I accidentally touched my arm to the meat thermometer sticking out of the turkey I was baking and burnt myself. I went to the First Aid kit for gauze, tape, and some antibiotic cream, and I noticed we were running low on basic supplies.
I regularly buy boxes of regular sized bandaids, but sometimes you need something a little larger or specific. And you should always have some kind of antibiotic ointment you can smear on your cuts and small burns.
Basic First Aid supplies I need to resupply:
children’s Benadryl — this is great if you’re not completely sure of dosages or if you have small people visiting. You don’t have to worry so much about messing up. In the liquid form, you can pour it in your mouth. Great if you’re mowing the lawn and you react to some weird grass.
regular Benadryl — sometimes a dose of Benadryl when effects start keeps your from having to visit an urgent care clinic. Seriously, when I had my allergic reaction to Nesquik, it hit me with tingling lips and took several hours to escalate to sores around my mouth and a swollen face. If I’d just taken some Benadryl, I would have stopped everything with no problems and no doctor’s visit.
Cortizone anti-itch cream – this stuff is great to have available, because when you need it you don’t want to have to run to the store.
It’s a good idea to check over your First Aid kit a few times a year. If you’ve got other people in your house or life, there’s a good chance someone will have an “emergency” and ravage through your supplies. “Oh, I have a headache. I’m going to use the emergency medicine in this First Aid kit and not tell anyone. It’s not like an emergency could ever happen in real life.”
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The Red Cross recommends that all first aid kits for a family of four include the following:
2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)
25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)
5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 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 pair of nonlatex gloves (size: large)
2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)
Scissors
1 roller bandage (3 inches wide)
1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)
5 sterile gauze pads (3 x 3 inches)
5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)
Oral thermometer (non-mercury/nonglass)
2 triangular bandages
Tweezers
First aid instruction booklet
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