You can never have too many first aid kits around when you have kids. Doesn’t matter where you are, there’s always someone that ends up with a scrape or bug bite.
Here’s a list of things you can gather to make your own first aid kit and tailor it to your family’s needs, whether someone suffers from allergies or needs extra SPF protection.
First aid kits can be made on the cheap, which means you can make multiples to leave in the car(s), in the house, in your backpack for day trips or holidays and even one for grandma’s house if you visit often or drop the kids off for an afternoon.
Start with a medium-sized container, and fill it with the items below.
Start with these items
- Adhesive bandages
- Tensor bandages
- Gauze
- Antibacterial wipes
- Hand sanitizer
Throw in some topical homeopathics
A couple of traditional remedies
And a few of these extras
- Antibiotic ointment
- Vinyl gloves
- Cotton pads
- Hydrogen peroxide divided into smaller bottles
- Tweezers
- A small flashlight
- Small plastic garbage bags
- Allergy medication or EPI pens
- A list of everyone’s medical numbers
- A small pack of tissues
- Extra prescription medication
- Sunscreen
- Motion sickness medication
- Children’s ibuprofen
- Cotton swabs
- Instant ice and heat packs
- Small thermometer
- Small pair of scissors
- Safety pins
- Spare chargers for electronics
- Granola bars
- Bottle of water
Keep in mind that this is a comprehensive list and not everything is a must-have. You know your family best and the types of ailments they might experience while on the road (there’s always one who gets car sick), so customize your kits according to your family’s needs.
The travel size section of your local discount or dollar store is a great place to look for first aid kit items. You can also purchase bigger boxes of adhesive bandages and cotton swabs for example (cost per piece is usually less), and then break them down.
Having a first aid kit in your car or in your beach bag gives you that extra sense of security that if something should go wrong, you will be completely prepared.
Safe and happy adventuring to you and your gang!
