Putting together a first aid kit makes it possible to treat minor sores or respond to more serious emergencies. The personalized first aid kits accompany you at home, in the car, on a hike or on a trip, and even fit toddlers with the baby first aid kit. Find out how to compose them.
Why build a first aid kit
Having a first aid kit at hand means meeting two types of needs:
- for benign needs , to treat "small sores" and avoid possible complications. A small wound during a DIY session could become infected, for example.
- to real emergencies , to provide first aid after a road accident, an accident at work or during the practice of a hobby, to avoid anaphylactic shock (serious allergic reaction which can be life-threatening), to stop an asthma attack, or even hypoglycemia in the diabetic subject.
Your first aid kit allows you to meet two essential first aid rules:
- protect yourself yourself and protect the victim (thanks to gloves, mask, survival blanket...);
- perform first aid (antiseptic, tourniquet, bandage, medication, etc.).
Always in your pocket or bag, your mobile phone is not part of the first aid kit as such. Yet it is a valuable tool that works almost anywhere in the country! It makes it possible to comply with two other rules of first aid:
- ask for help emergency services (firefighters 18, samu 15, police 17, single emergency number in Europe 112, social samu 115), relatives, or local health professionals;
- assess the state of the victim :if you cannot carry out this mission by yourself, the previous numbers allow you to be put in touch quickly with emergency professionals who will guide you in the first aid process.
Be careful, even small wounds or light burns must be evaluated by a health professional afterwards. Complications are possible such as secondary infections.
Compose a personalized first aid kit
There are first aid kits already made up and available in pharmacies. However, there are generally the bare minimum and they are not suitable for all situations. Feel free to add to them as needed.
At home, your personalized first aid kit is often the most comprehensive:it can take up space and stay in the bathroom. But if you are traveling by car or abroad, or hiking, you will have to select the really essential products and utensils. Baby accompanies you on the go? Think of him:toddlers are also entitled to their own first aid kit!
Find out how to put together each of these first aid kits so you don't forget anything.
SUMMARY
First aid kit at home
Baby first aid kit
First aid kit for the car
The travel first aid kit
The hiking first aid kit
Sorting the first aid kit
It is necessary to regularly sort your first aid kit. The ideal would be to do the sorting at least once a year at the same time in order to think about it, and just before leaving on a trip. This good resolution will allow you to:
- discard expired medications who have their own Cyclamed® sorting system:bring them back to the pharmacy. The cardboard packaging of medicines can however be put directly in the yellow bag for selective sorting. Also remember to check the expiry dates of the compresses , bands and bandages ! This may seem futile to you, but beyond this date, the manufacturer no longer guarantees the sterility of the material, its integrity, and the quality of the adhesive of the dressings;
- to renew stocks in order to have the necessary to be able to intervene at any time;
- to empower family members , including teenagers and possibly older children, to the proper use and importance of this kit. Knowing where it is and what it contains allows you to act quickly. Make your spouse aware of the reconstitution of this kit after use, promise yourself not to use it for trivialities at the risk of not having the material in due time...
First aid kit at home
At home, your first aid kit contains all the basic needs. As it is not transported, it can afford to take on a little volume and weight. In addition to a survival blanket, we find the necessary for:
- Healing a wound :a skin antiseptic in spray or in single doses for a longer conservation, sterile compresses, pre-cut dressings, hypoallergenic plaster, stretch bands, round-tipped scissors, tweezers to remove splinters or glass fragments by example, disposable gloves. If the wound is profusely hemorrhagic, i.e. it bleeds a lot without stopping, an emergency haemostatic cushion can be used to compress the wound.
- Caring for a burn :a special cream or gel to soothe burns and intensely moisturize the skin after cooling under cold water, tulle gras.
- Relieve a sting or a blow :Especially if you have a garden, a soothing cream or gel helps you relieve insect bites such as mosquitoes or hymenoptera (wasps, bees...), don't forget to disinfect! Against blows, your pharmacist can recommend analgesic ointments or gels. The tick remover is essential.
- Take the temperature :rectal/oral or non-contact infrared medical thermometer.
- Fight hypoglycaemia :it is sometimes useful to be able to quickly re-sugar a person who has not eaten for too long a time, and even vital when it comes to a diabetic person on hypoglycemic treatment. Sugar cubes, jam or honey are fine.
