Accidents and minor injuries can happen at any time.
Someone may cut a finger while cooking, develop a blister, suffer a minor burn or scrape a knee.
Having a properly stocked first aid kit means essential supplies are readily available when you need them.
But what should actually be inside one?
A useful first aid kit doesn't need to contain dozens of medicines or complicated medical equipment.
It should contain practical supplies for providing initial care for common minor injuries while appropriate medical help is arranged when necessary.
Here's what to consider.
Why Should You Have a First Aid Kit?
A first aid kit provides basic supplies for dealing with minor injuries and providing initial assistance during more serious emergencies.
You may want kits in places such as:
- your home
- your car
- your workplace
- a travel bag
- a camping or hiking bag.
The American Red Cross recommends keeping a first aid kit at home and in your car and knowing where kits are located at work.
Different environments require different supplies.
A small personal travel kit will naturally be different from a workplace kit or supplies prepared for a remote hiking trip.
Essential First Aid Kit Checklist
For an ordinary household, consider including the following.
Adhesive Bandages
Keep assorted sizes for protecting minor:
- cuts
- grazes
- blisters.
Replace bandages if their packaging becomes damaged or contaminated.
Sterile Gauze Pads
Different sizes of sterile gauze can be useful for covering wounds and controlling bleeding.
Keep them sealed until required.
Roller Bandages
Roller gauze can help secure dressings.
Elastic or other appropriate bandages may also be useful depending on the intended purpose and your first-aid training.
Adhesive Medical Tape
Medical tape can help secure gauze and dressings.
Triangular Bandages
These have several first-aid uses and can sometimes be used to support an injured arm while medical assessment is arranged.
Sterile Eye Dressing
A sterile eye pad may be useful for protecting an injured eye while appropriate medical attention is obtained.
Do not attempt to remove an object deeply embedded in an eye.
Disposable Gloves
Non-latex disposable gloves help reduce contact with blood and other body fluids.
Keep several pairs available.
If possible, put gloves on before providing wound care.
Antiseptic Wipes
Appropriate antiseptic wipes can be useful for certain first-aid purposes.
For many ordinary wounds, cleaning with clean running water is important.
Avoid repeatedly pouring harsh antiseptic chemicals directly into an open wound unless appropriately advised.
Tweezers
Tweezers may be useful for removing superficial splinters or debris that can be removed safely.
Do not use tweezers to dig deeply into a wound.
Scissors
First-aid scissors can help cut:
- tape
- gauze
- dressings
- clothing when appropriate.
Choose scissors designed to be stored and used safely.
Instant Cold Pack
A cold pack may help with some minor injuries.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions and avoid placing extreme cold directly against bare skin for prolonged periods.
Digital Thermometer
A digital thermometer can be useful for checking body temperature.
Avoid old mercury thermometers.
Emergency Blanket
A compact emergency blanket takes up little room and may be useful in certain emergency situations.
CPR Breathing Barrier
People trained in CPR may choose to keep a breathing barrier with a one-way valve in their kit.
A first aid and CPR course can be far more valuable than simply owning equipment without knowing how to use it.
First Aid Instructions
Keep an up-to-date first aid guide with the kit.
During an emergency, even someone who has previously learned first aid may benefit from clear instructions.
What Medicines Should You Keep?
Some household first aid kits contain over-the-counter medicines.
Exactly what you should store depends on:
- who will use the kit
- age
- allergies
- medical conditions
- pregnancy
- other medicines
- local regulations.
Possible examples include medicines for:
- pain or fever
- allergies
- indigestion
- diarrhoea
- itching or minor skin inflammation.
However, a first aid kit should not become a collection of medicines that anyone in the household takes without checking whether they are suitable.
Follow the package directions and obtain advice from a pharmacist or healthcare professional when necessary.
Be Particularly Careful With Medicines for Children
Children are not simply smaller adults.
Medicine selection and dosage can depend on:
- age
- weight
- the medicine
- medical history.
Never guess a child's dose.
Some medicines suitable for adults may not be suitable for children.
