World First Aid Day: How to Make a DIY First Aid Kit

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Today, we are going to help you make your own First-Aid Kit. Did you know that every year, the second Saturday of September is marked as World First-Aid Day? This important campaign is to promote how first aid can prevent injuries and save lives every day. 

Why is First Aid important?

Maybe the last time you hurt your knees while playing, you ended up visiting the emergency room in a hospital instead of treating it at home. Or the time you ran a mild fever, your parents took you all the way to the hospital to check your temperature. Or perhaps your grandparents have a pre-existing medical condition and you need to be prepared for medical emergencies that are specific to that condition. With a First Aid kit, you can stay prepared for all kinds of home-treatable situations. A First Aid kit helps you respond effectively to any kind of emergency that requires immediate attention.

Why you should build your own First Aid Kit

While you might find a lot of pre-made kits easily available in the market, they present their own set of problems – low-quality products, unwanted items, insufficient quantity, and a lack of organisation that makes finding what you need very difficult. Hence, it is better to have a practical kit for yourself that suits your requirements. Moreover, it is also super fun to build something from scratch and a DIY First Aid Kit is just that!

The Who, What, Why, and How of your First Aid Kit

The materials inside a First Aid Box can vary from situation to situation. The best part of a DIY First Aid kit is that you can customise it as per your need.

The first step to building your First-aid kit is to consider the ‘What’, ‘Why’, and for ‘Whom’ you are making the kit. A First Aid kit for a single person will be very different from a kit for a family of four. Moreover, the contents of your kit depend on how and where you want to use it – whether you are making your kit for your classroom or to carry it while going on a journey or for camping. 

Let’s learn how to make a First Aid Kit using a recycled shoe box.

Let’s start making the First Aid box

• Open the shoe box and wipe it clean using a dry cloth. Repeat the same for the lid of the box and keep it aside.
• Take the white chart paper and place the box on top of it.

• Now, using glue, cover the box with the chart paper. Cut the edges of the paper with the help of a pair of scissors and fold neatly. 
• Once you have covered the entire box, keep it aside for the glue to dry. 
• Repeat the same for the lid of the box. 
• The base of your kit is now ready.
  

• Now paint the edge of the lid and the box with red paint. 
• You can also paint a plus (+) sign with red paint on the centre of the lid.
  

Steps to add compartments inside your First Aid kit

• With the help of a ruler, measure the width of your box. Take a piece of cardboard and mark it with the same width as that of your box.

• Now measure the height of your box and mark it on the cardboard. 
• Cut out the cardboard box along the marked lines. Once done, insert it in the middle of your box. 
• You can add more such compartments both diagonally and horizontally as per your requirements.
  

• Once you have all the compartment pieces cut out, cover them with the help of white chart paper and glue. 
• Once the glue dries, place all your compartments to complete the box. You can also decorate their edges with colours.

First Aid items you can keep inside your customised box

Regardless of the purpose of your kit, there are a few basic items that you can keep inside your box for all kinds of emergencies.

Basic items inside a First Aid Kit

1. Wound cleaning agent: A small cut can at times cause a big problem if not treated immediately. While soap and water are said to be the best to clean wounds and prevent infection, antiseptic ointments and liquids are also equally effective. 
2. Band-Aids: Everybody knows the healing power of a band-aid on a cut. Band-Aids help in preventing any small cuts from getting infected. Keep a handful of them to use on minor cuts.  
3. Antibiotic ointments: Antibiotic ointments like Neosporin or Betadine are essential to prevent infections  and are also great at healing minor scrapes, cuts and burns..
4. Small, medium and large sterile gauze dressings to cover up any big wound.
5. Stethoscope: Refer to our blog – DIY Stethoscope to make one at home.
6. Common over-the-counter medicines for cold and fever. Make sure you refer to a doctor or an adult first before buying these medicines.
7. Thermometer – You can either keep a digital thermometer or a mercury thermometer
8. Tweezers
9. Safety Pins
10. A pair of scissors
11. Hand Sanitiser

Do you already have your own First Aid kit? What are the items that you have in your kit? Do tell us in the comments below.

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