Imagine you are at your 8-year-old son's Little League baseball game. He hits the ball, slides into first base and scrapes his knee. He approaches you, saying the scrape is painful and asks you to fix it. Luckily, you have a first aid kit with you and are able to treat his scrape. First aid kits are a must-have when it comes to minor and serious emergencies. You should keep one in your car, house and purse.
Step 1
Open your plastic tackle box and neatly fill it with these items: first-aid manual, flashlight, batteries, latex gloves, sterile gauze, scissors, tape adhesive bandages (small, medium and large sizes), mouthpiece for CPR, tweezers, Ace bandage wrap with metal clips, alcohol swabs, plastic cold pack packages, thermometer, hydrocortisone cream, hydrogen peroxide, antibiotic ointment, aspirin, soap, eye rinse solution, baking soda and a small package of Kleenex. Fill a second tackle box with the same items listed above and use a large Ziploc bag to fill items for your purse.
Step 2
Store one of the tackle boxes in a safe place at home, far from the reach of your children. Store another tackle box in the trunk of your car. Keep a miniature version in your purse with you at all times. Store a blanket in the trunk of your car. This will be used in cases of hypothermia (condition of being extremely cold) or to put out a fire.
Step 3
Check your first aid kit every two to three months. If you have children or are prone to accidents, items can be used up quickly. Replenish the items promptly so you will have them when you need them.
Step 4
Go to your local Red Cross station to learn how to use the items in your first aid kit. You can also sign up for a CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) course to learn how to use the CPR mask and save a life. The American Red Cross also provides you with a first aid kit calculator to calculate how many items you should have in your kit based on the number of people in your family.
Step 5
Go to your doctor and make sure you have enough prescription medications for those in your family who use them regularly. Get a refill and store the medications in your first aid kits.
Things You'll Need
- 2 plastic tackle boxes
- Large Ziploc bag
- First-aid manual
- Flashlight
- Batteries
- Latex gloves
- Sterile gauze
- Scissors
- Tape
- Adhesive bandages (small, medium and large sizes)
- Mouthpiece for CPR administration
- Tweezers
- Ace bandage wrap with metal clips
- Alcohol swabs
- Plastic cold pack containers
- Thermometer
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Antibiotic Ointment
- Aspirin
- Soap
- Eye rinse solution
- Blanket
- Baking soda
- Small package of Kleenex
- Prescription medication
