Comments on: Make finding first aid items easier

By: Karen the Californian

Karen the Californian — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:31:45 +0000

Trish — your idea sounds cute, but I’d like to know, which Ikea chest of drawers did you use? Are the drawers big enough to hold bottles of Robitussin and Tums? I’d love to see a photo!

By: brenda

brenda — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:33:57 +0000

I find it easier having 3 kids of my own and providing childcare to have four small packs of first aid items (3-4 bandaids, ointment,antiseptic wipes and 3 suckers)that I keep around. One in the garage for bike accidents or mishaps with tools. One downstairs simply for convenience. One in my kitchen pantry(which is nearest the backyard too) and one in my car. I use a small plastic pencil case for each one. I keep all other medicines in a locked wooden trunk that is in my living room.

By: Trish

Trish — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:18:19 +0000

I bought one of those little wooden chests of drawers from Ikea (three drawers across, three drawers down). I have written the following on the drawers:

sore head (tylenol etc)
sore tummy (antacids etc)
sore throat (lozenges)
coughs and sniffles (cold medicine)
hayfever (antihistamine)
bandaids
thermometer
bites & scratches (ointments and antiseptic creams)
something in my eye (saline and eye bath)

This takes care of just about everything we ever need, and makes it easy for everyone to find what they want. There’s another box next to it with dressings and bandages, and another box with bottles of cough syrup and the kids’ medicines.

The drawers are great because you can remove whichever one you want entirely and fish around for the right kind of pain relief, or whatever.

By: AGT

AGT — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 04:55:13 +0000

The Red Cross Chapters have a great selection of first aid kits, from a personal size, to more elaborates ones suitable for a Scout troop on a long backwoods adventure. at redcross.org there are a handful for sale, along with some handsome “vintage” style kits.

By: JenK

JenK — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 22:01:40 +0000

We have a two-story home. I ended up putting the larger aid kit in the downstairs half-bath (along with a variety of pain relievers & Tums) and a smaller one upstairs (along with cough/cold meds, melatonin, and our preferred pain relievers). I resisted this for a while, but I don’t want to have to go downstairs for a cough drop when a cold is keeping me up at night. Or to have to go upstairs for neosporin and a band-aid after cutting my thumb in the kitchen.

By: SpiKe

SpiKe — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 21:28:11 +0000

All my first aid items are in a food box in a cupboard in my kitchen all mixed up with painkillers, cough medicine, vitamins etc. It would work fine if I didn’t have so much stuff. The problem is if I am out and about and get an headache, I end up having to buy a new packet of painkillers which ultimately get chucked in that cupboard when I get home. I need to get into the habit of carrying a pack around with me really

SpiKe
Organize IT

By: Barbara

Barbara — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:39:09 +0000

We keep all of our medicines and first aid items in a largish tackle box. Everything is in one place and it moves easily to the car for camping trips.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:34:10 +0000

I can see the advantages of assembling your own first aid kit, but the convenience of buying a commercial one is appealing too. Anyone know if there’s a cost advantage to either method?

By: jgodsey

jgodsey — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:31:42 +0000

For 20 years I have been using the same Indiana Jones lunch box to keep all my 1st aid supplies contained.

By: Andamom

Andamom — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:07:34 +0000

The Red Cross has created a list on what to keep in a first aid kit: http://www.redcross.org/services/hss/lifeline/fakit.html

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 16:59:46 +0000

If you don’t have too much stuff, you can use a “school supply box” as a first aid kit. (They are just about the right size to stash in your bathroom or kitchen, and are usually on sale this time of year.) I have two, one that contains various sizes and shapes of bandaids (so I don’t have to look through several boxes to find ones for knuckles or fingertips) and another one with other first aid items.

I looked at some of the commercial first aid kits, but I found they had some items I didn’t need and didn’t have some that I did – I preferred to assemble my own.