- Administer emergency medications :analgesics and antipyretics may be recommended by your doctor or pharmacist in case of pain or fever. Other essential treatments to fight against the attacks of certain pathologies must be at hand at home:anti-asthmatic, anti-allergic, anti-diabetic drugs...
Please note that providing first aid does not exempt you from seeking the advice of a health professional afterwards, or even alerting the emergency services if necessary.
Baby first aid kit
Baby also has the right to his first aid kit! It is a question of gathering here the products which are specific to it and adapted.
- The health book baby:it gathers the history of illnesses, the vaccinations carried out, the observations of the pediatric follow-up, etc.
- Pods of physiological serum, useful for washing eyes, nose, ears, or small wounds. Watch our video tutorial on Hygiene of baby's eyes, nose and ears.
- A baby nose to clear the nose of babies who cannot blow their noses effectively until they are 3 years old. Watch our video tutorial to Declutter baby's nose with a baby nose.
- Equipment to treat a wound :skin antiseptic, sterile compresses, plaster, stretch bands, as well as a pair of round-tipped scissors so as not to risk injuring him, and tweezers.
- A medicine analgesic and anti-pyretic (which fight against fever) on the advice of your doctor, as well as oral rehydration sachets (ORS) to fight against dehydration in case of diarrhea in particular. To find out more, read our articles Gastroenteritis:coping with baby's diarrhea and Teething:how to relieve baby.
- A ointment to relieve bruises, bumps
- A thermometer to take your temperature.
- Cotton, soap.
First aid kit for the car
In the car, your first aid kit cannot take up too much space. You will limit yourself to what is necessary to act on vital and serious emergencies, in particular in the event of a road accident, and the minor inconveniences of the trip. It includes:
- The survival blanket and possibly a gutter splint for the immobilization of limbs.
- Equipment to treat a wound :skin antiseptic, sterile compresses, plaster, stretch bandages, emergency haemostatic cushion, tourniquet, single-use gloves, tweezers.
- An anti-nausea medication on the advice of your doctor or pharmacist, as well as emergency treatment during attacks of certain pathologies for those affected (asthma, diabetes, severe allergies, etc.).
Please note that drugs should not be exposed to high temperatures. Place them out of the sun during transport, and do not keep them in your vehicle beyond the trip.
The travel first aid kit
When you travel, you have to compress everything into one or two suitcases. Your first aid kit will be light but will include some essentials:
- The survival blanket .
- Equipment to treat a wound :skin antiseptic, sterile compresses, plaster, stretch bandages, emergency haemostatic cushion, tourniquet, single-use gloves, tweezers.
- A tick puller , a skin repellent mosquito repellent and sunscreen if necessary. For more information, you can read our articles Preparing against mosquitoes when traveling to an exotic country and Sun protection.
Attention, the capacities are limited when you keep them in the cabin during a plane trip. The bottles must not exceed 100 mL each, and must be stored in a closed transparent pouch with a maximum capacity of 1 L (only one pouch per passenger is tolerated). Medicines are an exception and do not fall within this limitation. The total net quantity (cabin and hold) must not exceed 2 L per person.
- drugs analgesics, anti-nausea, anti-diarrheal and anti-malarial if necessary on the advice of your doctor or pharmacist. For people with specific pathologies (asthma, diabetes, severe allergies, etc.), don't forget the urgent crisis treatment. In France, the drug circuit is one of the most secure in the world thanks to the pharmaceutical chain. This system does not exist in many countries, which exposes you to the risk of buying counterfeits. When in doubt, always prefer to take medicines sold in a French pharmacy rather than stocking up in a foreign country. Don't forget to bring your prescriptions with you when traveling to justify the prescription of your treatments.
- Tablets for disinfection of water for areas where the water is at risk of being contaminated by pathogenic microorganisms.
The hiking first aid kit
During a hike, there is no question of overloading yourself. However, your first aid kit should include a few essentials:
- The survival blanket and possibly a gutter splint for the immobilization of limbs.
- Equipment to treat a wound :skin antiseptic, sterile compresses, plaster, stretch bandages, emergency haemostatic cushion, tourniquet, single-use gloves, tweezers.
- sugar .
- A tick remover , a skin repellent insect repellent and sunscreen if necessary. For more information, you can read our articles Mosquitoes, natural prevention and relief, Ticks:bites vectors of disease and Sun protection.
- The urgent treatment of crises due to certain specific pathologies (asthma, diabetes, severe allergies, etc.).
