11 Important Items to have in your Home First Aid Kit (+ Free Printable Checklist)

It’s not till something happens to your child or someone you know that you realize the need to have a first aid kit at home if you don’t already. By something, I only mean something trivial like split lip or a scratch to your little one’s knee. You suddenly find yourself wondering why you do not have a basic first aid kit at least for your home. 

It’s good to have a first aid kit at home. You can purchase one that’s already put together, of course, but you can also put one together yourself. Either way, you need to be ready for the simple injuries that occasionally happen in the home.

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What should a first aid kit have?

If you put it together yourself, you can put in the necessities but also add in the specific items that you know the individual members of your family might need in an emergency. For example, if someone needs a specific over the counter antihistamine when they get an allergic reaction, you could include that antihistamine in your first aid kit. There is no chance of finding such specific items if you purchase a ready-made first aid kit. 

Your home first aid kit does not have to be a large complicated one with a hundred items in it. Ideally, it should be small enough that it is easy to grab when you’re in a hurry. Basically, it should be portable. 

Be prepared for common health concerns at home

No, it does not have to be an expensive, large box marked ‘first aid kit’. It could even be a paper bag. As long as it has the following in it. You can also get a free printable first aid kit checklist by entering your email below.

1. A pair of tweezers

Make sure they are clean. You can use them to take tiny bits of dirt or debris from cuts or grazes, for example. 

2. Waterproof plasters  (band-aids) of different sizes and/or spray plasters & Sterile gauze dressings

Plasters will be useful for smaller cuts. Sterile gauze is just breathable enough to wrap around a wound without allowing an infection to form but still let skin around the wound breath.

3. Bandage

This can be used in a pinch for larger cuts but it is also good for supporting an injured limb.

4. Paracetamol and ibuprofen (and baby nurofen and baby paracetamol if you have children)

High temperatures, headaches. Those are only two of the many reasons why you might need painkillers in your family first aid kit. Particularly when you have children at home, a dose of paracetamol is required fairly often. 

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5. Antihistamine medication & Hydrocortisone cream

These should you give you the quick (even if only temporary) relief that any of you need should you have some sort of allergic reaction. This is supposed to heal any cuts and grazes fast and with a lower likelihood of scarring.

6. Antidiarrheals

An antidiarrheal like Pepto-Bismol will be handy when someone has an upset stomach. 

7. Antiseptic wound wash

This is great to wash any cuts or scrapes. It ensures that the wound is clean before you proceed to dress it. 

8. Two safety pins

You might need safety pins to hold a bandage in place, for example. 

9. Antibacterial gel

This is good to have around all the time anyway but particularly when you are dealing with injuries and for some reason cannot get to soap and water quickly enough, you can use this to make sure your hands are germ free.

10. Digital Thermometer 

Before administering anything for a high temperature or fever, you might want to properly check the person’s temperature to see if it really is as high as you think. A digital thermometer makes for faster and easier reading and many prefer ear thermometers for more accurate readings.

11. Small pair of scissors

These can be useful for cutting or trimming down plasters and your bandage as well. 

Warning: Be sure to keep your first aid kit out of the reach of any children at home. 

Do you have a first aid kit at home? What could you not do without?

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