Home First Aid means different things to different people.
To some, first aid means being able to treat small cuts and scrapes. For them, a box of Band-Aids and some antiseptic cream on a shelf in the medicine chest is enough. Anything else means a trip to the doctor’s office, Urgent Care or a hospital’s Emergency Room for treatment.
To others, being ready for bigger issues such as sprains, major bleeding and illness is desired. They need a more complete home first aid kit capable of handling these types of injuries in addition to the everyday bumps and bruises, cuts and scrapes that always seem to happen.
Common Injuries at Home
Knowing what types of injuries commonly occur in the home will allow us to tailor a first aid kit for our family. There are lots of good articles on the web listing the top causes of injuries in the home. Click Here to see some of those articles. In general, the most common injuries at home are bruises, sprains, cuts and burns. However if you have someone in your household who has specialized hobbies like woodworking or gardening, you may need to prepare for additional types of injuries such as punctures and cuts from splinters or thorns, etc.
Grandpa TJ: For example if you have kids in sports, then having a commercial tooth preserving system in your first aid kit is a wise precaution. There are other ways to handle that type of dental emergency if needed, but isn’t it reasonable to prepare if it’s somewhat possible to happen?
Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy have a wonderful website, blog and YouTube channel which have hundreds of videos about medical issues and training, DoomAndBloom.net. They have also authored several books on Emergency Medicine. Here is a link to Nurse Amy discussing what types of First Aid Kits and Supplies you should have.
Clicking on the link above will open their page, then just click on the video link shown here.
Here is a link to a good article in WikiHow on building your own first aid kit. Click Here and that page will open in a new tab. It will cover how to build a kit tailored to your family’s needs and within your budget. It also provides a list of suggested supplies that you can get from your local drugstore, grocery or big box store.
Here is the Red Cross list of recommended first aid supplies for a family of four. Click Here and that page will open in a new tab.
Nicely packaged kits for every type of adventure. From pocket kits, to boating, hiking, international travel and family outings, they have moderately-priced kits for every occasion. They have specialized kits that can be hard to find elsewhere such as a pocket-sized Trauma Pack with QuickClot. Their refill kits can be valuable additions to your first aid kit for a very reasonable cost. Click Here and the page will open in a new tab.