DIY College First Aid Kit
It’s inevitable. Your college kid is going to cut their finger, have a headache, or suffer some sort of GI issue at 2 o’clock in the morning. In their previous life, they ran to the family medicine cabinet for a bandage or medicine. But now what, get up and go to the pharmacy?
Or have a well-stocked DIY Dorm First Aid Kit?
One really important life skill that would be great to send our kids out the door with is CPR. This would be great to do as a family. My boys all had to do this for scouting. I was always glad, especially when we were around grandparents in case something happened! Here is the link to sign up for a class at your local Red Cross. This will give them the confidence to be more sure what to do in the case of an emergency.
If your child has gotten to school without this training, sign them up for the class over holiday break!
What makes the best college first aid kit?
- It a college first aid kit created for the most likely issues college students will have.
- It will help college kids with a headache, a GI issue, or a small to medium cut
- It is not so full of gauze and tape that they think they could bandage a severed limb, but has just the right amount of items to manage a small crisis.
- It is also very compact (a dorm room necessity) and portable.
Most commercially available first aid kits are full of cheap and bulky items mostly used to stop bleeding. If your child is bleeding that badly, they don’t need a dorm-room sized college first aid kit. They need real help.
The best college first aid kit is one you create yourself.
Interested in what to do if your child has a medical emergency while at college? What to Do if Your College Student has a Medical Emergency
Also check out: DIY College Survival Kit
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DIY College First Aid Kit
There are many commercially-available first aid kits for college students out there, but most of them have the same problem – they are stuffed with a lifetime supply of bandages, but they don’t have any of the over-the-counter medicines or other supplies needed for a splinter, headache, small cut, or gastro-intestinal issue. The best first aid kit for college students (especially one for a college dorm room) should have just the amount of supplies needed for a very small crisis and not look like the one used at a camp site 5 miles on foot from help.
College First Aid Kits also make good DIY Graduation Gifts. I have put them together as graduation gifts several times. You can assemble college first aid kits at several different price points. The over-the-counter medications are the priciest items, but are so useful for the kids.
DIY College First Aid Kit Step #1: Find a suitable container
Amazon, Target, and Walmart are great places to look. I love this empty first aid box from Amazon. If you are making them in bulk, a small plastic container with a good latch is perfect.
DIY College First Aid Kit Step #2: Gather your college first aid kit items
- A collection of bandages and supplies for minor injuries – a variety-sized package of band aids and some wound covers and antibiotic ointment.
- A thermometer: It does not have to be a thermometer worthy of their chemistry lab. An easy to use and inexpensive thermometer will help them answer the question, “Do you have fever?” when they call in the middle of the night saying they do not feel well.
- Tweezers: For splinters
- Cough Drops: when they can’t stop coughing and need to sleep, take an exam, or are driving their roommate crazy.
- A pain reliever: Acetaminophen and/or Ibuprofen
- Anti-diarrheal
- Hydrocortisone cream
- Antibiotic ointment
College First Aid Kit Supplies
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Buy Now →DIY College First Aid Kit Step #3: Additional Items for your Student’s Health
- Their college medicine kit and prescription medications. If they are on ADHD medications, consider a dorm safe. ADHD meds have street value and may be stolen.
- Make sure they have their health insurance card.
- They should keep their health insurance card in their wallet for convenience or put it in their dorm safe. The card is replaceable and most insurers have removed social security numbers as member identifiers on the cards, so a wallet is probably the superior location. It will save a lot of hassle at a clinic or pharmacy if it is readily available.
- Another item to add to a DIY College First Aid Kit is The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook with practical and conversational information about everything from first aid to what to do if you think you have an appendicitis.
Ultimate College Student Health Handbook
Ultimate College Student Health Handbook
Buy Now →DIY College First Aid Kit Step #4: Be Prepared for the Worst
The chances of someone your child knows of having an overdose is actually pretty high- absolutely no pun intended. This would be the absolute worst case scenario, but these types of deaths are on the rise.
There are situations of regular everyday candies and OTC meds being laced with fentanyl. If this were to happen to, and your student were around, there are things that you can do do get them prepared!
First, they should have at least one dose of Narcan available. This is a double dose, and is a nasal spray, so it’s easy to administer a dose. In order to determine if this is the problem that someone is having, there are these test strips -they come in a 5 pack. This case is designed to carry it all -it does not include the supplies!
One more thing to have on hand would be CPR masks. This kit is pretty much all-inclusive with non-latex options which is great for someone like me that has that allergy!
Related posts for DIY College First Aid Kit:
15 Ways to Keep Your Student Safe At College
Mama Bear Legal Forms Review: NPP Reports -best way to keep our kids legally safe in a medical emergency
6 Steps To Take Before Your College Student Has a Medical Emergency
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