Create an earth-friendly first aid kit

To be safe at home you should have a first aid kit, one that’s not ravaged whenever your little one gets a minor cut. Your first aid kit is for emergencies only and it’s easy to make an eco-friendly version. In fact, you should really make one for your home and one for each vehicle you own as well.

What’s in a typical first aid kit?:

• Bandages of varying sizes – if you have a little one under the age of five, make sure some are tiny for baby-sized cuts
• Gauze pads
• First aid tape
• A pair of fine gauge tweezers
• Rubbing alcohol or antiseptic
• Some hand wipes in packages – good for cleaning off a cut in a pinch
• Reusable gel packs – cold and warm
• First aid booklet – one that covers how to do CPR.  You can usually pick up a booklet like this from your local red cross

You’ll also need some medications such as…

• Hydrocortisone cream
• Antibiotic cream
• Acetaminophen – both for baby and adult
• Ibuprofen – both baby and adult
• Aspirin – ONLY for adults – if you have a baby know that babies CANNOT have aspirin
• Antihistamine

How to green up your first aid kit:

Not everything you need in a first aid kit is available in a greener form, but many of the items are. The first thing you’ll need is a water-proof and recyclable/eco-friendly box or bag for storing your first aid kit items in. One good one is the Alchemy 100% waterproof messenger bag made with recycled materials. You want waterproof so your goods never get moisture on them.

Other items…

• EO Sanitizing Hand Wipes, Organic Lavender, Biodegradable
• Bandages – check out… Eco-Guard Vegan “Band-Aids”, All Terrain Company, Latex Free Gauze Roll Bandage, Latex Free Gauze Pads, Latex-free tape.
• Wounded Warrior, All Natural Topical Ointment for use as an astringent.
• Hot/Cold Reusable Gel Packs – Non-toxic and environmentally friendly.
• All Terrain Company, Antiseptz Gel
• For applying antiseptic get organic cotton pads.
• Ditch The Itch Spray – relieves irritated skin associated with rashes insect bites poison ivy and poison oak. Toxic free and biodegradable plus recycled packaging.

You can also take a look at Herbal Roots Eco-First Aid Kit which comes with nine organic and wildcrafted herbal remedies for minor & major traumas and some other first aid necessities.