What’s in your first aid kit?  Here is what I carry when I am out with my family and need to have basic wounds, bumps and bruises, fevers, and bug bites taken care of.

Starting from the top:

Waterproof case – both from the inside and out.  This helps in case water bottles leak or if tinctures leak.  I use a simple cosmetics case that was suffering from under use.

CASP tincture – (Cuts, abrasions, scrapes, and punctures) tincture. This anti-microbial tincture is amazing for wound care.  It does sting a little, so it tends to be better for grown ups and tough kids. Equal parts Calendula Succus, Goldenseal, Gota Kola, and Echinacea.  We order it from NUNM’s pharmacy in Portland, Oregon and hope to offer something similar in house soon.  I think it needs a new name though….

Tea Tree Oil – Also a wound care liquid.  Good for sterilization and helping promote  healing.  Not quite as good as the other tincture, but still effective and doesn’t sting, so is great for building trust with small ones.

Bandages.  I think this one is self explanatory!

Tweezers and a lancet – We have a little travel set of tweezers and a taped up lancet, both for splinters.  The lancet in infinitely more useful than the tweezers.  You can get them in medical supply sections of big pharmacies.  Instead of tweezing out the splinter, you basically scrape it out.  It hurts a lot less and is faster.

Bach Rescue Pastilles, in Black Currant Flavor – This is for calming down the injured.  Not for very small children who could choke on a small candy, but once older than that, offering a small candy while you bandage a wound is a fantastic way to bring calm to a stressful situation.  These pastilles have Rescue Remedy in them, which has been used for decades to help calm people who are a bit hysterical.  The regular flavor is not as good as the black currant.  You can also just have a small piece of candy, but these are more effective.

Calendula Salve – Ours happens to be a nipple cream that didn’t get used up while we were nursing babies.  Great for persistent hand cracks in winter and other dry skin problems.  Good for lip balm if you’re out or forgot it as well.

Traumeel or Arnica gel – for bruises and other “bonks”.

Tampon – perfect for nose bleeds, and also for what they were made for.  Always good to have an extra stashed away, and non-applicator tampons take up almost no room.

Forehead Temperature Indicator – these cool strips use heat to show you temperature on a forehead.  I like these because they are easy to travel with and can confirm or deny your suspicion that your kiddo has a fever.  Once you get home you can use a more accurate tool.  We’ve found them made by SummerInfant and on eBay in a pack of several from China.

Homeopathics:  Don’t leave home with out them.   Here is a snapshot of what they are good for and why I keep them in my first aid kit.  See a homeopath or do your own research if you want to know more about them in depth.

Ledum – For bumps and bruises, esp great for black eyes.  Good for punctures – thorns, insect bites, puncture wounds.  Great for rolled ankles where the bruise feels cold.

Arnica – If you only get one… pick this one.  Arnica is good for initial trauma or shock of almost any kind.  Use it for bruising and swelling.  Primary go to for concussions.  Good for burns, overuse injuries, any kind of sports injury.

Apis – For bee stings and other bug stings, burns, and fevers and body temp regulation.  Anything that is hot, red, swollen and appreciates cold.

Belladonna – Go to for fever and sunburn.  Helps with ear infections, too, and pain generally.

Silicea – Splinters!  Esp the smaller ones, any stuck foreign objects.  Helps eject them from your skin.  Ledum is more for the wound healing.

Arsenicum – Stomach upset, travelers diarrhea, food poisoning.  Homeopathic pepto.

Missing:  Sunscreen – It’s winter in Sweden, I forgot to put sunscreen on there.  A small mineral-based sun screen is great to have.  Also, emergency numbers are really smart to have.  This is a basic first aid kit – not a substitute for emergency care!