How to stock a family first aid kit
Start your family first aid kit checklist with the Red Cross list for a family of four: 25 adhesive bandages, 2 compress dressings, gauze, tape, antiseptic wipes, gloves, a thermometer, a cold pack and a space blanket. Add your family's medicines, keep it where everyone can reach it, and check it once a year.
Why every new house needs a home first aid kit
New houses bring a burst of small injuries: box-cutter slips, splinters, a stubbed toe on a box, a burn from an oven you don't know yet. Falls, poisoning and burns are the three common causes of home injury that Ready.gov lists. A kit means you can treat a small cut in a minute, instead of hunting through moving boxes while it bleeds.
Ready-made kits vary a lot, and a kit's piece count can be mostly small bandages. Use the list below to check what you're getting, and treat it as a starting point rather than a finished kit. A first aid kit is for minor injuries and for the minutes before help arrives. It doesn't replace 911 or your doctor's advice.
Family first aid kit checklist: what to stock
MedicineNet reproduces the Red Cross basic list for a family of four. These are the core quantities:
| Item | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Adhesive bandages, assorted sizes | 25 |
| Absorbent compress dressings, 5 x 9 inches | 2 |
| Sterile gauze pads, 3 x 3 inches and 4 x 4 inches | 5 of each |
| Roller bandages, 3 inches and 4 inches wide | 1 of each |
| Triangular bandages | 2 |
| Adhesive cloth tape, 10 yards x 1 inch | 1 roll |
| Antiseptic wipe packets | 5 |
| Antibiotic ointment packets | 5 |
| Hydrocortisone ointment packets | 2 |
| Aspirin packets, 81 mg | 2 |
| Instant cold compress | 1 |
| Non-latex gloves, large | 2 pairs |
| Breathing barrier with one-way valve | 1 |
| Space blanket | 1 |
| Oral thermometer, non-mercury and non-glass | 1 |
| Scissors, tweezers and a first aid booklet | 1 of each |
Then fit the kit to your family. Ready.gov suggests customizing it for needs like severe allergies, diabetes or heart conditions, and talking with a doctor or pharmacist about what to add. Useful additions include:
- Regular prescriptions and any emergency medicines your doctor has prescribed.
- Non-prescription pain relievers, antihistamines, antacids and anti-diarrhea medicine.
- A list of medications, allergies and doctors' phone numbers.
- Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222.
- A flashlight, since injuries and power outages sometimes arrive together.
Store the main kit in one spot that everyone in the house knows, and keep it unlocked for adults. A hall closet or a high kitchen shelf works better than a bathroom, where moisture can reach supplies and someone may be behind a locked door. Ready.gov suggests keeping supplies in airtight bags in an easy-to-carry container. Keep a smaller kit in each car.
Once a year, replace expired items and rethink your needs, as Ready.gov advises. Pick a date you'll remember, like the day you test your alarms. A class also goes further than any supply: Ready.gov recommends learning first aid, CPR and AED use through a group like the Red Cross or YMCA.
Build a kit from your family first aid kit checklist
- Check what you already own
Pull together what's in your bathroom and travel bags, and throw out anything expired.
- Buy or build the base kit
Compare any ready-made kit against the Red Cross list, and buy what's missing. Pick a sturdy, easy-to-carry case.
- Add family-specific items
Include prescriptions, allergy medicines, children's medicine and dosing tools. Ask your doctor or pharmacist what else you need.
- Add a contact card
List allergies, medications, doctors and Poison Help. Make it readable for a sitter or a neighbor.
- Choose one home spot
Pick a place every adult can reach fast, such as a kitchen shelf or hall closet, and out of reach of small children.
- Make smaller kits
Keep one in each car and put one in your emergency supplies.
- Check it yearly
Set a calendar reminder, replace expired items and refill anything you've used.
First aid kit checklist for kids and pets
Children need their own versions of some items. Keep pain and fever medicine made for children, and an oral syringe or dosing cup for accurate doses. Ask your pediatrician or pharmacist about the right dose for your child's age and weight, and don't give a child aspirin or any adult medicine without medical advice.
Store medicines up high or locked, away from small hands. If you put a child-safe lock on the kit, make sure every adult and sitter knows how to open it. If a child swallows something, call Poison Help, or 911 if they've collapsed, had a seizure, have trouble breathing or can't be woken.
Pets need their own kit too. Ready.gov says to ask your veterinarian what's appropriate. Keep the vet's number and ASPCA Animal Poison Control, (888) 426-4435, with it. Don't give a pet human medicine unless your vet says to.
What to put in a first aid kit: common questions
What should be in a family first aid kit?
The Red Cross list for a family of four includes 25 adhesive bandages, compress dressings, gauze pads, tape, antiseptic wipes, ointments, gloves, a cold compress, a space blanket, a thermometer, scissors and tweezers. Add your family's own medicines.
Where should I keep a first aid kit at home?
Keep it somewhere every adult knows and can reach quickly, like a hall closet or high kitchen shelf. Keep medicines out of the reach of children. Ready.gov also recommends keeping supplies in your car.
How often should I check my first aid kit?
Check it at least once a year, replace expired items and update it as your family's needs change. Restock right after you use something, so you don't forget.
What you’ll need
Sources: medicinenet.com, Ready.gov, Poison Control, ASPCA
General guidance for U.S. homes, not professional advice. For gas, electrical and structural work, call a licensed pro.