It’s always a good idea to keep your own first aid kit stocked with a few readily availabe and easy to administer treatments. Use this list to put yours together.
Paracetamol tablets
- For adults and older children. Good for headaches, colds, sore throats, painful bruises.
Paracetamol mixture
- For relief or pain or fever in young children.
Sedative cough linctus
- For dry or painful coughs – but not coughs caused by common colds.
Menthol crystals
- Add to hot water to make steam inhalations for treating catarrh and dry or painful coughs.
Vapour rub
- Again, for steam inhalations. Also useful for children with stuffy noses or dry coughs. Rub on the chest and nose.
Ephedrine nose drops
- For runny noses in children over one year old. Use before meals and at night but not for more than four days.
Antiseptic solution
- One teaspoon diluted in warm water for cleaning cuts and grazes.
Antiseptic cream
- For treating septic spots, sores in the nose and grazes.
Calamine lotion
- For dabbing (not rubbing) on insect bites, stings and sunburn.
Dressing strips
- For minor cuts.
3″ wide crepe bandage
- To keep dressings in place. To support sprained or bruised joints.
Cotton wool
- For cleaning cuts and grazes.
Thermometer
- For fevers.
Tweezers
- For removing splinters.