First Aid Kit Idea

Three years ago, my family and I pulled into the campsite of our choice on a mountain in New Mexico in the Carson National Forest.  We were very excited having been on the road for a few hours to have finally found “our spot”. 

My husband and I began unloading our stuff and began to look for the best place to pitch our tent when our explorer, my middle child could be heard screaming down near the mountain creek he had found that ran right along the edge of our space.  We hadn’t been there five minutes but that is all the time it took for him to fall and hit his forehead on a rock, gashing an area above his eyebrow. 

Now, as many of you may know, any injury to the face or scalp has a tendency to bleed like nobody’s business.  His injury was no exception.  So, amongst his blood and his cries of pain and my own inner conflict Nurse vs. Momma I grappled with the situation.  My husband handed me my store bought, prepacked, never opened first aid kit out of the car which to my surprise was absolute useless. 

There was nothing in there for that situation at all.  He had a relatively straight cut with clean edges that could be pulled closed, but the first aid kit was full of non stick pads, giant bandaids and aspirin tablets.  The decision was made to take him to the closest ER which was, of course down the winding mountain road in the third to nearest town. 

The rest of the family stayed to set up camp and I took my son to the ER.  Somewhere along that twisting, turning road he not only got carsick and had to pull over but his nose also started to bleed.  Having a completely inadequate first aid kit, that was left in a disorganized pile on the picnic table at the campsite, I ended up half an hour later with a bleeding, dirty child covered in camp dirt whose nose and head wound were patched up with pieces of toilet paper from a roll we had kept in the car in the even we could find a restroom. 

So, yeah, certainly not an ideal situation.  It was, however a useful learning experience!  So, I thought I would share what I learned!  Here is what I recommend for your first aid kit and for the love of all that is good and right, please do not buy a Joe Schmoe prepackaged kit covered in cellophane that sits in your car until you really need it and find that it’s only use is taking up space!

Get yourself a tackle box and organize your own kit!

Saline would wash (historically we liked hydrogen peroxide and alcohol to clean up wounds but both of those may kill bacteria but they also kill living, good cells that can help heal a wound)

2x2 gauze squares

Tegaderm

Hydrocolloidal ointment

Coban (flexible, stretchy, self-stick tape)

Kerlex

Tweezers

Silver nitrate (if you can get it)  If not, some over the counter bleed stop will work

Benadryl (Adult and child)

Ibuprofen

Tylenol

Aloe gel

Tea Tree Oil

Butterfly Closures

Scissors

Waterproof Medical Tape

Medical Tape

4 x 4 gauze squares

Hemostats

Hydrogen peroxide

Alcohol swabs

Tourniquet

Permanent marker

Antibiotic ointment

Anti-diarrheal

Antacid

Heat and Ice pack (the kind you pop)

Feminine products

Thermal emergency blankets

Flare

Flashlight

Duct Tape

Matches