Assemble a First Aid kit for your home and vehicles

A good First Aid kit is important in every home as well as in the car. The car kit might contain different items than the one in your home.

It is not necessary to go out and purchase one of the actual First Aid kits found in most pharmacies as items included might be different than what is needed for your home or car.

To assemble your own kit, here is a list of items recommended on the Mayo Clinic website MayoClinic.com.

Basic supplies

• Adhesive tape

• Aluminum finger splints

• Antibiotic ointment

• Antiseptic solution or towelettes

• Bandages, including a roll of elastic wrap (Ace, Coban, others) and bandage strips (Band-Aid, Curad, others) in assorted sizes

• Instant cold packs

• Cotton balls and cotton-tipped swabs

• Disposable latex or synthetic gloves, at least two pair

• Gauze pads and roller gauze in assorted sizes

• Eye goggles

• First-aid manual

• Petroleum jelly or other lubricant

• Plastic bags for the disposal of contaminated materials

• Safety pins in assorted sizes

• Save-A-Tooth storage device containing salt solution and a travel case

• Scissors, tweezers and a needle

• Soap or instant hand sanitizer

• Sterile eyewash, such as a saline solution

• Thermometer

• Triangular bandage

• Turkey baster or other bulb suction device for flushing out wounds

Medications

• Activated charcoal (use only if instructed by your poison control center)

• Anti-diarrhea medication

• Over-the-counter oral antihistamine (Benadryl, others)

• Aspirin and nonaspirin pain relievers (never give aspirin to children)

• Calamine lotion

• Over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream

• Personal medications

• If prescribed by your doctor, drugs to treat an allergic attack, such as an auto-injector of epinephrine (EpiPen)

• Syringe, medicine cup or spoon

Emergency items

• Cell phone and recharger that utilizes the accessory plug in your car dash

• Emergency phone numbers, including contact information for your family doctor and pediatrician, local emergency services, emergency road service providers and the regional poison control center

• Small, waterproof flashlight and extra batteries

• Candles and matches for cold climates

• Sunscreen

• Mylar emergency blanket

• First-aid instruction manual