Every home should have a well stocked first aid kit. It is frequently too late to get a necessary item once an emergency has actually happened, so being prepared in advance can be really important. While you can't prepare for every emergency, keeping a good stock of general first aid supplies on hand can do quite a bit to help when something does go wrong. Here are some things to include and consider when you stock a good first aid kit for your home.
Start With Instructions
Begin a first aid kit for your home with a good book on what to do for different emergencies and injuries. Look for a general book that is approved by a major hospital or first aid organization, like the Red Cross. Make sure everyone in the family who is capable of doing so skims through the book at least once to get comfortable with how it is organized and how to find instructions for specific first aid situations. The middle of an emergency is not the best time to find out that the instructions in your first aid book are hard to find or difficult to understand, so get familiar with the book in advance.
Get Every Item On The List
Frequently, the book you choose will have a list of items that they will use for emergencies in that specific book. If you have the list, stock every item listed. Alternatively, check online for a list of specific things that every first aid kit needs and stock those. The list will usually include things like bandages, cleaning items, surgical gloves, a needle, and sugar packets. Stocking your first aid kit includes replacing items you have already stocked once they are used, so make sure that you check the kit for missing items often enough to replace anything that is missing.
Remember Emergencies Specific To Your Family
Many people have specific types of emergencies that are based on allergies and medical conditions. If you have a medical condition that requires medicine to be quickly administered like diabetes or some heart conditions, make sure you stock an extra supply of the medication or emergency items your specific medical situation requires if at all possible. If someone in your household has severe allergies, get emergency allergy medication from a doctor and stock an over the counter antihistamine.
Keep Your First Aid Kit Stocked And Accessible
Remember to always make sure your home first aid kit is fully stocked and in an easy to access location. Everyone in your household who is old enough to react should know where the first aid kit is located and how to follow the included instructions and use it. To make a first aid kit as useful as possible, enroll everyone old enough to attend in a local first aid and CPR class. This will make sure that the effort you take in making sure first aid items are accessible doesn't get put to waste because no one in the house is capable of using them in an emergency.
Joe Cline writes articles for Lakeway real estate. Other articles written by the author related to Austin real estate and Austin Realtor blog can be found on the net.
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