Essential First-Aid Kit Items for Your Car

Adhesive Bandages

Often referred to as Band-Aids—although there are many other brand names and generic versions—adhesive bandages are essential for dealing with small cuts, scrapes, and blisters. They come in many shapes and sizes to accommodate different injuries, so stock your kit with as much variety as you can.

Be sure to include butterfly-shaped bandages which can be used to hold two sides of a wound together. You might also want bandages that are waterproof or include antibacterial medication. You might also include a type of liquid bandage—a waterproof adhesive that only needs to be applied once and may speed healing.

Antibiotic Ointment

There are lots of topical antibacterial medications on the market, including bacitracin, neomycin, and polymyxin. Some brand-name products like Neosporin and Mycitracin combine all three medications into one formula.

You can apply antibiotic ointments directly to a wound or to an adhesive bandage or gauze pad before covering the wound. These formulations can help stop the growth of bacteria that can cause infection and slow healing.

Antiseptic Wash or Wipes

The ideal way to clean a fresh wound is with soap and clean water. If they aren't on hand, use an antiseptic cleaner. Some come in squeeze bottles that produce a stream forceful enough to flush dirt particles out of a wound. 

Antiseptic wipes are a handy alternative. Recommended by the Red Cross for medical care on the go, these wipes can also be used to disinfect your hands before you administer first aid.

Disposable Gloves

Gloves are important for protecting the person administering first aid and keeping a wound free of bacteria and other harmful microbes. They are also useful for cleaning up an area where blood or other bodily fluids might have been spilled.

Elastic Bandage

This length of stretchy fabric has a variety of uses in first-aid care. It can tightly wrap an injury to help reduce swelling, serve as a tourniquet, or hold cold packs or gauze in place. Look for elastic bandages that include metal clasps or Velcro for easy closure.

Instant Cold Packs

There are many benefits to icing an injury. The cold can slow the flow of blood to decrease swelling and bruising after a sprain or collision. Cold also can ease itching from stings and bites.

An instant cold pack that turns icy when a substance inside is activated (usually by shaking or bending the ice pack) is an important addition to your first-aid kit. Consider keeping several in your kit, since instant cold packs can be used only once.

Scissors

A good pair of scissors has lots of uses, from cutting gauze pads and medical tape to size to trimming away clothing to quickly access a wound. A pair of small curved medical scissors is worth the investment; their blunt tips make them safer than craft scissors and they're easier to manipulate.

Sterile Gauze Pads and Medical Tape

Medical gauze, which is sterilized to prevent bacteria from entering an open wound, should always be part of a first-aid arsenal. Use a length of gauze or pre-cut gauze pads to stop bleeding or cover a wound that's too big for an adhesive bandage to cover. Clean the wound before applying gauze, then use the tape to keep the gauze in place.

Sting and Bite Treatments

Insects are everywhere, so it's a good idea to have treatments on hand to deal with bites and stings. To ease itching (not only from bug bites but also from poison ivy or poison oak), pack calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream, ointment, or lotion.

Thermometer

Useful for checking to see if a child has a fever related to an illness or infection, a simple digital oral thermometer is a space-saving choice for a first-aid kit. Avoid thermometers made of glass, which can shatter.

Tooth Preservation Kit

A knocked-out permanent tooth needs to be reimplanted by a dentist as soon as possible—15 minutes is ideal—to have the best chance of taking root in a child's mouth. Older kids who can securely hold a dislodged tooth in place with gauze as you seek emergency medical care should do so. But if you have younger children, using a tooth preservation kit may be best.

Recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA), tooth preservation kits contain a saline solution that is ideal for keeping a dislodged tooth in good condition before you get to the dentist. You can buy these kits through your dentist or online.

Tweezers

Tweezers can come in handy for extracting splinters, thorns, insect stingers, and ticks. With their very fine point, needle-nose tweezers made from surgical steel are a good choice for first-aid kits. They're sturdy, easy to handle, and allow for precision.