Surv · Guides
First aid kit checklist: what the Red Cross recommends
The American Red Cross list for a family first aid kit, item by item, plus personal medicines, where to keep kits, checking expiry dates and getting trained.
In this guide14
A kit is half of first aid
A first aid kit is a box of tools; knowing what to do with them is the other half. Ready.gov's safety skills advice is to take a first aid and CPR class, and the British Red Cross offers free first aid workshops, online learning resources and an app to learn and practise. This guide covers the contents, because a good list is easy to get right. But if you only have time for one thing this month, a class will change more than a better box.
Buy one or build one
The American Red Cross notes that first aid kits come in many shapes and sizes, that your local drug store may sell them, and that you can also make your own. Some kits are designed for specific activities, such as hiking, camping or boating. Either route works. If you buy a kit, open it and check it against the list below rather than trusting the label on the box, and add what your household specifically needs.
The Red Cross list: dressings and bandages
The Red Cross recommends that all first aid kits for a family of four include the following dressings and bandages: 2 absorbent compress dressings (5 by 9 inches), 25 adhesive bandages in assorted sizes, 1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards by 1 inch), 1 gauze roll bandage (3 inches wide), 1 roller bandage (4 inches wide), 5 sterile gauze pads of 3 by 3 inches, 5 sterile gauze pads of 4 by 4 inches, and 2 triangular bandages. This is the bulk of the kit, and the part that runs out first after ordinary household use.
Cleaning and skin care
The same Red Cross list includes 5 antiseptic wipe packets, 5 antibiotic ointment packets of approximately 1 gram, and 2 hydrocortisone ointment packets of approximately 1 gram each. Single-use packets are the point: they stay sealed until needed and they are easy to count when you check the kit. Ointments and wipes also carry expiry dates, which is one of the reasons the Red Cross asks you to check the kit regularly.
Protection and emergencies
The list continues with items for protecting yourself and the person you are helping: 2 pairs of nonlatex gloves (size large), 1 breathing barrier with a one-way valve, 1 emergency blanket, and 1 instant cold compress. Gloves and the breathing barrier are the items most people leave out of a home-made kit, and they are the ones a first aid class teaches you to reach for first.
Tools and instructions
The Red Cross list also names tweezers, an oral thermometer that is non-mercury and non-glass, and emergency first aid instructions. The instructions matter more than they look: in a stressful moment, or when the person giving help is not the one who took the class, a printed guide in the box is what gets read. Choose one that matches the training available where you live.
About the medicine on the list
The Red Cross family list includes 2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each). Medicines are not suitable for everyone, which is why the Red Cross also asks you to include personal items such as medications and other items your health-care provider may suggest. Before relying on any medicine in a shared kit, ask a pharmacist or doctor what is appropriate for the people in your household, and label anything that belongs to one person only.
Personal items and household medicines
Beyond the standard list, the Red Cross asks you to add personal items such as medications and emergency phone numbers. Ready.gov's basic supply kit lists prescription medications, non-prescription medicines such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhoea medication, antacids or laxatives, and prescription glasses and contact lens solution. These are the items that make a kit yours. Keep the names and doses of each person's regular medicines on a card inside the lid.
Scale it to your household
The Red Cross list is written for a family of four. A larger household needs more of the consumables, and a single person may need fewer bandages but the same tools. Think about who lives with you: small children, older relatives, anyone with allergies or a chronic condition. Their needs belong in the kit, or in a separate pouch clearly labelled with their name.
Where kits should be
The Red Cross suggests carrying a first aid kit with you or knowing where you can find one, and finding out where the first aid kits are where you work. At home, keep the kit in one known place that everyone can reach, not in a locked cupboard only one person can open. Both the Red Cross survival kit list and Ready.gov's basic kit include a first aid kit, so a go-bag or car kit should have its own rather than sharing the one in the bathroom.
Check it regularly
The Red Cross asks you to check the kit regularly, check expiry dates, and replace any used or out-of-date contents. Kits usually fail quietly: a pack of plasters used up on a weekend, gloves taken for cleaning, a thermometer with a dead battery. Put the check on a date you already remember, and restock immediately after every real use, while you still remember what you took out.
Keep numbers and instructions on paper
Emergency phone numbers belong in the kit on paper, as the Red Cross list suggests, along with the printed first aid instructions. A phone may be out of battery, locked, or in use calling for help. Write down your local emergency number, your doctor, the nearest pharmacy and a relative to call, and keep it with the instructions in a waterproof sleeve.
Training, concretely
Ready.gov recommends a first aid and CPR class and suggests contacting your local Red Cross chapter for information about training. The British Red Cross describes free workshops that are unaccredited but teach basic skills, paid accredited courses that give a qualification, and a free app to learn and practise first aid. Choose what you will actually do. A short course that everyone in the household takes is worth more than an advanced one nobody books.
Where Surv fits
Surv's inventory can list what is in your first aid kit, with expiry dates, so the regular check the Red Cross asks for becomes a short list rather than a search. Its reference guides are stored on the iPhone. Surv is not medical advice and it is not an emergency service: in an emergency, call your local emergency number, and keep the printed instructions and numbers in the kit for when the phone is not available.
Questions
What should be in a basic first aid kit?
The American Red Cross list for a family of four covers dressings and bandages, adhesive tape, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic and hydrocortisone ointment, gloves, a breathing barrier, a cold compress, an emergency blanket, a thermometer, tweezers and first aid instructions.
How often should I check a first aid kit?
Regularly. The Red Cross asks you to check expiry dates and replace any used or out-of-date contents, and restocking right after each use keeps the kit complete.
Is it better to buy a kit or make my own?
Either works, as the Red Cross notes. Check a bought kit against the list, then add personal medicines, emergency numbers and anything your household specifically needs.
Is a first aid kit enough without training?
No. Ready.gov recommends taking a first aid and CPR class, and the British Red Cross offers free workshops, online resources and an app to learn and practise.
Further reading
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