Building a Home First Aid Kit That Is Actually Useful

The average home first aid kit is a plastic box containing forty adhesive dressings, a triangular bandage nobody knows how to fold and an antiseptic wipe that expired during the previous decade. A useful kit is smaller, better chosen and, above all, findable in a hurry.

The items that earn their place

Adhesive dressings in a range of sizes, including waterproof ones
Sterile gauze swabs and two or three non stick sterile dressings
A crepe bandage and a heavy crepe bandage for pressure immobilisation after a snake bite
Two triangular bandages for slings and for holding dressings in place
Adhesive tape and a roll of plastic cling film, which is excellent for covering burns
Disposable gloves in a size that fits the adults in the house
Scissors and tweezers
A digital thermometer
An instant cold pack
A resuscitation face shield or pocket mask
A current first aid guide, because you will not remember everything

Add what your family specifically needs

A generic kit is a starting point. If someone in the household has asthma, keep a spare reliever and a spacer. If someone has a diagnosed severe allergy, keep their adrenaline autoinjector and a copy of their action plan with the kit. If you have a baby, add infant paracetamol and a nasal aspirator. If you spend weekends bushwalking, add extra heavy crepe bandages.

Where to keep it

Store the kit somewhere adults can reach instantly and children cannot open, and tell every adult and older child in the house where it is. A kit in the back of a locked garage is not a first aid kit, it is a storage box. Keep a smaller version in the car, because a surprising proportion of family incidents happen away from home.

Check it twice a year

Tie the check to something you already remember, such as the same weekend you test the smoke alarms. Replace anything expired, restock what has been used and confirm that the autoinjector and reliever are still in date. Expired adrenaline is a genuine risk, because families often assume the device in the drawer is ready when it is several years old.

Equipment is only half of it

A well stocked kit does not help if nobody knows what to do with the contents. Our Provide First Aid course takes about three hours and covers bleeding, burns, fractures, allergic reactions and resuscitation. Find a class near you.