How to Make a First Aid Box

Preparing a first aid box involves a minor investment in supplies. Once the kit is put together, let everyone in your family know where it's stored, and make it a practice to review basic first aid procedures every few months. Even your 5-year-old can dial 911 and hold a compress on a wound if necessary.

Instructions

• 1

  Purchase an empty first aid box with a red cross on it in a size that's appropriate for your needs.

• 2

  Put a week's supply of any prescription medications or medical supplies that you or your family use into the box. These would be items like allergy medications, heart medicine, asthma inhalers and glucose-testing strips.

• 3

  Add over-the-counter treatments to relieve pain and treat minor ailments. A good supply to have would be a bottle of aspirin or ibuprofen, an anti-acid, a cold/flu reliever, Pepto Bismol for nausea, a laxative, cough medicine and cream for minor burns.

• 4

  Place the following tools/supplies in the box as well: a thermometer (to monitor fever); a box of bandages, a box of sterile dressings in various sizes and two rolls of sterile gauze (to dress cuts and wounds); medical tape (for securely taping gauze and bandages); scissors (to cut bandages and open packages); sterile gloves (to keep from infecting wounds you treat); an ACE bandage (to protect a strain); a combination thermal/ice pack (which that can be either heated or cooled and applied to injuries); tweezers (for removing splinters); an eye wash (for treating eye irritants); Ipecac syrup (to induce vomiting); soap and sterile cloths (to wash wounds); and disinfectant (to prevent infection).

• 5

  Include an emergency first aid instruction manual in the kit. In situations where emotions are running high and you are suddenly faced with having to stop blood flowing from a wound or prevent someone from going into shock, a step-by-step guide can be a lifesaver.

• 6

  Tape emergency contact numbers on the underside of the lid. You should list 911, your primary care physician, your specialist (if you or a family member are treated for a chronic condition), your local hospital's emergency room number, your local police and fire departments, your personal contact in case of emergency (a relative, neighbor or close friend) and your vet (if you own a pet).