What's in your first aid kit?

[deborah_r]

Reading Marisa's thread about Sophie's shiner, I noticed some great products I did not know about. The homeopathic arnica and spray bandages interested me, so I am jotting those down to pick up for a first aid kit.

Any other great ideas (or even list your basics, as I don't have much of a first aid kit going here yet...)?

[redhookmom]

We have a small flashlight to see spinters.

[Marisa6826]

Alcohol wipes (left overs from Sophie's belly button stump and my fertility shot kit)
Bactine wipes - great for the dipe bag too
Hydrogen Peroxide
Coban (the self-stick bandage stuff in a variety of widths)
Liquid Band-Aid and New Skin (same stuff more or less)
Neosporin
Cortaid
Butterfly strips (to hold an open cut closed)
Gauze pads
Tape (paper, cloth and waterproof)
Band-Aids (flexible ones mostly, but in all different kinds of shapes and sizes)
Blister Blockers
Silvadene cream (it's a prescription burn cream)
Ace bandages
Dull point scissors (to cut off bandages)
Rolls of cotton
Tweezers/needles for splinters
Finger splints

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. It's all in a big Rubbermaid container.

-m

[pritchettzoo]

Whole Foods has a little homeopathic kit that I'm always tempted to grab. Ooh, it's much cheaper at drugstore.com: http://a1468.g.akamai.net/f/1468/580/1d/pics.drugstore.com/prodimg/79952/200.jpg
Kid's Kit Contains:

250 tablets ~ Aconite Napellus 30X - Colds & fevers with sudden onset.
250 tablets ~ Arnica Montana 30X - Bruising & muscle soreness.
250 tablets ~ Belladonna 30X - Fevers & inflammation.
250 tablets ~ Chamomilla 30X - Teething & irritability.
250 tablets ~ Ferrum Phos. 30X - Fevers & inflammation.
250 tablets ~ Hepar Sulph. Calc. 30X - Cough & runny nose.
1 fl. oz/30ml ~ Calendula Non-Alcoholic - Minor skin irritations.
1 ~ A Guide by Maesimund B. Panos, M.D. Author of Homeopathic Medicine at Home, with Dee Ann Hensch.

Anna

[casey118]

I can't remember where I read this recently, but you can get rid of the hydrogen peroxide from your first aid kit. Apparently the "bubbling" action (for lack of a better word) can also be harming healthy tissue, not just cleaning the wound. The currently accepted practice is to just wash out wounds with water.

Also, dump the Ipecac, because it was found to due more harm than good (it could cause additional damage by making the poison come back up, plus it wasn't very effective in getting all of the poison out of the stomach), so it is no longer recommended.

ETA: I just realized that my answer was the opposite of what you asked for. Sorry I can't help with what to put in a kit!

[Rachels]

I also have the book Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child, which is one of my very favorite resources. It was coauthored by an MD, a homeopath, and a nutritionist, and it's wonderful. For every ailment (listed alphabetically), it tells you the conventional Western medical treatments, homeopathic and acupuncture treatments, and nutritional treatments. It's a gold mine.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya Angelou

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif Two years and counting!

[kitmama]

I clicked into this thread just to recommend this book, and you beat me to it! :) Seriously, "Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child' is an indispensible resource for me. I highly recommend it!

[heidi_timms]

I just want to add that Costco sells first aid kits. A huge variety of basic products are included in a zippered bag.

~Heidi
Mom to Kailey
4/03

[C99]

uh...first-aid kit??

In the medicine bins in my linen closet (which I clean out regularly), I have: charcoal tablets, children's liquid Tylenol, children's liquid ibuprofen, bandages, Gas-X, the generic of Immodium A-D, Tums, generic Dayquil and possibly generic Nyquil, Tylenol and ibuprofen, melatonin, and I think I might have a couple of blister bandages.

[ellies mom]

Don't forget a red washcloth, the blood "blends in", so it is a little less traumatic for the child and most husbands actually.

Other than that, most stuff seems to have been suggested already.

[ginalc]

I skipped the purchased kits and use soft-sided zippered lunch-bags to hold my first-aid items in the house and in the car. That way, I fill them with the things I like to use - and I found a use for that "Baywatch Barbie" lunch bag! :)

gina, mom to 3
new baby due 5/05