When Charlie was learning to walk, we kept a mini first aid kit in his stroller that consisted of an instant ice pack, neosporin, antiseptic wipes, and band-aids. We spent hours at the playground every day, and Charlie had a lot of falls when he was mastering walking and then running. Our little first aid kit, especially the instant ice pack, really came in handy! Now that Olive is getting close to that age, we’re going to start carrying around a little first aid kit again. But this is what we have in our first aid kit at home:


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1) & 2)  Gauze & Medical Tape

3) Antiseptic Wipes – You can buy antiseptic wash like this one from Band-aid brand, but I like individually packaged Benzalkonium wipes because you can take them with you. Benzalkonium wipes are different from alcohol wipes because they don’t sting when you use them on wounds.

4) Neosporin – We keep this handy Neo-to-go spray in our mini first aid kit, and a regular tube of Neosporin at home.

5) Band-aids – Having a character your child loves on band-aids really does make them feel better!

6) Boo Boo Buddy Instant Cold Pack – These ice packs instantly get cold when you bend them to activate them. They were great to have with us at the playground for all the bumps Charlie sustained on his head!

7) Kelo-cote Spray – This anti-scar spray isn’t a necessity, but Charlie has had a couple of pretty bad falls and scrapes that left scars. Kelo-cote was what was recommended to me by my OB to prevent a c-section scar, so I use this kids’ spray version when Charlie has a scar left over an injury. You can also try Mederma for Kids which is probably a little easier to find in stores.

8) 1% Hydrocortisone Cream – We use hydrocortisone cream for hives, rashes and bug bites.

9) Braun Thermoscan -I’ve tested this ear thermometer against our Vicks rectal thermometer, and the readings were virtually identical. For the most accurate reading in babies under 3 months however, you should definitely use a rectal thermometer. We use the ear thermometer for convenience, but when Olive spiked a fever when she was 2 months old, I was glad to have a rectal thermometer on hand.

10) Ibuprofen – When Charlie has a fever, we give him ibuprofen before bed because it is longer lasting than acetaminophen.

11) Acetaminophen – Acetaminophen works faster than ibuprofen, so we usually give acetaminophen first, and then alternate with ibuprofen. With all the Tylenol recalls, we’ve stuck to the Good Sense brand. Charlie loves the taste so we have to be extra careful about hiding the “pink medicine” or he’d surely eat it for fun!

12) Benadryl – If your child has an allergic reaction, Benadryl may help slow down the reaction.

13) Tweezers – Charlie had a deep splinter last summer that I couldn’t get out with a pair of tweezers. Next time I’ll try this baking soda + water trick that I saw on Pinterest. I got a lot of splinters as a child, and if Charlie and Olive are anything like me, I just may pick up this Splinter Out.

Finally I didn’t include this on our guide, but it’s something that I’m going to add to our first aid kit because I’m clumsy and burn myself while cooking pretty regularly. Burn Jel relieves pain from burns and sunburns, and it really would have come in handy when Charlie burned himself on a mosquito coil last week!

What are your must-haves for a first aid kit?