7 Best First Aid Kits
These sets have been either vetted by our health specialists or received rave online reviews for treating minor burns, cuts, bites and scrapes.
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First aid kits are something you might not think about until you really need them. When your toddler gets a nasty scrape on his knee, or you accidentally grab a hot dish out of the oven without a mitt (ouch!), the last thing you want to do is tear through the house looking for antibiotic cream or the right-size bandage.
Instead, make sure you have everything you need in one easy-to-access spot by investing in a well-stocked first-aid kit. Even ER doctors find them handy: “On a recent trip to Wyoming, my husband went out fishing, and he slipped and fell and cut his hand,” says Teresa Murray Amato, M.D., chief of emergency medicine at Northwell LIU Forest Hills Hospital. “Luckily there was a first-aid kit at the house where we were staying, and I was able to clean and bandage his hand. It made me realize how important it is to keep one around — especially when you’re in a remote spot where you can’t just run out to the local drugstore for supplies.”
According to Dr. Amato, at the very minimum, a first aid kit should include bandages, antiseptic ointment, pain medication such as Tylenol or ibuprofen, hand sanitizer and disposable gloves. Also important: a tweezer to remove splinters and instant hot and cold packs to treat injuries. “If someone in your family has allergies, remember to include EpiPens or any other allergy medications they might need," she adds.
Dr. Amato points out that first-aid kits should only be used to treat minor injuries—the most important thing it will include is info on how to contact medical personnel to get help when needed (you can always add an index card with your doctors' phone numbers, plus important hotlines such as Poison Control, 800-222-1222). She also recommends you check any medications included for the expiration date and remember to refresh it as needed, though she points out, “using a cream or pain pill a few months past its expiration date doesn’t mean anything bad will happen, it just might be a little less effective.”
We polled experts, including Birnur Aral, Ph.D., of the Good Housekeeping Institute, for their top picks for first aid. Here, the best first aid kits you can buy.
First Aid Only All-Purpose Essentials Soft-Sided First Aid Kit
At just $20, this of one the most comprehensive kits we’ve seen — and it has more than 45,000 positive reviews on Amazon. Yes, it includes the basic bandages, gauze and Tylenol, but it also has several items not generally found in other inexpensive kits, such as a disposable thermometer, finger splint, sterile eye pads, burn gel and even a rescue blanket (those lightweight mylar coverings you see marathoners wearing after they race).
Johnson & Johnson All-Purpose Portable Compact First Aid Kit
The Good Housekeeping Institute's Birnur Aral bought this kit for her daughter’s college dorm room recently — she liked the high-quality of the Johnson & Johnson band-aids, which she says stick well and are more comfortable on skin than generic brands. In addition to a variety of bandages, cleansing wipes and gauze, the kit includes Neosporin pain cream. Benadryl itch cream, Tylenol, a cold pack, gloves and a first aid guide, all for under $15.
Welly won a Good Housekeeping Parenting Award for this kit that includes hydrocortisone cream for itchy rashes, antibiotic cream for cuts and scrapes and a wide variety of bandages in bright colors and cute patterns, because we all know that a stylish bandage and a kiss make any ouchie feel a little bit better.
Experts recommend keeping a kit in your car, so you can treat minor injuries that happen when you’re on the road. Experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute like this sturdy zip-up kit; thanks to its hard case, it won't get crushed by whatever else — say, a stroller or golf bag — is rolling around in your trunk. It doesn’t include any oral meds, but it does include a whistle to call for extra help if needed.
Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker Medical Kit
Packed in a bright blue (easy to spot), water-resistant pack, this kit has all the basics, plus everything you need for a couple of days in the outdoors, including moleskin to stop blisters and treatments for bug bites. At just 8 oz, it won’t weigh you down as you scale that mountain.
Instead of just throwing a couple of free-floating Band-Aids in the bottom of your bag, where they’re sure to turn crumpled and useless, experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute recommend you grab this tiny kit (just four inches tall!) from the American Red Cross, which includes antibiotic ointment, adhesive bandages and a miniature care guide.
First Aid Only Large Workplace First Aid Cabinet
Federal rules require every workplace to provide a certain standard of first aid, and this kit contains everything needed for a small office, including bandages, gauze, burn cream, tweezers, scissors, gloves, a CPR face shield, aspirin, a first aid guide and more.
Marisa Cohen is an editor in the Hearst Lifestyle Group’s Health Newsroom, who has covered health, nutrition, parenting and culture for dozens of magazines and websites over the past two decades.
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