What Does Your Doctor Keep in Their First-Aid Kit?
Funke Wishko, MD, is a primary care doctor and specializes in family medicine.
She knows it's important to keep a readily available supply of general medical supplies for all the sniffles, bumps, bruises and pains that come with caring for your family.
Below are Dr. Wishko's recommendations for a well-stocked first-aid kit that you can keep at home and have ready in case of emergencies.
Supplies
Many pre-made first-aid kits come with these supplies, but it's important that you ensure you always have the following in your at-home stock:
- Band-Aids
- Bottle of sterile water
- Hand sanitizer
- Tweezers and nail clippers
- Thermometers: Depending on the age range of your family, you may need various types of thermometers in your home. Rectal thermometers are the standard for detecting fever in children up to 3 years of age. For the rest of the family, you can use a forehead, ear or oral thermometer. I always have two thermometers on hand, in case one malfunctions or I want to make sure the reading is accurate. A temperature of 100.4 F or higher is considered a fever.
- Bulb syringe/neti pot: For babies, a bulb syringe is very handy to clear up congestion. For more extensive suctioning the electric "Nose Frida" is a personal favorite of mine. For the rest of the family, consider grabbing a neti pot to treat any stuffy noses.
- Cotton swabs: Very useful in many aspects of life, especially to help keep babies clean during the umbilical cord shedding process, cotton swabs are a great tool. Just be sure you don't use them to clean your ears!
- Diaper cream if you have a baby in your home.
- Saline nasal mist
- Gauze and cotton pads
- Pair of medical gloves
Medications
Ask your primary care doctor if there are any prescription medicines you should consider getting extra doses of in case of an emergency. They may also have other suggestions for over-the-counter treatments you should keep in your first-aid kit. Here are a few that I keep in my first-aid kit at all times:
- Tylenol: For children under six months old, this is the preferred medicine for fever or pain. Be sure to get the infant formula and use a syringe to administer the correct dose. Check with your child's physician to ensure the current dosing for their current weight.
- Benadryl: For allergic reactions. Again, dosing is important and if you notice any signs of severe allergic reactions, like difficulty breathing, call 911.
- 1% hydrocortisone cream: Can be used for itchy rashes.
- Vaseline: For dryness, dry rashes and small scrapes.
- Over-the-counter antibiotic cream: Vaseline can be used for almost all non-infected skin breaks. However, if mild redness occurs, over-the-counter antibiotic cream can be used until your child can be seen by a health care provider.
Safety Tips
Having a perfectly stocked first-aid kit is only the first step. I tell my patients and family members to not only build the right kit but to also make sure it is easily accessible. Because we're not always thinking about it, first-aid kits can become lost in closets or packed away in the garage. Keep your kit in a safe and obvious place in your home.
Be sure to check your kit regularly to replace anything that's missing and make note of what is running low.
In case your children ingest anything that could potentially harm them, keep the number for poison control in the kit and in your phone.
Lastly, consider taking a first aid and CPR class to be better prepared for your loved ones in an emergency.
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