School is back and with a new year, comes new injuries. While I’ve always had my Mary Poppin’s bag filled with extra clothes, baby wipes, and snacks, I decided to tap into my inner boy scout and learn “what are the best things to have in your own first aid kit.”
Kids are very determined to hurt themselves. Having the right items stocked in your house, helps you prepare for even the craziest of accidents. Once I looked at the recommendations for first aid kits, I immediately became overwhelmed and turned off my computer. Warning! It doesn’t take much to go from buying bandages on the Red Cross website, to building a bomb shelter.
We all know what our medicine cabinets really look like. A scattering of random Band-Aids litters the bottom of the drawer, random medicines loosely stacked on top, and a perfectly put together travel kit someone gave you as a gift (but you’ve never used). A good habit to get into is regularly going down the pharmacy aisle in the grocery store to check what needs to be restocked in your own home.
A dedicated first aid kit for your sitters and nannies is good to have on hand . As much fun as it sounds, digging through someone else’s medicine cabinet looking for Band-Aids is always uncomfortable. Below are some good items to have readily available for anyone in your home.
Butterfly Band-Aids: Everyone has a story about busting open some part of their body that should remain closed. These little dudes can take care of most cuts.
Dermoplast Spray: This antiseptic spray is also a pain reliever! A double whammy for keeping wounds clean!
Benadryl: No one found out they were allergic to something in an easy way. While it would be nice to be able to keep EpiPens in your first aid kit, they require a prescription.
The Red Cross has an amazing website where you can shop for first aids items and premade kits. Items like a breathing barrier or an aluminum finger splint aren’t things you will probably need, but they can’t hurt to have on hand (pun not intended).
The Red Cross recommends keeping a first aid kit in your car as well as your home. I decided to head on over to Target to make myself a small, travel first aid kit. It was a bit overwhelming walking through the pharmacy trying to decide what I would need, and if I was missing anything vital. I decided to look back at my years of taking care of kids, and try and remember all the things I wish I had.
Tweezers: “I’VE GOT A SPLINTER!!!” Dear Lord have mercy on me when a kid gets a splinter. We all know getting a splinter in the kid world is basically the equivalent to getting your arm chopped off. Having a pair of tweezers on hand would have saved a couple of afternoons at the playground.
Gauze: I have seen quite a few knocks to the head in my day. If you’ve ever seen any wound to the face you know, it bleeds a LOT. A small cut on the lip or a nose bleed, and suddenly you’re in the hallway of The Shining. Wipes and Kleenex just don’t do the trick when it comes to stopping blood. Gauze are the best solution to stop the blood and get back to fun.
Tylenol, Benadryl, Dramamine: Seeing your kid sick is the worst. Seeing your kid sick and being unable to help because you’re not home is miserable! Keeping a few of these medications on hand for an emergency can help you make it home. I bought kids’ chewable of each medicine. Putting liquid medicines in a car is not an experiment I’d like to try in the oppressive Texas heat.
There is a lot of information out there on how to be best prepare for an emergency. It can get overwhelming very quickly. I found it very helpful to think about what I experienced as a child, and as a childcare worker. It is always better to have these items and not need them, than need them and not have them. I certainly never needed a snow shovel in Texas, but ask me about this past February.
Having a first aid kit and updating it regularly is a good habit for everyone to get into. Go check out the Red Cross website and see what they have to offer!