What should you keep in a home first aid kit?

A first aid kit is the kit you hope never to need, and the one you need to find in seconds when you do. It's for minor injuries and for keeping someone comfortable until help arrives. It isn't a substitute for the emergency services, and it can't handle serious injuries or illness on its own.

What official guidance in the US says

Essential items

A typical home kit includes:

• Adhesive bandages in a range of sizes.
• Sterile dressings and gauze pads.
• Bandages, including a crêpe bandage and a triangular bandage.
• Disposable gloves.
• Medical tape.
• Scissors and tweezers.
• A thermometer.
• Antiseptic wipes or cream.
• Eye wash or sterile saline, and an eye dressing.
• Safety pins.
• A foil blanket.

Ask a pharmacist which medicines, if any, are suitable for the people in your household; don't add medicines on guesswork, especially for children.

Household-specific needs

• Regular medication for anyone who takes it, with copies of prescriptions.
• Allergies: if anyone has a severe allergy, keep their prescribed medication with them and make sure everyone knows how to use it.
• Babies and children: a suitable thermometer, and child versions of anything a pharmacist recommends.
• Medical conditions: supplies such as test strips or spare batteries for devices, and a written note of the condition and medication.
• Pets: a separate small kit, with your vet's advice.

Where to store it

Keep the kit somewhere cool and dry that every adult in the house can reach quickly, but out of reach of young children. A kitchen pantry is usually better than a bathroom, where steam can damage dressings. Keep a smaller kit in the car and in your emergency grab bag.

Expiry checks

Dressings, wipes and medicines all have dates. Check the kit every few months and after each use, and replace anything used, damaged or out of date. Take old medicines back to a pharmacy rather than throwing them away.

Replenishment

Make a note of what you use and replace it on your next shop. SupKit can track your first aid kit alongside your other supplies and remind you before anything goes out of date.

A small kit for your grab bag

Your main kit lives at home, but a smaller version belongs in your emergency grab bag, in the car and in a day bag on trips. Keep it simple: adhesive bandages, a few dressings, gloves, a small bandage, antiseptic wipes, any personal medication and a list of allergies and conditions for each person. Check it at the same time as your main kit so both stay in date.

Learning first aid

The kit is only as useful as the person using it. A short first aid course teaches you how to deal with bleeding, burns, choking and someone who is unresponsive, and how to keep them safe until help arrives. Many organizations run short courses, and some are online. It's worth teaching older children the basics too, including how and when to call the emergency services.

Keep a record

Tape a list of the kit's contents inside the lid, with the date you last checked it. Add your household's allergies, conditions and medication, and your doctor's details. In an emergency, that list saves time and helps anyone helping you, including the emergency services.

When to seek professional help

A first aid kit is for minor injuries. Call the emergency services straight away for anything serious, such as difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, chest pain, a suspected stroke, a serious allergic reaction or someone who is unconscious. Learning first aid gives you the confidence to act until help arrives.