Good first aid kit

[LemonYellowCrocs]

Can anyone recommend a good first aid kit?
For home use as a family of 5.
There are so many, are they all much of a muchness?

Or is it more economical

Sorry - is it more economical to make one up from scratch myself? If so what to include?

Why do you want one? Have you had an incident where you needed stuff or is this just in case?

I would say one you put together would be much better than an off the shelf one. It will have what you as a family actually need/use and none of the bits that never get used. You can also take into account how easy it is for you to get less frequent meds in a hurry - ie if you live in the middle of nowhere I’d stock more, if you live near a 24/7 massive Tesco then less.

Think about

• basic meds - paracetamol/ibuprofen, the cough and cold stuff you prefer, do you ever need diahorrea/constipation/threadworm/piles medication?
• plasters - a nice range of big, small, blister
• ice packs if you have sporty kids; maybe some support bandages of some sort if you are confident to use them
• Tweezers for splinters, tick removal thing if you have pets/walk a lot

What I absolutely don’t bother with are

• bandages, complicated dressings, triangular bandages, slings, finger stalls etc etc. If we needed anything like that we’d probably be in Minor Injuries or could improvise short term
• those stupid foil blankets that are basically a shiny bin bag. I do have a Mediwrap in the car (foam backed shiny blanket, keeps you properly warm)
• Burn gel; it’s the devil’s own juice. Burns should be cooled in tepid running water (or the closest you can get to that) for 20 mins and check the NHS website for what to do next.

We’re what you could call a professional first aid family - the only things I’m never without are a pair of gloves and the knowledge of my limitations.

For a family of five, I’d say a ready-made kit is a good starting point, but it’s usually worth tailoring it a little to your household’s needs. Pre-packed kits often cover the basics bandages, antiseptic wipes, gauze, scissors but they can be short on quantities if you’ve got kids who end up with scrapes and cuts often.

What I’ve done is keep a solid base kit on hand, then top it up with extras such as children’s pain relievers, digital thermometer, instant cold packs, and some burn gel. That way, it’s cost-effective without missing anything important.

If you’re looking for a reliable option, FlareSyn has resources that break down what’s worth including in a household kit. It’s helpful for making sure you’re not overbuying things you won’t use, while still being prepared for common accidents.

I have teenagers. Ours is organised according to ailment, each in a labelled ziplock bag. So there’s a bag for ‘stomach’ one for ‘accidents’ ‘colds’ ‘skin’ ‘headaches’ etc.

For a family of 5, a good home first aid kit should be well organised and contain a range of plasters, bandages, sterile dressings, gloves, medical tape, ice packs, scissors/tweezers and basic supplies you’re likely to use most often.
We have this one at home and have been really happy with it https://firstaidkitsuk.co.uk/products/200-piece-first-aid-kit

We made our own. We got free stuff from work which went out of date, but which isn't actually impacted by dates! Eg bandages.
Then we added:

• plasters and tape
• scissors and gloves
• painkillers and whatever extra meds your family uses specifically
• haemostatic powder (because we have a chainsaw)
• a sturdy rectangle box, because we keep it in a cupboard rather than on a wall, and the kits you buy have stupid shaped flimsy boxes

The haemostatic powder is probably not necessary for you! But it's an example of a niche need we have which you won't find in a first aid box. Have a think about any specific risks around your house/garden.