Emergency Preparedness: First Aid Kit

My head weighs a thousand pounds with all the doom I can conjure.

My mom calls it “borrowing worry” and although I try not to, I’ve found the only way I can quiet the constant “but this” and “what if”, is to just be a good girl scout and be overly prepared.

Plus, the whole family is completely accident prone: case in point- at just 20 months, Issac tripped on his own two feet, smashed his mouth off the padded arm of a chair, and broke his 4 front teeth.
We live 40 minutes from his Pediatrician and 80 MILES from his pediatric dentist. Although I was on the phone with both of them within minutes of it happening, they both assured me that there was nothing I could do except offer him pain relief and easy to chew foods, while watching for signs of infection.

Gotcha. KthanksBye.

So, to the first aid kit I went and of course, I had plenty of infant tylenol, because I keep 3-4 bottles on hand AT A TIME. I am forever paranoid that I will “run out”- and this is a deep abiding paranoia that is with me every time I plan a shopping list.

Please keep in mind- we have a small grocery store in town, and while I appreciate the level of product they keep in, they can’t carry everything that I feel I need in a first aid kit. So when I see a sale on Target.com or see a good deal at Walmart, I grab a few extra. Because of this habit, I’ve been able to help out other families in need as well, so it pays in many ways.

(Keep in mind that this is the first aid kit for humans – I have different ones for the chickens, the alpacas, the pigs and the bees.)

Now, On To The Actual Goods!

THE SUPPLIES:

Bandaids – Get a variety of sizes and get yourself the nice water proof ones.
Gauze Pads – We keep both 2×2 and 4×4 on hand
Waterproof Tape – I generally have 2 -3 rolls on hand, skinny and wide.
Ace Bandages – small and large
Butterfly Bandages
Wrist Brace
Finger Splint
Burn Care – we have Aloecare, Aloe, Bag Balm & also my homemade lotion which is very soothing. It’s a mix of shea and cocoa butters, with coconut & olive oils, vitamin e, some EO’s tossed in like rosehip and teatree, with a bit of beeswax to stiffen it up.
Pain Relief – we keep tylenol for us and the kids, but also have some heavy duty advil on hand for the kids. I’m allergic, so we don’t keep adult advil on hand, but we have the heavy duty super strength tylenol for just in case more serious pain. Also, Midol or the like, because cramping is real.
Itch Relief – we keep hydrocortisone cream & Calamine lotion on hand
Diaper Rash (A&D) Ointment
Antiseptic – I have both pain relief and non medicated on hand
Witch Hazel – witch hazel IS SO GOOD and people need to keep it on hand. I use it as a nightly toner for my skin, so we keep a lot on hand anyway, but its excellent for cleaning minor cuts and scrapes, gently and effectively.
Alcohol – by the bottle and in wipe form- both 70 and 90
Hydrogen Peroxide – 3-5 bottles, as it is an excellent laundry aid as well.
Iodine – 2 -3 bottles
Cold & Flu medicine for Day & Night. We keep both capsule and liquid on hand.
Cough Drops – we prefer the herbal kind with lemon. Very soothing.
Chest Rub – alternative to buying petroleum based rubs, you can make your own by mixing a heavy, plain lotion with Eucalyptus EO. Mints can also be soothing.
Benadryl – adult and child
Pediasure – its good for years and is a good boost for dehydrated people & animals.
Laxatives
Imodium Ad
Antacids- also can be used as a calcium supplement.
Antibacterial Soap – both bar and liquid. We generally try not to over use this soap as it helps breed super germs, BUT we have it in the bathroom and also in case of infection care.
Castile Soap – This is a HEAVY DUTY cleaner that is all natural and beneficial to the skin. So effective. We keep Dr Bronner’s Hemp based on hand.
Epsom Salt – which has gotten RIDICOULSLY expensive over the last year, but is amazing at drawing out infection.
Cotton Balls, Pads & Q-tips
Heavy Duty Menstrual Pads & Tampons – besides the obvious, if you have a large bleeding wound, or gaping hole to plug, an overnight pad or heavy flow tampon, is going to stop up and hold more blood then a towel. Tampons were developed to plug bullet wounds after all.
Tool Kit – Sharp scissors, Nail clippers, Tick removing set, razor blades, water treatment pills, Tweezers, Nitrile Gloves, heating pad/rice pillows, ice pack
Thermometers – we have 3 on hand, two normal mouth ones and one forehead.
Masks – we have cloth ones we use as well, but keep disposable ones on hand for any demolition projects involving old buildings.
Eye Patches
Saline for washing out both wounds and eyes.

Some of the more Homeopathic options I also keep on hand:

Chamomile Pills – for anxiety or general malaise- don’t @ me about the placebo effect.
Various Essential Oils – I will explore these in a different serious of blogs.
Various Dried Herbs that I harvest from our property
THC Lotion – this I make myself, and it is for adults only, for localized pain relief.
(Please check your local laws before keeping this in your home)
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Vodka (for making tinctures)
Herbal Teas and Tisanes, such as Sleepytime for evening relaxation.
Probiotic Whole Milk Organic Yogurt (we use Stoneyfield)
Raw Honey (from our own bees!!!)

Anyone have any suggestions to something they feel I’ve missed? I’d love to hear them!

By all means- don’t feel like you have to have the QUANTITIES I mention on this list – I wholeheartedly admit I have an absurdly high level of anxiety. This, along with the fact that most over the counter meds and first aid supplies are good for YEARS, I feel justified in keeping a large stock.

It also helps to keep this all organized, with rotating stock so the medicine with the closest expiration gets used first. Efficiency is not accidental.

In another blog, I will cover the books we keep in our reference library for first aid purposes. Some I’ve bought over the years, others have been gifts. Some are more homeopathic, and I will do an additional blog about the medicinal herbs I keep on hand.

Lastly- This was my 200th (!!!) published blog and I am just really excited about that. Yea for me. That’s a lot of content.

Until next time, Have a wicked good day!