For example, aspirin can cause serious complications in children and teenagers in certain circumstances and should not simply be given as a routine pain medicine.
Use medicines specifically appropriate for the child and follow professional or product dosing instructions.
What About Prescription Medicines?
Regular prescription medication is different from ordinary first-aid supplies.
If someone in your household depends on prescription medicine, emergency planning should consider how they would continue treatment if pharmacies or healthcare services became temporarily inaccessible.
CDC recommends discussing emergency medication supplies with a doctor or pharmacist and maintaining an up-to-date list containing information such as medicines, doses, frequency and allergies.
Do not stockpile prescription medicines without appropriate advice.
Storage requirements also matter.
Some medicines require refrigeration or other special conditions.
Keep Important Medical Information With Your Emergency Supplies
A medical-information sheet can be extremely valuable during an emergency.
Consider recording:
- full name
- date of birth
- emergency contacts
- important medical conditions
- allergies
- current medicines
- medicine doses
- relevant medical devices
- healthcare-provider details where appropriate.
CDC recommends keeping a medication and supplement list accessible and sharing a copy with a trusted person who could provide the information to healthcare professionals during an emergency.
Keep sensitive information securely rather than leaving detailed medical records publicly accessible.
A First Aid Kit Is Not the Same as an Emergency Disaster Kit
This distinction is important.
A first aid kit contains supplies for injuries and immediate health needs.
An emergency preparedness kit is broader.
During floods, storms, earthquakes, wildfires, prolonged power cuts or other emergencies, you may also need supplies such as:
- drinking water
- non-perishable food
- flashlight
- batteries
- phone charger or power bank
- hygiene products
- prescription medicines
- important documents
- clothing
- blankets
- supplies for babies
- supplies for pets
- necessary medical devices.
Emergency requirements vary by location and type of disaster.
CDC recommends tailoring emergency supplies to individual health needs, including prescription medicines and home-use medical devices.
What If Someone Has a Chronic Health Condition?
People with ongoing health conditions may need additional planning.
Depending on the individual, emergency supplies could include:
- prescription medicines
- asthma inhalers
- glucose-monitoring supplies
- insulin and appropriate storage
- epinephrine auto-injectors
- hearing-aid batteries
- mobility equipment
- contact-lens supplies
- other prescribed medical devices.
CDC specifically recommends building emergency kits around individual needs rather than relying on one universal checklist.
Ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist about appropriate emergency arrangements for medicines or equipment essential to your health.
Where Should You Keep Your First Aid Kit?
Your kit should be:
- easy for responsible adults to access
- clearly identifiable
- stored somewhere dry
- protected from excessive heat
- inaccessible to young children when it contains medicines or potentially hazardous objects.
Tell appropriate family members where it is kept.
A beautifully organised first aid kit isn't useful if nobody can find it during an emergency.
Should You Keep a First Aid Kit in Your Car?
A compact car kit can be useful.
Possible contents include:
- disposable gloves
- sterile dressings
- gauze
- adhesive bandages
- medical tape
- triangular bandage
- scissors
- emergency blanket
- first aid instructions.
However, be cautious about storing medicines in vehicles.
Cars can become extremely hot or cold, potentially damaging medicines and some medical products.
Check storage instructions.
Check Your First Aid Kit Regularly
Don't assemble a kit and forget about it for five years.
Inspect it periodically.
Check for:
- expired medicines
- expired creams
- damaged sterile packaging
- leaking products
- missing items
- used supplies that haven't been replaced
- batteries or equipment that no longer work.
The American Red Cross recommends checking first aid kits regularly and replacing used or expired contents.
Consider making a simple inventory so you know what should be inside.
Don't Put Unnecessary Medicines in Your Kit
For an ordinary first aid kit, multivitamins are not emergency first-aid essentials.
Similarly, there is little value in filling the box with medicines simply because they might someday be useful.
A streamlined kit containing supplies you understand and can use safely is better than a large box filled with unfamiliar medicines.
