First aid kit checklist: what to keep at home¶

A good first aid kit lets you treat small injuries quickly and gives you a head start on serious ones while help is on the way. This page lists what to put in a home kit for a family of four, based on American Red Cross guidance, and how to add your own medications.

If you only do three things¶

Build or buy a kit and keep it in one place everyone in the home knows.
Add the personal items your family needs, such as medications and phone numbers.
Check the kit twice a year and replace anything used or out of date.

Basic supplies¶

The American Red Cross lists these items for a family of four. Tap each box as you add the item.

The Red Cross list also includes hydrocortisone ointment packets. If your kit sold in your country looks a little different, that is fine. Local Red Cross or Red Crescent societies and health agencies publish their own lists.

Add the extras your home needs¶

A basic kit does not know who lives in your home. Think about the people, ages, and health conditions in your household, then add what fits.

Soap and hand sanitizer
A flashlight and spare batteries
Eye wash or sterile saline
A face mask or CPR barrier
Items for babies or older adults, such as a child safe thermometer
A card with emergency phone numbers and your doctor's contact details

... note "Over the counter medicines" Ready.gov suggests adding non prescription items such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, and antacids. Ask a pharmacist or doctor which ones are safe for each person in your home, and follow the label. We do not give doses on this site.

Personal medications¶

Prescription medicines can be hard to refill after a disaster. Ready.gov notes that about half of Americans take a prescription medicine every day, so this affects many households.

Keep a written list of each person's medicines, doses, and allergies
Ask your doctor or pharmacist how to keep an extra supply, and whether your insurer allows an early refill
Keep spare eyeglasses and contact lens solution
Keep medicines in their original labeled containers
Use a cooler and ice packs for anything that must stay cold, such as insulin
Note which medicines are expired, and replace them

If someone in your home uses an epinephrine auto injector, inhaler, or similar medicine, keep one within easy reach as well as in the kit, and make sure family members know where it is.

Where to keep it¶

Choose a cool, dry place that is easy to reach, such as a hall closet or a kitchen cabinet. Heat and damp ruin bandages and medicines, so avoid the bathroom and the car trunk. Store it out of reach of small children, but where an adult can grab it fast.

Tell everyone in the home where the kit is. Older children can learn to find it and what each item is for.

Keep it ready¶

A kit only helps if it is complete when you need it. Pick two dates a year, for example when the clocks change, and go through it.

Replace anything used, damaged, or past its date
Check that flashlight batteries still work
Update the medicine list and phone numbers
Add or remove items as your family changes

Ready.gov also advises reviewing your emergency supplies at least once a year.

Learn how to use it¶

Supplies are only half of first aid. A first aid course from the Red Cross, Red Crescent, or a similar provider teaches you to use what is in the kit, and gives you hands on practice with bleeding, burns, and CPR.

... tip "Make a small travel kit" A smaller kit with bandages, wipes, gloves, and a blanket fits in a bag or a car. See the car emergency kit for what else to carry on the road.