Stock the household first aid kit from an official list
The household kit is your main everyday first aid store. Base it on a published list, then add what your clinicians suggest for your family.
How
- Start from the American Red Cross list for a family of four: 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 in), 25 assorted adhesive bandages, 1 roll adhesive cloth tape, 5 antibiotic ointment packets, 5 antiseptic wipe packets, 2 aspirin packets, 1 emergency blanket, 1 breathing barrier with one-way valve, 1 instant cold compress, 2 pairs non-latex gloves, 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets, 1 gauze roll bandage (3 in), 1 roller bandage (4 in), 5 sterile gauze pads 3 x 3 in, 5 sterile gauze pads 4 x 4 in, 1 non-glass non-mercury oral thermometer, 2 triangular bandages, tweezers and first aid instructions.
- Never give aspirin to anyone under 16 unless their doctor prescribes it (NHS: risk of Reye's syndrome).
- Scale quantities for larger households and for the time you may be cut off.
- Add a rigid eye shield and unexpired eyewash (medical-20), a bleeding control kit (medical-7), and items your clinicians recommend.
- Any medicine in the kit, including non-prescription items, is used only as its label or a clinician directs.
- Label the box clearly and keep it where adults can reach it fast but young children cannot.
Safety: Never give aspirin to anyone under 16 unless their doctor prescribes it. This step is planning, not medical advice: decisions about medicines and treatment belong to your clinician.
Do these first
Sources
- Anatomy of a First Aid Kit. American Red Cross, accessed 2026-11
- Eye Safety for Disasters (fact sheet FS113). Prevent Blindness, accessed 2026-11
- Up and Away Campaign Resources. CDC, accessed 2026-11
- Reye's syndrome. NHS (UK), accessed 2026-11