Owning a handy first aid kit just may save a life one day. If you are making your own first aid kit, be sure to include all of the necessities. A first aid book might be very useful. Bandages, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, scissors, flashlight and batteries, thermometer, gauze roll, tape, calamine lotion, and aspirin are among the items a good first aid kit should contain. It is wise to keep your kit in a place that is easily accessible, but away from children. Try to store other helpful items, such as blankets, nearby. You may also wish to make a second kit to keep in the trunk of your vehicle for roadside emergencies. A list of emergency contact numbers where your family and friends can be reached, as well as the number for poison control, are good to include in a kit.
Having a wide assortment of bandages is a smart move; everything from tiny ones for little scraped knee “booboos”, to large adhesive pads for unforeseen big accidents. Leg sores or big wounds can benefit from a gauze roll, as the compression can help keep a pad in place without causing any further damage to an injured area. Be sure when you are applying gauze to a wound that it is sterile, if you are not applying a pad or dressing beforehand. Finding gauze that easily clings to itself might help reduce the time it takes to dress a wound.
You may think making a first aid kit would be expensive, but if you do your homework, and a little online shopping, you might find they are actually very affordable. A gauze roll can be as low as a dollar apiece and a good pair of scissors can be nearly as cheap. Online, an entire box of antiseptic wipes can be purchased for less than that fancy cup of coffee you have every morning on the way to work! Some websites even offer special promotions or free shipping, too.
A good first aid kit may cost you a little money, but there is no price for the value of a life—a life that your kit might very well save one day! Be sure to replace any items that get used or anything in the kit that expires. At the bare minimum, have plenty of band-aids and a gauze roll on hand!