The Best First Aid Kit For Your Home (And Car)

Let me be really vulnerable here and share a little bit of my own story. I’ve had two children, both boys, our youngest son (Mitchell) was born with cerebral palsy and autism. His disabilities were pretty severe but if there was something he wanted, he would find a way to get it. Proper determination! He was never able to speak, he could walk but was unstable on his feet, he wore nappies for his whole life and you can tell by the fact that I am speaking in the past tense, that we lost him at the tender age of nine.

In his remarkable years of living on this earth, we averaged 1.5 visits per month to the emergency room. He had the thinking capacity of a one year old and the reach of a nine year old and we did not have eyes in the back of our heads! As parents, we blame ourselves for so much; accidents happen, that's why they're called accidents, no one has an accident on purpose, so let us remember this and only give compassion instead of judgement to the person going through a trauma.

Accidents happen in the blink of an eye!

Once, we were doing kitchen renovations and we had placed the paint tin in another room. All our inside doors were stable type doors – we customized them to keep Mitchell out but still allowed him to see in – he was like scud missile that would enter and destroy. He somehow managed to always find a way to get what he wanted.  Before we knew it, he had succeeded in getting to the paint tin, which was “Barney the dinosaur” purple (I have eclectic tastes), he knocked it over and played in the paint with a screw driver he found nearby, the one we used to remove the lid of the tin. By the time we saw him, he looked like a miniature version of Barney sucking on a paint laden screw driver and we had to phone the poison control center to find out what to do.

Another time, he was playing outside and I was working in my study. Suddenly he appeared at the study door having difficulty breathing and I realized that something was stuck in his throat. I had seen someone do the Heimlich Maneuver on T.V once or twice. So I picked him up and rushed into the bathroom and proceeded to try out something I had only seen done. Thankfully, it worked and he spewed up the contents of his stomach, including a small, flat, round stone that he had put in his mouth.

One night, we heard banging on the wall coming from Mitchells' bedroom – we ran to see what was happening, and there he was standing on a counter top hitting a mirror with a toy he had found. There were splinters of glass everywhere and he had a deep gash on 2 of his fingers. We rushed him to the emergency room and they closed up his wound and bandaged his fingers thinking they had done a great job with the bandage. He’ll never get this off they said… (we warned them he would), and by the time we were reversing out of the ER parking lot, he had already accomplished the removal of the bandage, with a little triumphant laugh.

These are just three examples of the unexpected with the added issue of a lack of understanding in a very adventurous boy.

So what are the best ingredients for the best Home & Car First Aid Kit?

First Aid Supplies

• 7.5" Shears(1)
• 18" Splint(1)
• Alcohol Wipes(10)
• Adhesive Bandages: Butterfly - Large(5), Butterfly - Medium(5),
• Large(5), Standard(30), Square(5), Mini(5), H-Shape(5)
• Cold Pack(1)
• Combine Dressing(1)
• Conforming Bandages(6)
• Gauze Swabs(5)
• CPR Bag with Instructions(1)
• CPR Mask(1), Ear Buds(20)
• Emergency Blanket(1)
• Eye Pads(4)
• Fever Strips(3)
• First Aid Handbook(1)
• Nitrile Gloves(4)
• Hydro Gel(5)
• Hypo-Allergenic Tape
• Non-Adhesive Dressings(10)
• Refuse Bag(1)
• Pressure Bandage(1)
• Safety Pins(10)
• Skin Cleaning Wipes(10)
• Splinter Probes(10)
• Sting Relief Wipes(10)
• Strip Closures(9)
• Triangular Bandage(2)
• Tweezers(1)
• Whistle(1)
• Wound Dressings(2)
• Laminate Baggies(6)

Customize Your Kit

There is space in this kit for customization – you have 6 laminate baggies so let's think of ways to fill them: (These are just ideas - it is your responsibility to check with your doctor what is best for you to keep in your kit. If there are no known allergies, then these are good to keep on hand).

Laminate Baggie 1:           Aspirin - For lowering temperatures and pain relief

Never give aspirin to a child and do not take aspirin if you have bleeding issues or if your doctor has told you not to take them!

Laminate Baggie 2:           Antihistamine - for mild allergic reactions

Laminate Baggie 3:           Imodium - runny tummy

Laminate Baggie 4:           Bismuth - nausea

Laminate Baggie 5:           Ibuprofen - anti-inflammatory, pain relief

Laminate Baggie 6:           Antacids - heartburn/indigestion

Other supplies to consider placing in the extra space provided in your kit

• EpiPen - To treat very serious allergic reactions
• Oral rehydration sachets - Electrolyte replacements after a heavy workout, hangover, diarrhea or vomiting
• Throat Lozenges - For sore throats (stating the obvious, I know)
• Dramamine - Motion sickness (for the car kit)

Phone numbers

You’ll want to keep these phone numbers in your kit:

• Poison Control Center (800-222-1222)
• Family Doctor
• Pediatrician

Let your children know where to find the kit and give them a basic understanding (age related of course) on how to use it.

The most common home accidents

Who has ever stepped on a piece of Lego? Or twisted an ankle stepping off your front porch? These are very common accidents, but here is a list of other common accidents that happen at home, in no particular order:

• Bruises
• Tripping
• Sprains
• Cuts
• Glass related mishaps
• Burns
• Poisoning
• Choking
• Drowning

Do you know what to do when something like this happens? If you don’t, now is a great time to do an online first aid course.

I'd love to know your experiences with home accidents - please tell me your story, the one you've lived to tell.