What is in our first aid kit, and what to add

What is in the AMORNING first aid kit?

18 kinds of supplies plus the zip case, with 215 adhesive strips of three shapes making up most of the count. The rest covers cleaning a scrape, wrapping a sprain, cooling a bump and keeping someone warm.

• Cuts and scrapes

  • 100Adhesive strips, 40 × 10 mm
  • 100Adhesive strips, assorted
  • 10Round adhesive strips, 22 mm
  • 5Butterfly strips

• Cleaning up

  • 8Soap wipes
  • 10Wipe pads
  • 5Cotton swabs
  • 10Gauze swabs

• Wraps and dressings

  • 1Triangle bandage
  • 1PBT roller bandage
  • 1Burn dressing
  • 1Adhesive tape

• Bumps, cold and the rest

  • 1Instant ice pack
  • 1Emergency blanket
  • 1Tourniquet
  • 1Plastic scissors
  • 1Tweezers
  • 1Safety pins

The card lists what is packed, not why. Read it by job: strips for cuts and scrapes, wipes and swabs for cleaning, wraps and a burn dressing for anything a strip will not cover, and the ice pack, blanket and tools for the rest.

Adhesive strips

Two hundred strips sit in the case, plus 10 round ones and 5 butterfly strips. Round strips cover a knuckle or a fingertip where a long strip peels off. Butterfly strips hold the edges of a small cut together while you get it cleaned. For a family with kids, this is the part that runs out first.

Cleaning

Eight soap wipes, ten wipe pads, ten gauze swabs and five cotton swabs. Clean the skin around a scrape before the strip goes on, and keep the swabs for small spots where a pad is too big.

Wraps and dressings

One triangle bandage, one roller bandage, one burn dressing and a roll of adhesive tape. The triangle bandage folds into a sling or a wide wrap. The roller bandage holds a pad in place on a knee or an ankle.

Cold, warmth and tools

An instant ice pack, an emergency blanket, a tourniquet, plastic scissors, tweezers and safety pins. Start the ice pack the way its packet says. The emergency blanket keeps the wind off someone sitting on cold ground.

The kit beside the Red Cross family list

On 5 of the 7 items both list, the kit matches the list or carries more. It has 1 roller and 1 triangle bandage where the list has 2 of each. The list also adds gloves, medicines, a thermometer and printed instructions.

Some kits are designed for specific activities, such as hiking, camping or boating.

The table compares items, not quality. A family kit built from the Red Cross list is bigger. A ready kit like ours is the one that is already in the car when the scrape happens.

What should you add to a ready-made kit?

5 things: gloves, the medicines your family uses, emergency phone numbers, a thermometer and a first aid booklet or card. Each fits in the lid pocket or in a zip bag next to the case.

• Gloves: two pairs of nonlatex gloves, folded flat.
• Medicines: the pain reliever or allergy tablets your family takes, in their own labeled packs.
• Phone numbers: your doctor, a poison control number and a family contact, on a card.
• A thermometer: a digital one fits in the mesh pocket.
• A first aid booklet: a short printed guide for the person who opens the kit without you.

Include any personal items such as medications and emergency phone numbers or other items your health-care provider may suggest.

The kit's own tweezers are plastic. One buyer who gave the kit 3 stars said exactly that.

This is a nice size emergency kit. I use it for in my vehicle where it doesn't take up a lot of space. The tweezers in it are not very useful so I replaced them.

If you use tweezers for splinters, a metal pair is worth the space.

How often should you restock a first aid kit?

Check it every 3 months and after every use, and replace what you took.

Check expiration dates and replace any used or out-of-date contents.

1. 1Open the case and lay everything out on a table.
2. 2Count the strips and wipes, and replace what was used.
3. 3Check the date printed on each packet, and swap anything out of date.
4. 4Put the kit back where it lives, and tell the family where that is.

Choosing a case color

Choose by place. The kit comes in 9 case colors with the same contents, so a color tells you which kit belongs where.

Red is easy to spot under a seat. Yellow and orange show up in a dark tent or a stuffed duffel. Black and camouflage stay low-key in a car door or a hunting pack. Pink and purple make a kid's sports bag kit easy to find.

AMORNING 276-Piece First Aid Kit

Red case · $16.99

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