Be Ready for Anything with a Family First Aid Kit
Part of being a parent is being prepared for the worst. When you have a baby, it’s even more critical that you are always prepared for an emergency because babies are much more fragile than older children.
Keeping a well-stocked first-aid kit, kept within easy reach, is a necessity in every home. Having supplies gathered ahead of time will help you handle an emergency at a moment’s notice. You should keep one first-aid kit in your home and one in each car. Also be sure to bring a first-aid kit on family vacations.
Choose containers for your kits that are roomy, durable, easy to carry and simple to open. Plastic tackle boxes or containers for storing art supplies are ideal, since they’re lightweight, have handles and offer a lot of space.
The most important items in your family’s first-aid kit may actually be names and numbers. Securely tape, glue, or sew the following contact information inside your kit:
• Your family doctor or pediatrician and your local children’s hospital.
• The American Association of Poison Control Centers’ national emergency hotline: (800) 222-1222.
• Your local police, fire and rescue squad.
• Your two closest neighbors (in case you need immediate assistance, such as childcare for an older sibling or a ride to the hospital). You’ll also want to post these on the refrigerator for your immediate use and for babysitters.
Here are your first-aid kit must-haves:
• Infant and/or child thermometers (both digital and ear or rectal) and petroleum jelly to lubricate rectal thermometers.
• Children’s and infants’ non-aspirin liquid pain reliever (acetaminophen), as recommended by your pediatrician.
• Topical calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream (1/2 percent) for insect bites and rashes.
• Rubbing alcohol to clean thermometers, tweezers and scissors.
• An antiseptic skin cleaner, such as Hibiclens (don’t use hydrogen peroxide, which causes tissue damage).
• Antibacterial cream, also for cuts and scrapes.
• Tweezers for removing splinters and ticks and a pair of sharp scissors.
• Child-safe sunscreen lotion and child-safe insect repellent.
• Pediatrician-approved children’s-strength liquid decongestant.
• Nasal aspirator bulb
• An assortment of adhesive bandage strips in various sizes and shapes
• Gauze rolls (1/2 to 2 inches wide) and gauze pads (2 by 2 and 4 by 4 inches), and adhesive tape.
• Sterile cotton balls and cotton-tipped swabs.
• Mild liquid soap (most antibacterial and deodorant soaps are too strong for babies’ sensitive skin).
• An oral syringe or calibrated cup or spoon for administering medicines to infants and children.
• A package of tongue depressors for checking sore throats.
• A hot-water bottle and an ice pack.
• A small flashlight to check ears, nose, throat and eyes.
• First-aid manual; Janet Zand’s Parent’s Guide to Medical Emergencies gives advice for handling a wide range of emergencies.
So, now that your first aid kit is ready, you need to brush up on your infant CPR and choking procedures. If you have not taken a class on infant CPR, you MUST. It’s vitally important that you SEE infant CPR demonstrated. The following clips are helpful, but are not to be substitutes for taking the actual classes:
Image: soredcross.org
First-aid info: babycenter, kidshealth
