The first-aid kits sold at chemists are usually over-stuffed with things you'll never use and missing the items you'll reach for at 11 pm. Here is what an after-hours doctor would actually put in a kit with kids in the house. None of it is expensive. All of it earns its place.
Item 1 — A digital thermometer
A simple digital thermometer is the single most useful item in a household with children. Under-arm or oral readings are both fine for kids over 6 months; rectal is the gold standard for infants under 6 months but most parents don't need to go there.
What it gets you: an objective number instead of "she feels warm." That number changes the decision. A 2 year old who feels warm but reads 37.8°C is not a fever, and antipyretics aren't needed. A baby under 3 months reading 38°C is an ED presentation. Knowing the number prevents both panic and complacency.
Approximate cost: $15–$25 at any chemist.
Item 2 — Oral rehydration sachets
Examples: Hydralyte, Gastrolyte, Pedialyte. Keep a box of single-use sachets in the cupboard. They have the right ratio of glucose, salt and water — small sips of these work better than plain water for vomiting or diarrhoea, particularly in small children.
What it gets you: a way to manage mild gastroenteritis at home instead of needing IV fluids. Most childhood gastro episodes resolve at home with oral rehydration; the kids who need ED are the ones who couldn't keep oral rehydration down.
Approximate cost: $10–$15 a box.
Item 3 — Paracetamol and ibuprofen (weight-dosed)
Both, not one. They work by different mechanisms and can be used alternately if needed for comfort. Use weight, not age, for dosing:
- Paracetamol — 15 mg/kg per dose, every 4 to 6 hours, maximum 4 doses in 24 hours. Children's Panadol or Dymadon liquid is fine.
- Ibuprofen — 10 mg/kg per dose, every 6 to 8 hours, maximum 3 doses in 24 hours. Only for children over 3 months, with food, when well hydrated. Children's Nurofen or Advil liquid.
Print a dosing chart and stick it inside the medicine cabinet door. The chart prevents the most common medication errors, which happen in the panic moment of "is this dose right?"
Item 4 — Sterile saline sachets and gauze
Single-use saline sachets (5 mL or 10 mL) are perfect for irrigating eyes and cleaning wounds. Sterile gauze swabs (4 x 4 cm) are for applying pressure to bleeding cuts and dabbing wounds clean.
What it gets you: the right tools to clean a wound or rinse a foreign body from an eye before you decide whether to come in. Plain tap water works in a pinch, but sterile saline is ideal for eyes and proper wound care.
Approximate cost: $5–$10 for a small box of each.
Item 5 — A non-stick dressing and tape
Examples: Melolin, Mepore, or a small Steri-Strip pack. Two or three sterile dressings in a sealed bag, plus a small roll of hypoallergenic tape (Micropore or similar).
What it gets you: the ability to cover a clean wound while you decide whether it needs stitches. The 20 minutes between a kitchen accident and arriving at urgent care is much less stressful when you can put a clean dressing on the wound.
Approximate cost: $8–$15.
What you don't need
Hydrogen peroxide (delays healing), iodine (irritant, mostly unnecessary), alcohol wipes (painful, slows healing in open wounds), butterfly closures from the supermarket (not the same as medical Steri-Strips), antibiotic ointments (almost never indicated at home), and the elaborate compression bandages most kits include (most parents never use them correctly).
When the kit isn't enough — walk in
- Any cut you'd describe as "deep" or "gaping," any cut that won't stop bleeding after 10 minutes of firm pressure, or any cut on the face
- Any fever in a baby under 3 months
- Any child who is drowsy, floppy, refusing fluids, or breathing fast
- Any allergic reaction with lip or tongue swelling, or any breathing change
- Any injury where you're worried — your parental gut is more reliable than you think
For everything else, the kit above will see you through most after-hours moments without needing to leave the house. And when you do need to come in, you'll arrive having already done the right first 20 minutes of care — which makes our job, and your child's recovery, much easier.