Don't Make Boo-Boos with Your First-Aid Kit

All families should have a first-aid kit - or two - on hand for emergencies. Gathering supplies ahead of time and educating your whole family on how to use the items in your kit is essential to handling emergencies. Treating minor injuries that happen around the home or while traveling can help you stop bleeding, prevent infection and help in decontamination. You can buy a premade kit, or you can create one of your own and fill it with the necessary items. The Red Cross recommends keeping a first-aid kit not only in your medicine cabinet, but also near areas where accidents are likely to happen, like the kitchen or garage. Educate the whole family on where to find the kits, so that everyone is prepared in an emergency. If you choose to create your own first-aid kit, then find a container that is large enough to hold all the items comfortably and within view. Plastic tackle boxes or art-supply containers work great for this purpose because they are sectioned and open up to show all the contents.