Create a first-aid kit for day hiking with kids

After water, a first-aid kit is the most essential item you can carry on a day hike with kids.

A first-aid kit for day hikes with kids should include:
g Adhesive bandages of various types and sizes, especially butterfly bandages (for younger kids, make sure they’re colorful kid bandages)
g Aloe vera
g Anesthetic (such as Benzocaine)
g Antacid (tablets)
g Antibacterial (aka antibiotic) ointment (such as Neosporin or Bacatracin)
g Anti-diarrheal tablets (for adults only, as giving this to a child is controversial)
g Anti-itch cream or calamine lotion
g Antiseptics (such as hydrogen peroxide, iodine or Betadine, Mercuroclear, rubbing alcohol)
g Baking soda
g Breakable (or instant) ice packs
g Cotton swabs
g Disposable syringe (w/o needle)
g Epipen (if children or adults have allergies)
g Fingernail clippers (your multi-purpose tool might have this, and if so you can dispense with it)
g Gauze bandage
g Gauze compress pads (2x2 individually wrapped pad)
g Hand sanitizer (use this in place of soap)
g Liquid antihistamine (not Benadryl tablets, however, as children should take liquid not pills; be aware that liquid antihistamines may cause drowsiness)
g Medical tape
g Moisturizer containing an anti-inflammatory
g Mole skin
g Pain reliever (aka aspirin; for children’s pain relief, use liquid acetaminophen such Tylenol or liquid ibuprofen; never give aspirin to a child under 12)
g Poison ivy cream (for treatment)
g Poison ivy soap
g Powdered sports drinks mix or electrolyte additives
g Sling
g Snakebite kit
g Thermometer
g Tweezers (your multi-purpose tool may have this)
g Water purification tablets

If infants are with you, be sure to also carry teething ointment (such as Orajel) and diaper rash treatment.

Many of the items should be taken out of their store packaging to make placement in your fanny pack or back-pack easier. In addition, small amounts of some items – such as baking soda and cotton swabs – can be placed inside re-sealable plastic bags, since you won’t need the whole amount purchased.

Make sure the first-aid items are in a waterproof container. A re-sealable plastic zipper bag is perfectly fine. If you hike in a humid climate like the Midwest or Southeast, be sure to replace the adhesive bandages every couple of months, as they can deteriorate in the moistness. Also, check your first-aid kit every few trips and after any hike in which you’ve just used it, so that you can restock used components and to make sure medicines haven’t expired.

If you have older elementary-age kids and teenagers who’ve been trained in first aid, giving them a kit to carry as well as yourself is a good idea. Should they find themselves lost or if you cannot get to them for a few moments, the kids might need to provide very basic first aid to one another.

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

How to treat bleeding children on a hike

Bleeding usually looks worse than it is, but if it isn’t stopped, serious problems can arise. In just two minutes, adults can lose enough blood to die, and the time is even shorter for children. To avoid, following the same safety precautions as for falls and cuts.

To stop bleeding, place the edges of torn skin together while applying direct pressure on the wound. Within a few minutes, usually the blood will clot. Presuming there are no broken bones, lay the person down and raise the affected limb above the heart to limit blood flow to it. Place a sterile gauze pad over the wound and hold it in place by wrapping bandages around the limb.

Check to make sure the dressing isn’t so tight that it restricts blood flow to the rest of the body; if it does, reapply the dressing. Do not use a tourniquet. Once the bleeding has stopped, remove the gauze bandage and dress the wound in clean bandages. Limit movement of the wounded areas as much as possible and treat for shock.

Scalp wounds can be pesky and usually look worse than they are. Stopping the bleeding will be difficult, but the good news is that very little blood loss usually occurs from such a gash. The child probably will need immediate medical attention to stop the bleeding, however.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.