congestion
- Disposable ice bags for treating injuries caused by slipping, tripping or falling
- Face mask to reduce wound contamination risk
- Sterile cotton balls cotton-tipped swabs to clean wounds
- Hand sanitizer to sanitize your hands and reduce contamination
- Latex or non-latex gloves to reduce contamination
- Antiseptic solution or wipes, such as hydrogen peroxide, povidone-iodine, or chlorhexidine
- Antibiotic ointments such as bacitracin, polysporin, or mupirocin
- Sterile eyewash such as contact lens saline solution
- Calamine lotion for stings or poison ivy
- Hydrocortisone cream, ointment, or lotion for itching
- Cough and cold medications
- Laxatives for constipation
- Antidiarrheals for diarrhea
- Antihistamines for allergies
- Pain-relieving pills, sprays, and creams to treat cramps, sprains, swelling due to muscle pain, and minor injuries
What are different recommendations for a first aid kit?
According to the American Red Cross, essential items that should be included in a first aid kit include the following:
Basic first aid kit for a family of four
- 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 × 9 inches)
- 25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
- 1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards × 1 inch)
- 5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately one gram)
- 5 antiseptic wipe packets
- 2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)
- 1 blanket (space blanket)
- 1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)
- 1 instant cold compress
- 2 pairs of large, non-n-latex gloves
- 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets
- Scissors
- 1 roller bandage (3 inches wide)
- 1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
- 5 sterile gauze pads (3 × 3 inches)
- 5 sterile gauze pads (4 × 4 inches)
- Oral thermometer (non-mercury/non-glass)
- 2 triangular bandages
- Tweezers
- First aid instruction booklet
- Flashlight or glow sticks
- Blister kit for hiking and camping
- Molefoam
- Moleskin
- 2nd skin
- Medical tape
For major wounds and fractures
- SAM-splint (moldable foam splint)
- Emergency Trauma Dressing (“Israeli” bandage or Ace wrap)
- CAT or SOFTT Tourniquet
- Wound packing gauze (Combat Gauze or Z-Pak dressing)
- “Stop the Bleed” booklet
Over-the-counter medications to consider (especially for travel)
- Ibuprofen (Advil), 20+
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol), 15+
- Aspirin, 15+
- Antihistamine, ×10
- Imodium/Loperamide, ×10
- Sudafed (or an equivalent), ×10
- Throat lozenges, 10+
- Bismuth tabs, ×20
- Oral rehydration, ×3
- Cranberry extract, ×10
- Dramamine, ×10
- Stool softener (laxative), ×15
What are some life-saving first aid skills?
First aid skills can be critical in certain scenarios and may include:
- Applying a tourniquet and controlling bleeding
- Performing hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Operating an automated external defibrillator
- Administering seizure first aid