Home first aid kit checklist for emergencies

A home first aid kit for emergencies should hold dressings and gauze in several sizes, adhesive bandages, tape, antiseptic wipes, gloves, a thermometer, tweezers, an emergency blanket, a breathing barrier, a cold compress, first aid instructions and your household’s own medicines. The American Red Cross list for a family of four, below, is a good base. Add a supply of regular prescriptions, simple medicines for pain and stomach upsets, and a card with everyone’s medicines and allergies.

In an emergency the pharmacy may be closed and an ambulance may take longer than usual. A well-stocked kit lets you treat cuts, burns and sprains yourself and get through a few days without a doctor. This list is based on the American Red Cross, with additions from Ready.gov, the CDC, the Government of Canada and the Polish government’s Safety Guide.

This guide does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist. Ask a pharmacist about medication, especially for children, older people, pregnant women and anyone with a long-term condition.

Red Cross list for a family of four

Item	Quantity
Absorbent compress dressings (5 × 9 in)	2
Adhesive bandages, assorted sizes	25
Adhesive cloth tape (10 yd × 1 in)	1
Antibiotic ointment packets (about 1 g)	5
Antiseptic wipe packets	5
Aspirin, 81 mg	2 packets
Emergency blanket	1
Breathing barrier with one-way valve	1
Instant cold compress	1
Non-latex gloves, large	2 pairs
Hydrocortisone ointment packets (about 1 g)	2
Gauze roller bandage, 3 in	1
Roller bandage, 4 in	1
Sterile gauze pads, 3 × 3 in	5
Sterile gauze pads, 4 × 4 in	5
Oral thermometer (non-mercury, non-glass)	1
Triangular bandages	2
Tweezers	1
First aid instruction booklet	1

In metric terms, 3 in is about 7.5 cm, 4 in about 10 cm and 5 × 9 in about 13 × 23 cm. Any comparable size from your local pharmacy will do.

Aspirin is on the Red Cross list, but it is not suitable for everyone. Ask a pharmacist who in your household can take it.

Worth adding for a crisis

The Red Cross list is built for everyday injuries. For a few days without services, add the items below.

Medicines (Ready.gov and the Polish Safety Guide):

• regular prescription medication, with a supply for several days. The Red Cross suggests 7 days in an emergency kit,
• painkillers and anti-inflammatories,
• remedies for diarrhoea, nausea, heartburn and constipation,
• oral rehydration salts, which the CDC lists in its travel health kit,
• an antihistamine, which the CDC also lists.

Wound care and equipment (CDC travel kit list and the Polish Safety Guide):

• extra sterile dressings and non-stick dressings,
• burn dressings,
• wound closure strips and blister plasters,
• an elastic or self-adhesive bandage for sprains,
• small bandage scissors,
• a tourniquet, if you have trained with one,
• FFP3 or N95 masks,
• a head torch, so you have both hands free.

Personal items (Red Cross and Ready.gov):

• glasses and contact lens solution,
• hearing aid batteries, syringes, test strips and any other medical supplies,
• anything your doctor recommends for your condition.

The medicines card

The CDC advises travellers to carry a short medical summary that lists regular medicines by their generic name, not the brand, plus allergies. Do the same for your kit. For each person, write:

• name and date of birth,
• medicines, doses and what each one is for,
• allergies and long-term conditions,
• doctor’s name and number,
• the emergency number (112 in Europe, 911 in North America, 999 in the UK).

Keep one copy in the kit and one in each go-bag. The Government of Canada also lists medicines, doses and purposes among the documents to copy for an emergency.

Home kit, car kit and travel kit

The Red Cross recommends keeping a first aid kit both at home and in the car, and knowing where the kit is at your workplace. Each has a different job:

Kit	Main job	What makes it different
Home	the whole household for several days	full Red Cross list, extra dressings, everyone’s medicines
Car	an accident or being stranded	compact, plus a seatbelt cutter (Government of Canada), blanket and torch
Go-bag	3 days away from home	a smaller version of the home kit, 7 days of prescriptions
Travel	a trip, often abroad	CDC adds oral rehydration salts, blister pads, thermometer and medicines in original containers

The CDC notes that many countries limit how much of certain medicines (such as narcotics and psychoactive drugs) you can bring, often to 30 days or less, and advises keeping them in the original prescription container. If you inject insulin or another medicine, carry a copy of the prescription with the needles.

