What to put in a basic home first aid kit

A good kit is boring, well-stocked and easy to find, but locked away from kids.

The answer in 2 lines. A basic home kit holds what you need to take a temperature, clean and cover small cuts, deal with splinters and ticks, and ease pain or fever with a medicine your pharmacist or doctor has said is right for each person. Add a list of emergency numbers, including 911 and Poison Help (1-800-222-1222). Keep medicines up high and out of sight of children, somewhere cool and dry, and check expiration dates at least twice a year, as the CDC recommends.

3 steps to put it together

Start from the list below and ask your pharmacist to adjust it for your household (babies, older adults, allergies, ongoing prescriptions).
Keep each medicine in its original package, with its label and leaflet. The CDC says pill organizers and baggies often don't have child-resistant features.
Tape a list of emergency numbers inside the lid: 911, Poison Help 1-800-222-1222, your doctor, your pharmacy and your veterinarian.

Stop: danger

A child swallowed a medicine or got into the kit: call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away, with the package in hand, even if the child seems fine. If the child is unconscious, can't breathe or is having a seizure, call 911.
Large burn, deep wound that keeps bleeding, animal bite, object stuck in the body: a home kit is not enough. Call 911 or get to an emergency room.

The basic list

For	What
Checking	A digital thermometer
Cleaning a wound	Antiseptic wipes, mild soap, sterile gauze pads
Covering	Adhesive bandages in several sizes, absorbent compress dressings, adhesive cloth tape, a roller bandage, disposable gloves
Small care	Antibiotic ointment packets, tweezers (for splinters and ticks), blunt-tip scissors, an instant cold pack
Relief	The pain and fever reliever your pharmacist or doctor recommends for each family member, in its original package
Emergencies	The emergency numbers list, an emergency blanket, a first aid guide

This list follows the American Red Cross recommendations for a family. There is no single legal list: your pharmacist can tell you what to add, especially for a baby or someone with a chronic illness. The CDC suggests also keeping a two-week supply of each person's prescription medicines in your emergency supplies.

What not to do

Storing the kit in the bathroom: heat and humidity can damage medicines. The CDC recommends a place without extreme temperature changes or humidity.
Calling medicine "candy" to get a child to take it. Many medicines and gummy vitamins look like candy.
Leaving a bottle on the counter or nightstand "because the next dose is in a few hours." Put it back up and away every time.
Keeping leftover prescription antibiotics "for next time": they may not fit another illness or another person.

Where to keep it

Up high and out of sight of children, ideally in a cabinet that locks. The CDC's Up and Away campaign suggests walking through your home to pick the safest spot.
Relock the cap every time: twist it until you hear the click. Child-resistant does not mean childproof.
Cool and dry: a hall closet or bedroom closet shelf works better than the bathroom.
Medicines that need the refrigerator (the label says so) stay there, in a closed container.
Ask guests to keep bags and coats with medicine in them out of children's reach.
Keep a smaller kit in your car.

Check it twice a year

The CDC recommends checking expiration dates at least twice a year. Many people do it when the clocks change.
Expired or unused medicines: the FDA says take-back is the best option. Drop them in a take-back kiosk at a pharmacy, hospital or police station, or bring them on DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. The FDA page explains how to find a site near you.
No take-back nearby? The FDA says to check its flush list first. Don't flush medicines that aren't on it. For everything else: mix them with something unappealing (used coffee grounds, cat litter), seal the mix in a bag, put it in the trash, and scratch out your personal details on the label.
Replace bandages and gauze that are damaged or whose packaging is open, and restock anything you used.

Good to know

Poison Help (1-800-222-1222) connects you to your local poison center. Calling is free and confidential, and you can call even if you only have a question.
Before using a medicine that has sat in the kit for a while, the CDC suggests checking that its look or smell hasn't changed. If you're unsure, ask your pharmacist.
Need a medicine at night? See our guide on finding a 24-hour pharmacy.

In Columbus, Ohio, Denise checks the family kit the weekend the clocks change. She drops two expired bottles and an old antibiotic in the take-back kiosk at her pharmacy, restocks the bandages, adds tweezers for summer hikes and tapes the Poison Help number inside the lid. The kit goes back on the top shelf of the hall closet.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on November 6, 2026, for the United States. Confidence: high for storage, disposal and emergency steps (CDC, FDA); the contents list is a guide and your pharmacist should adapt it. This guide gives no medicine doses.