Home Emergency Kit for Young Athletes

If you’re among many parents with school-aged children playing sports, there’s an increased risk your young athlete will injure themselves. So, it’s important to have the right medical tools in your home emergency kit to treat a minor injury before seeking appropriate medical attention.

Joseph Guettler, M.D.

For minor aches and pains, cuts and sprains, Joseph Guettler, M.D., orthopedic surgeon, Beaumont Hospitals, says, “It’s a good idea to have a well-stocked first aid kit in your home and in your vehicle that’s easily accessible.”

Dr. Guettler offers these 10 recommendations of items you should include in your medical emergency first aid kit: 

1. Pain and fever medications like aspirin and acetaminophen
2. Saline solution for contact lens problems and eye irritants
3. Medical latex gloves to protect the caregiver from blood-borne disease
4. Instant cold packs for sprains and strains
5. Alcohol pads and hydrogen peroxide for cleaning cuts and scrapes
6. Triple antibiotic ointment to prevent infections
7. Bandages, gauze, elastic bandages or sports wraps, and medical tape
8. Tweezers for removing splinters or other foreign objects in the skin
9. Allergy tablets or cream for minor allergic reactions
10. Epinephrine auto-injection pen for major allergic reactions 

Whether you buy a first aid kit or you put one together yourself, check the kit regularly to ensure it has all the items you may need. Include personal items such as medications and emergency phone numbers, and check expiration dates and replace any used or out-of-date contents.