Basic first aid kit - what to put in it?

[NeededANameChangeAnyway]

I've just had a look and we have a zillion plasters, two bottles of calpol, a bottle of cough syrup, that funny pink sticky bandage tape stuff and some paracetamol. Presumably this will get us through paper cuts and colds but not much else.

What else would be useful? Or should I just pick up one of those green first aid boxes and not faff about with little bits and pieces?

Pick up a box - you'll soon figure out what you actually use :) I also keep a first aid manual to hand (not sure how I'd react in a serious situation so useful to have backup), also try and keep my first aid training up to date.

This might help (it is a year out of date but they should all still be available)

www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/outdoor-activity/best-first-aid-kits-9724635.html

I also add steri strips (wound closure strips) to my first aid stuff as if your teenagers are anything like mine they come in handy.

www.amazon.co.uk/steri-strips/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asteri-strips

If you can get hold of an old style cotton triangular bandage, they're really useful. They can be a sling or folded for a pressure pad, or a load of other things.

Most prepacked first aid kits now don't have them, but have replaced it with a rubbish, gauzy thing.

I've just found a first aid book - a recent one as well! DH has been on a course through work, maybe last year? But I haven't done anything.

No teenagers, just me, DH and DS (2).

Thanks for the link Zetetik, the packs look much cheaper as well rather than buying everything individually.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine excellent name for this board , I should change mine to ItMightNeverHappen and we can chat back and forth all day

On mine apart from the usual bandages and plasters I have Savlon, anti histimine, magnesium sulphate, paracetamol and some tea tree oil. Works for us.

If you have the space, a couple of the instant ice packs - I keep a few in my car at all times.

You may also want to consider a roll of self-adhesive bandage; I THINK they do it for people but TBH I used to use VetWrap myself as it's cheaper and the same stuff.

I also always have the low adherent dressings in the house for areas a bit too large for plasters as it can be really painful if gauze sticks to an open wound & will open it up again when you take it off.

I'd add an NSAID type painkiller like ibuprofen as well as the paracetamol, for the anti inflammatory properties (plus you can take them and paracetamol together).

And anti-diarhorrea tablets too!

I would buy some packs of dressings you can pick up for a few pounds. Some sticky and non sticky ones. Plasters are ok small wounds but another bigger than 5p your stuffed! Although you can use anything to cover a wound if everything around you is dirty not much use.

I swear by burn gell sell online comes in sauce size sachets it's amazing. It absorbs the heat and takes the burn away. So not only easy pain if you have no access to running cold water they double up.
Think anti diarrhoea meds and indegisation meds too.

*i mean burn pain-not burn that would be magic!

Burn gel! That's what I couldn't think of today when doing a small first aid shop.

I got germoline though.

Burn gel is awesome stuff.

Which burn gel do you use akire?

Don't most things like germoline just lock the heat in and intensify the burn? Or am I thinking of something else entirely?

No it was just one of my list, I managed to get that but couldn't remember burn gel for the life of me. The post above reminded me.

Germoline is brilliant stuff for other things.

Hi guys,

I've just joined up so wanted to say hey!

I know it might be a bit late but we've got a poster pinned to our notice board at work that shows what we should have in the first aid kit.

The office first-aider (is that a word?!) got it from a website called UK Safety Store but it's based on advice from the Red Cross.

You can find it here- www.uksafetystore.com/blog/red-cross-first-aid-kit-essentials.html

Hope that helps!

Welcome pixie, looks like quite a useful list on that link

Will have to compare it to the kit I was thinking of buying of ebay and make sure everything on it is in it

We do have quite a few small first aid kits dotted around the place I just want to get something a bit more comprehensive

I'm wondering - for a home one - whether there's any virtue in having some clean water? (Or at least keeping some water reserved from existing stocks.) I'm in six minds about it but I can think of a lot of uses in situations where the only water around might be contaminated. Any thoughts ?

Sterile eye wash like this

If they're just saline, they might be quite nifty to multi-purpose in a kit eg for moistening and limited cleansing?

I had a green plastic box that I filled myself when a hockey goalie (so carrying massive bag already). Most useful items were : Paracetemol tablets (lots of late teens, early 20s girls on Saturday mornings!!), plasters (ordinary ones), elastic strapping for sprains, and a make your own plaster kit (roll of lint, roll of tape and a scissors) for large or unusual cuts. Steristrips handy too, and Savlon spray and ointment.

Nowadays, I have myself set up differently. Home and cub scout uses. So lots and lots of plasters, steristrips and my MYO plaster kit. (Lots of penknife cuts doing whittling). Savlon. Couple of elastic bandages, sling, etc. Wound wash and savlon wipes. Gloves, cotton wool pads (just unused makeup ones in a Ziploc bag), safety pins, packet of tissues, roll of sandwich bags for waste (often up a mountain with no easy access to bins immediately). Tings at home include burn ointment, big gauze pads, nail covering gauze kit. Anti-bug stuff, suncream and aftersun. And assorted meds to suit most needs - paracetemol, solpadeine, upset tummy, diarrhea, dry and chesty coughs, sinuses, antihistamines, rescue remedy and those specific to our own needs.

Am a trained first aider as well, and keep my manual in the green box, an older manual stays in the big box at home.