First Aid Training Matters More Than Equipment Alone
Owning gauze doesn't automatically mean you know how to control severe bleeding.
Owning a CPR barrier doesn't mean you know CPR.
Learning recognised first-aid skills can help you understand:
- how to assess an emergency
- how to control bleeding
- how to manage burns
- how to respond to choking
- how to recognise serious illness
- when to contact emergency services
- how to perform CPR when appropriate.
Consider completing an accredited first aid and CPR course available in your country.
Skills can be just as important as supplies.
When a First Aid Kit Is Not Enough
First aid is initial assistance, not a replacement for professional healthcare.
Seek urgent medical care for situations such as:
- severe or uncontrolled bleeding
- difficulty breathing
- loss of consciousness
- suspected heart attack
- suspected stroke
- severe allergic reaction
- serious burns
- significant head injury
- suspected poisoning
- major fractures
- seizures requiring emergency assistance
- other life-threatening illness or injury.
Contact your local emergency medical service when appropriate.
Do not delay emergency treatment while searching through a first aid kit.
What Is the WHO Interagency Emergency Health Kit?
The World Health Organization's Interagency Emergency Health Kit (IEHK) is not an ordinary household first aid kit.
It is a standardised collection of medicines, medical supplies and equipment designed for humanitarian emergencies and primarily used by organisations responding to large-scale health needs.
WHO's current IEHK 2024 is structured into basic and supplementary modules.
The basic module is intended mainly for primary healthcare or outpatient-level services and is quantified for an outreach population of approximately 1,000 people for three months.
The supplementary module contains products appropriate for hospital-level or larger health-centre services and is designed around a larger population.
The overall IEHK 2024 framework is designed to serve an outreach population of approximately 10,000 people for three months.
It should therefore not be confused with the first aid box you keep at home.
Simple First Aid Kit Checklist
For quick reference, a basic household kit could include:
- assorted adhesive bandages
- sterile gauze pads
- roller bandages
- triangular bandages
- medical tape
- sterile eye dressing
- non-latex disposable gloves
- appropriate antiseptic supplies
- tweezers
- first aid scissors
- instant cold pack
- digital thermometer
- emergency blanket
- CPR breathing barrier
- first aid instructions
- appropriate personal medicines
- emergency contact information.
Then customise the kit for the people who may need it.
A household with a baby, an older adult or someone with diabetes, severe allergies or another medical condition may require additional supplies.
The Bottom Line
Every household can benefit from having an accessible, organised first aid kit.
You don't need an enormous collection of medical equipment.
Start with essential supplies for common injuries, add appropriate personal medical needs and check the kit regularly.
Keep medicines secure and within their expiry dates.
Replace anything that has been used.
Make sure responsible family members know where the kit is stored.
And consider learning first aid and CPR.
The best first aid kit combines appropriate supplies with someone who knows how and when to use them.
Medical and Safety Disclaimer
This article provides general educational information and does not replace professional first-aid training, medical diagnosis or treatment. First-aid recommendations, medicine availability and emergency procedures vary between countries. Follow local healthcare guidance and product instructions. For serious or life-threatening illness or injury, contact your local emergency medical service or seek urgent medical care.
Sources and Further Reading
American Red Cross — Make a First Aid Kit: What to Include
https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/anatomy-of-a-first-aid-kit.html
American Red Cross — Survival Kit Supplies
https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/survival-kit-supplies.html
CDC — Personal Needs: Prepare Your Health
https://www.cdc.gov/prepare-your-health/take-action/personal-needs.html
CDC — Prescriptions: Prepare Your Health
https://www.cdc.gov/prepare-your-health/take-action/prescriptions.html
CDC — Building an Emergency Kit
https://www.cdc.gov/disability-emergency-preparedness/people-with-disabilities/build-a-kit.html
World Health Organization — Emergency Health Kits
https://www.who.int/emergencies/emergency-health-kits
World Health Organization — Interagency Emergency Health Kit 2024
https://www.who.int/emergencies/emergency-health-kits/interagency-emergency-health-kit
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