How to create a home first aid kit

A well-stocked first aid kit is essential for the home and car to help handle life’s accidents. While you can purchase well-organised home first aid kits, creating one yourself can be simple and cost effective.

Before you start building your first aid kit, make sure you have a large plastic container as the base of your kit. You can use smaller containers or baskets to divide the contents into logical compartments.

These 12 essentials will help get you started.

Adhesive strip dressings (aka Band-Aids or plasters) are small, soft, sticky dressings for minor cuts and skin injuries. They should not be used on burns or grazed skin. Here, non-adherent (not-sticky) wound dressings are more appropriate.

These non-sticky dressings can help control bleeding and protect wounds. It’s a good idea to keep a few different sizes in your kit, especially if you have adults and kids in the same household.

Crepe bandages are used for bleeding wounds to help hold wound dressings in place, apply pressure and provide support. Non-elastic bandages can be used for slings, to help hold splints in place and to help restrict movement.

Swabs are used to clean hands, wounds and surrounding skin. They come individually wrapped to help keep them sterile. Disposable gloves help to prevent infection. Make sure you buy a size that will fit all adult hands in your household.

Scissors can cut dressings and bandages to size, while shears can cut away clothing when necessary.

Tweezers are essential for removing splinters. Invest in a pair with elongated pointed ends, which are specifically designed for this job.

Saline solution, which contains sodium chloride (salt) and water, is used to clean wounds and flush minor irritants such as dust, sand and insects from eyes.

Burn creams are useful when there is no cool running water available. They can be applied to minor burns or provide relief when travelling to medical assistance.

Porous adhesive tape, such as the type you see in hospitals and pharmacies, is one of the most important items to include in a first aid kit. It helps secure dressings and keep them in place.

Emergency thermal blankets prevent the loss of body heat by reflecting heat back to your body. They can also deflect heat when used as a shelter from the sun.

These are important for recording times and details of an illness or injury.

It’s a good idea to carry pain-relieving medication like paracetamol or ibuprofen for both adults and children. Parents with young children should have plastic syringes for correct dosing and consider a digital thermometer to keep track of body temperature.

It’s important that your home first aid kit is well-stocked, up to date and easy for adults to access. A high cupboard in the kitchen can keep it out of reach of children.

If you’re storing a first aid kit in your car, make sure it’s safely secured and won’t fly around when moving.

Make sure you routinely check use-by dates to make sure medications haven’t expired.

While a well-stocked home first aid kit is a great asset, it’s strongly recommended that at least one member of your household is trained in first aid.

The Australian Red Cross has more information, resources and first aid training available.

St John Ambulance has first aid facts, products and training.

Always call triple zero (000) in an emergency.