10 Essential Items for Every First Aid Kit
Every household should have a first aid kit and you may like to carry one in your car also. And if you’re off to the beach or going camping for a few days you should definitely take one with you. But exactly what should your first aid kit contain? Here are a few essentials that should be in every first aid kit:
1. Antiseptic or antibiotic (either liquid, cream or both) such as Germolene or TCP. Essential for preventing infections in grazes or cuts. Many of todays antiseptics contain soothing pain relief which is excellent for young children.
2. Sticking plasters. Essential for small cuts and grazes. If you have young children you might like to use some fun sticking plasters with images printed on them.
3. Gauze dressing pads, sterile. Necessary for cleaning wounds and applying ointment.
4. Bandages in a number of shapes and sizes along with some safety pins. Don’t go over the top and fill your first aid kit with every available size and shape of bandage. Most common injuries happen to the fingers, hands, wrists and knees so make certain you have suitable bandages for these areas of the body.
5. Scissors. Necessary for cutting bandages and gauze. Also useful for cutting away clothing from a sensitive injury.
6. Tweezers. Splinters can be a very common form of minor injury. You’ll need those tweezers to remove splinters.
7. Pain Killers. Often called analgesics. You should ensure that you first aid kit contains some pain relief but be sure that the pain killers are suitable for all of your family.
8. Insect bite and sting relief. (Antihistamine cream). Some antihistamine bite and sting ointment is good to have in any first aid kit.
9. Eye bath and eye wash. You’ll need an eyebath and some eye wash to wash a foreign object from someones eye.
10. Hot and cold packs. These packs are great for reducing swelling and helping to relieve joint pain.
While the list above represents the absolute essentials of any first aid kit you may also like to consider including some sterile latex gloves, a roll of adhesive tape for securing bandages and some ammonia smelling salts.
A first aid kit for outdoor use might be augmented with a flashlight along with a reflective survival blanket.
I hope that these suggestions will help you to pack a useful first aid kit that you know you can rely upon when you need it.
You should also consider attending a first aid course in order to be sure that you know what to do in the even of an emergency.
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When packing for a camping trip a first aid kit is an essential piece of camping kit Also, always take the right outdoor clothing for the conditions you will meet.