The best place to start when it comes to stockpiling necessary medical supplies is to look up what organizations like the American Red Cross recommend. This organization has a list of 16 essential supplies for an emergency first aid kit for a family of four:
- Three-inch gauze roll bandage
- 10-yard roll of cloth tape
- Breathing barrier for CPR use
- Four-inch roller bandage
- Folding emergency blanket
- At least one instant cold compress
- 2 compress dressings
- 2 packets of hydrocortisone ointment
- 2 pairs of non-latex gloves
- 2 triangular bandages
- 5 packets of antiseptic wipes
- 5 packets of antibiotic ointment
- 10 sterile gauze pads of multiple sizes
- 25 adhesive bandages of various sizes
- A set of tweezers
- An emergency first aid guidebook
The Red Cross advises that you inspect your newly-created first aid kit at least once every six months, if not more often. Some of these supplies have expiration dates, which means you may need to replace them from time to time.
Be reminded that this list is far from complete. It is simply a way for you and your family to start stockpiling the necessary medical supplies you need to ensure you and your family are in good health. (Related: Health is wealth: 4 Medical preps you need to get ready before SHTF.)
Any other additional medical items will be items that will cater to your family's specific health needs. For example, you may need some natural medicines in your emergency health kit due to family members with health conditions. You may also want to add assorted vitamins to your medical stockpile, such as vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc.
Purchasing pre-built first aid kits can be convenient for busy preppers
The best way to make sure your prepper first aid kit can attend to every need your family may have is to build it yourself. But there are pre-built prepper first aid kits out there that you can purchase. This can be a lot more convenient, especially if you are busy devoting your time and resources to other preps.
But there are a lot of low-quality pre-assembled first aid kits out there. One sign of a terrible first aid kit is one that has too many supplies. You want to get a first aid kit that has a smaller batch of high-quality medical supplies rather than one with a wide variety of low-quality ones.
Once you're assured of the quality of the first aid kit you want to buy, it is time to start customizing it. This is the best thing about pre-built first aid kits. Its customizability is very convenient for busy preppers and serves as a good starting point.
For example, the first aid kit you purchased may come with more of a certain medical supply than you think is necessary. You can swap some of the extra supplies out in favor of other items that you believe will be more important to your prepping.
Remember to be guided by your personal experiences when it comes to emergencies. The environment around your home and the emergencies you expect to experience in the near future will guide what kind of items you put in your first aid kit.
Learn more about emergency medicine, first aid kits and how to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy during disaster situations by reading the latest articles at EmergencyMedicine.news.
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