Baby First Aid Kits: 15 Essential Items

First things first... virtual first aid kits do you no good. Believe me, I'm first in line for parents who want to put together a gorgeously organized first aid kit, but only have a Ziploc bag with just a thermometer, band-aids, and Tylenol in it. So today, I'm committing to making the best baby first aid kits ever! I'm providing you my list, a little quirkier than your pre-packaged kits, but good.... really good.

Download: Baby's First Aid Kit Checklist
There are so many baby first aid kits on the market right now which is great, but I look through them and mostly just see a lot of bandages! This first aid kit is built to answer the following question:

"What health emergencies are most likely to occur? What do I need to know and have on hand when they happen?"

FEVERS: Help, my baby’s burning up.

A reliable digital thermometer (and petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to lubricate the tip). I always forget to pack this and now I own 3 of them. Throw your favorite rectoal, oral or ear thermometer in. Remember a rectal temp provides the most accurate reading, particularly in infants under 1 year.
Your kit should include Infant Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Motrin (ibuprofen- give only if your baby is older than 6 months). Don't give aspirin as it can cause liver failure in children with certain infections. I always put my liquid medication in a Ziploc baggie in case of leakage.

BLEEDING: Bring on the bandages!
This list should cover everything from a big fall (think control bleeding on the way to the Emergency Department fall) to a skinned knee. If the wound is large, you can use a t-shirt, a blanket or your hands to apply pressure to the wound.

Small bottle of saline or water to rinse out a wound if there’s no sink in sight.

Liquid soap or antiseptic wipes – It’s great to have these around to help clean out a cut when soap is not easily accessible. Travelling also involves lots of germs, so you may want to keep these handy just to keep those little fingers germ free.

Antibiotic ointment (like Neosporin) - Babies have skin like Wolverine from the X-Men, and usually heals from cuts and scrapes overnight like magic. Sometimes, your baby will need a little extra love to keep scrapes and cuts getting infected and speed up the healing process. I usually use Neosporin.

Sterile bandages and tape - Since wounds heal faster with air contact, gauze and tape are usually better options than cute band-aids. Here’s a suggested mix of bandages: 5 3x3” and 4x4” sterile gauze pads, 1 roll of adhesive paper tape, a 3” or 4” roller bandage, and a variety of small adhesive bandages.

For more baby first aid items and essentials, click here

Esther Lee and Tara Summers Hermann are contributing authors here at trekaroo