Safety First: Your Guide to the Best First Aid Kits in Town
First aid kits are essential commodities that you need to keep no matter where you go. Whether travelling or at home, you can encounter minor accidents or emergencies and need immediate attention. In such cases, a first aid kit comes to your rescue. You can find pre-made first aid kits that contain all your safety essentials, so you don't have to worry about assembling them. But with so many different options for first aid kits out there, which one should be your choice?
This buying guide will help you find and choose a suitable first aid kit for your home, so you are always ready to face all emergencies head-on. Here is how you can get the best first aid kits in 2021.
How To Choose The Best First Aid Kit?
Choosing the right first aid kit from many other impressive options can be a bit of a task. Different lifestyles call for differently made first aid kits. If you have kids in your home, you may be more interested in themed band-aids, whereas, for adults, you may be looking for specific ointments. Here is how you can choose the right first aid kit for your home.
Consider Your Unique Safety Needs
Everyone has unique safety needs that need to be catered to when buying a first aid kit. If you're an individual living independently, your first aid kit might be a simple pre-made kit with basic necessities. However, if you live with children or pets at home, you will need a more specialised first aid kit. For children, you might need medicines like stomach ache or toothache medicines. For pets, you may need treatment for ticks and fleas.
For people who are into physical training or hiking, your first aid kit might focus on muscle injuries and sprains and include ointments for these specific conditions.
Check For All Basic Safety Equipment
No matter which first aid kit you choose, it should contain at least the essential safety equipment required for any safety kit. These would include the following:
● Bandages
● Antiseptic ointment
● Tweezers
● Scissors
● Cold medicine
● Rubbing alcohol
If these items aren't available in your first aid kit, you may want to buy them and add them to your gear. However, any good pre-made first aid kit will contain these essential safety items.
Credible First Aid Guide
Since your first aid kit will be containing a wide range of products, you might not be familiar with them all. This is why you need a credible first aid guide that can provide you with all necessary information about the first aid kit's contents. This could include the use, ingredients and other instructions usually found on the equipment. Some guides might also have additional instructions for emergencies, e.g., treating a minor cut or sprained ankle.
How To Use a First Aid Kit Properly?
Now that you’ve got your hands on your desired first aid kit, you should know how to make optimal use of all the items in your first aid kit. Here’s how you should use a first aid kit for optimised safety:
1. Smart placement of the kit
You should always place your first aid kit in an easily accessible part of your home. Ensure you're not locking away your first aid kit in closets or cabinets where you can not easily reach them. The place should also be easy to find if someone else decides to look for it. However, the first aid kit should never be in a child's reach as that can be dangerous.
2. Follow the guide
The guide with your first aid kit will have instructions on using the items in the kit. You should thoroughly go over these instructions and make sure you understand them. These instructions should also be followed when you're tending to a medical emergency so that you can attain maximum comfort and safety.
3. Strictly follow the instructions
Each item in your first aid kit will come with instructions of dosage and use. If any item is not supposed to be used on children, you should ensure that you never do that. You should also follow all instructions for burns and cuts according to the ointment manuals.
4. Timely replace the products
The items in your first aid kit, like ointments and medicines, will have an expiry date. Whenever you use any item from your first aid kit, you should first check the expiration date. Most of these items lose their effect after they expire, which would make them useless and even dangerous to you. Discard expired products and replace them timely.
5. Don't use antibiotics for burns
Antibiotics are for external injuries that do not include burns. If you or someone around you gets a burn, do not try to treat it with ointments. The ointments can trap the heat within the burn, making it worse than it already is. You may use cold water to wash the burn and cold compresses to cool it down. Aloe vera is also a great option.
FAQ's
Q: How much does a first aid kit cost?
The cost of a first aid kit can vary depending on the items in it and the kind of first aid kit you're buying. The average price of a first aid kit can range from anywhere between $10 to $50. You can easily get an excellent first aid kit assembled by medical professionals for just $15.
Q: Is a self-made first aid kit cheaper?
A fully self-assembled first aid kit can be costlier than a pre-made kit. This is because you may have to make several visits to medical stores, pharmacies or hospitals to collect all the items for a kit that you can quickly get in one place when opting for a pre-made first aid kit. Since the items in a pre-made first aid kit are in a bundle, you might even get a discount on their prices if you buy a pre-assembled first aid kit.
Q: Is a first aid kit essential?
First aid kits are a must in a household, no matter how many people live there. You might believe that you may never use a first aid kit, but you will never know when an emergency could strike. In such cases, having the right medical tools on hand is helpful unless you want to rush to a pharmacy after getting injured to get the supplies.