You don’t realize how important first aid is until something bad happens. Knowing the basic techniques for dressing wounds and dealing with emergencies is always helpful.
Here we will show you how you can make your own first aid kit.
This Is How You Make Your Own First Aid Kit
Step 1: Determine what you need
To create a first aid kit, you should first consider its purpose. Is this kit for home or on the road? Will more than one person use it? How will you store it? By answering these questions, you can determine the following steps.
Step 2. Collect your materials
When you’re certain, you’ll need a first aid kit to get everything together. Make sure there are enough supplies to last you some time.
Step 3. Decide on the container to use
Once the contents are together, they will need to be stored in the right container. The container should be practical and suit the environment it will be in. Travel first aid kits, for instance, should be portable, strong, and flexible. The case may have to be durable and waterproof for use in tough environments.
Step 4: Arrange
Make sure your kit is organized and labeled if possible. It should be easy to find everything, regardless of who’s using it. Organize the related components together and keep others separate by using pockets or compartments.
What Should You Include to Make a First Aid Kit?
1. Gel or cream for burn relief
In the absence of cool running water, burn creams are helpful. When traveling, burn cream can help treat minor burns or to provide temporary relief.
2. Tweezers
To remove splinters, you need to buy a pair that has pointed ends with elongated handles.
3. Disposable gloves and swabs
The skin around the wound, your hands, and surrounding areas should be washed with swabs. Protect your hands from infection by using disposable gloves. Make sure they fit all the adults in the household.
4. Adhesive strip dressings
Colored or patterned versions might be more suited to young children for use on skin injuries and minor cuts. Do not use them for burns or grazes.
5. Saline
To treat wounds and remove minor irritating substances like sand, dust, and insects, such things can cause irritation and infection.
6. Medication
Carrying pain-relief medication like paracetamol or ibuprofen is a wise idea. Make sure you have enough for both children and adults. For parents of young children, plastic syringes should be available for correct dosing.
7. Adhesive tape
A permeable adhesive tape – like the kind you can buy at your local pharmacy – should be part of every first aid kit. This keeps dressings in place.
8. First aid scissors and shears
You can cut dressings and bandages with scissors, and shears can cut clothing off the body.
9. Antibiotic ointment
With the goal to prevent infection, you can use Neosporin or an antibiotic ointment packet.
10. A thermometer
With a digital thermometer, you will have greater accuracy and an easier time reading it. It is important when injured to keep track of temperature readings.
11. A flashlight
If you’re in a foreign environment, you shouldn’t leave yourself in the dark. You may also need a torch with additional batteries to walk to safety in the dark.
12. Water and non-perishable food items
Always take enough food and water for a few days in case you become lost. Packet food that will last is best.
13. Instant heat and cold packs
Disposable/instant cold packs are perfect for calming swelling or skin reactions. A cold pack can help to lower a fever.
14. Emergency contacts
Check to see you have both a paper list and a mobile phone number of emergency contacts you can call if there is a problem.
15. A phone charger
Always carry a spare phone charger or a battery bank fully charged in case you have no power.
16. Prescription medication
Always take your prescription medication with you. If stranded, you’ll have your medical supplies on hand. Medical conditions like diabetes and asthma can be fatal without the right medication.
17. A radio
A radio is important to alert people of an accident or inform those with you of your location. They can help people find you if you are lost.
18. Emergency blankets
A thermal blanket reflects heat back to the body to prevent the loss of too much body heat. In addition to deflecting heat, they can also work as a shade for the sun.
19. Wound cleaning agent
When it comes to cleaning wounds and preventing infection, soap and water is the solution. Yet, if you’re going to use a first aid kit, you may not be near a sink. You should keep simple antiseptic wipes in your kit for minor wounds.
20. Wound dressings
Dress wounds with gauze. Various types of gauze are available today but rolled gauze, and 4X4 gauze pads are the basics. You can use a few 4x4s to stop bleeding by applying pressure.
Wrapped tight rolls of gauze are commonly used as pressure dressings. They also work to hold the gauze in place.
It is a good idea to keep a few different sizes of these in your kit to control bleeding and protect wounds.
21. Notepad and pencil
A record of illness or injury times and details is important. It helps keep track of your locations on paper. If something happens, you can recall your tracks.
22. Elastic (crepe) and non-elastic bandages
A crepe bandage is perfect for when a wound is bleeding. It can also hold the dressing in place and provide pressure and support. You can make a sling from non-elastic bandages that’s great for restricting movement and securing splints.
Things to consider when making a first aid kit
What injuries may you encounter?
In an office setting, you’re less likely to encounter things like cuts and sprains. Instead, you may have breathing difficulties and chest pain. When outdoors, you may have injuries related to the environment.
Who will you treat with the kit?
What will you do with this kit? Is it for your own use, or is it for someone you care for? How many people is it for? You should never give medication to anyone without consulting a medical professional first.
What environment are you using the first aid kit in?
What will the weather be like where you’ll be? What type of container do you need? Waterproof, crushproof, and heatproof? The contents must be protected from the outside elements.
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