How to put it together

1. Go through what you already have. Separate expired medication to return to a pharmacy (see below).
2. Buy what is missing. A ready-made kit is a good start, but it usually needs more dressings and your own medication.
3. Pack everything in one durable, water-resistant bag or box, clearly labelled. The CDC recommends a water-resistant container.
4. Group items in clear bags: wounds, burns, medicines, tools. You will find things faster under stress.
5. Add the medicines card and the first aid booklet.
6. Keep it where every adult knows to look, not in a damp bathroom, and with medicines out of children’s reach.
7. Put a smaller version in your go-bag and the car.

Checking expiry and replacing items

The Red Cross asks you to check the kit regularly, check expiry dates and replace anything used or expired. A simple routine:

• Every few months: expiry dates on medicines, ointments and sterile dressings; torn or wet packaging (a sterile dressing with a broken wrapper is no longer sterile); used items replaced.
• Twice a year: prescriptions up to date, doses on the medicines card still correct, children’s medicines suited to their current age and weight. The Government of Canada suggests the spring and autumn clock changes.
• After any power cut longer than a day: the CDC says to replace medicines that should be refrigerated unless the label says otherwise. If a medicine is life-sustaining, use it only until you can get a new supply, and ask your pharmacist.

Getting rid of old medicines

Do not throw old medicines loose into the bin. Use a pharmacy take-back service if your country has one. The FDA’s advice for the US, when no take-back option is available:

1. Take the medicine out of its container and mix it with something unappealing such as used coffee grounds, soil or cat litter.
2. Seal it in a bag or container.
3. Put it in household rubbish.
4. Scratch out personal details on the empty packaging.

Only flush a medicine down the toilet if it is on the FDA flush list or its leaflet says so.

Skills matter more than the kit

A first aid course teaches you how to stop bleeding, perform CPR, use the recovery position and treat burns. Learn to use a tourniquet on a course before you ever need one. The Red Cross, St John Ambulance and national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies run courses in many countries.

A few core actions from the European Resuscitation Council’s 2021 first aid guidelines:

Situation	What the ERC recommends
Life-threatening bleeding	Apply direct pressure to the wound. Consider a haemostatic dressing or a tourniquet.
Thermal burn	Remove the person from the heat. Cool with cool or cold water for 20 minutes. Cover loosely with a dry sterile dressing or cling film.
Reduced responsiveness, breathing normally	Place the person on their side (recovery position) if they do not need rescue breaths or CPR.
Heatstroke	Start cooling immediately, ideally by immersing the body from the neck down in cool water.

Call the emergency number for anything serious, then use the kit while you wait. A booklet in the kit is a reminder, not a substitute for practice.

Keep it with the rest of your supplies

A good reminder is when the clocks change. Check your water and food supply at the same time, and read our blackout preparedness guide if anyone at home depends on refrigerated medicines or powered medical equipment.

FAQ

What should be in a home first aid kit?

Dressings and gauze, adhesive bandages, tape, antiseptic wipes, gloves, a thermometer, an emergency blanket, a breathing barrier, a cold compress, tweezers, first aid instructions, and your household's own medication.

How often should I check my first aid kit?

Every few months: expiry dates on medication and sterile dressings, damaged packaging, and anything you have used up. The Red Cross also recommends checking expiry dates regularly.

Is a car first aid kit enough for home?

For small injuries, yes. It usually lacks medication, a thermometer, enough dressings and your regular prescriptions. An emergency home kit should cover the whole family for several days.

How long should you cool a burn?

The European Resuscitation Council's 2021 first aid guidelines say to cool a thermal burn with cool or cold water for 20 minutes, then cover it loosely with a dry sterile dressing or cling film.

What should I do with expired medicines from my kit?

Use a pharmacy or official take-back scheme where one exists. In the US, the FDA says most medicines can otherwise go in household rubbish mixed with coffee grounds, soil or cat litter in a sealed bag; flush only medicines on the FDA flush list.

Should a home first aid kit include a tourniquet?

For life-threatening bleeding from a limb, the European Resuscitation Council says to apply direct pressure and consider a tourniquet or haemostatic dressing. A tourniquet is only useful if you have practised with it on a course.

Sources

1. American Red Cross: Anatomy of a First Aid Kit
2. Polish Ministry of the Interior: Safety Guide (PDF, Polish)
3. Ready.gov: Build a Kit
4. American Red Cross: What Do You Need in a Survival Kit
5. CDC Yellow Book: Travel Health Kits
6. Government of Canada: Emergency kit checklist
7. Government of Canada: Emergency car kit
8. European Resuscitation Council: First Aid Guidelines 2021 (infographics, PDF)
9. FDA: Where and How to Dispose of Unused Medicines
10. CDC: Refrigerated Drugs (power outages)

This guide is educational. In an emergency, follow official alerts and first responders.