It’s that lovely time of year, the month of September, when the weather starts to cool off just a tad {maybe?!}, and the fall flowers are in full bloom. It is also the time of year when you see the lovely combination of hurricane weather in full force meeting the start of cold and flu season. Not to mention kids being back in school, doing more activities {fingers crossed!} and families starting to consider a fall vacation. Whatever the case may be, it is important to build yourself a fully loaded medical kit at home, complete with medications, supplies, and important information you might need in the case of an emergency or if anyone in the family gets sick. If you already have a kit, this is a good time to go back through it and clean out any expired medications or add in any supplies that running low
Let me take you through what I believe you should keep at home in your emergency medical kit.
Important Information
An emergency medical kit is a great place to have copies of your insurance information, IDs, and medication and allergy lists for your family members. Then you’ll know exactly where it is and can grab it quickly if your kid ends up in the hospital or you have to evacuate your home during a hurricane. Also, if you have anyone in your family with a complicated medical history, try to write down any surgeries, hospitalizations, specialists, etc. on a master list that you can take with you. You should also keep your doctors’ information and phone numbers {including any after-hours contacts}, as well as other important numbers like Poison Control and your pharmacy. It’s not a bad idea to keep all of this laminated or in a ziplock bag that is easy to grab quickly and won’t get damaged.
Medications
Here is a list of some over the counter medications to keep on hand in your emergency medical kit::
- Pain/fever relievers like acetaminophen and ibuprofen, both in pill and liquid form
- Allergy medication like diphenhydramine {Benadryl} in pill and liquid form
- Topical medications like hydrocortisone cream {for rashes, bug bites, allergic reactions}, bacitracin ointment {for injuries}, and diaper rash cream {my favorite is Calmoseptine}
- Saline and hydrogen peroxide for cleaning wounds or treating ear wax
- A variety of flu and cold medications:: see my blog post here
- Gastrointestinal upset medications like bismuth subsalicylate {Pepto Bismal}, antacids, polyethylene glycol {Miralax} and loperamide {Imodium}
Be sure to periodically check amounts and expiration dates on these throughout the year. Consult your medical provider to make sure anything over the counter is safe for you and your family and doesn’t interfere with any other medications or supplements you are taking. And be sure to store everything AWAY FROM KIDS’ REACH.
Supplies
Also for your emergency medical kit, here is a list of some great supplies to keep on hand::
- thermometer – be sure to include a rectal one for babies/children up to age 2
- adhesive bandages {Band-Aid} in variety of sizes
- gauze
- ace wrap
- cold packs
- heat packs/heating pad
- electrolyte fluid replacement like Pedialyte or Gatorade {good for stomach upset or dehydration situations}
- tweezers {for splinters}
- humidifier {here is the one I use}
- “snot sucker” like the awesome Nose Frida
I would also say it is not a bad idea to have a quick grab first aid kit that you can take in your car on vacations or to your kids’ activities. I got this small, well stocked one off Amazon and I love it.
Take a CPR/First Aid Class
Lastly, I would say one of the most important things you can do is to learn basic CPR and first aid. You can sign up for a class through local companies or organizations like the Red Cross. Take it from someone who has performed CPR on numerous people, you don’t want to be caught off guard when the situation arises.
Stay safe and well, everyone!
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