A baby first aid kit contains helpful health and safety items that you'll need if your baby is sick or injured, such as a thermometer, antiseptic ointment, and bandages. You'll find you use the kit frequently as your child grows, as bumps and bruises are common as young children learn how to use their bodies, and a Band-Aid and a kiss at just the right moment can be magical.
A good kit is also handy when your baby gets sick, particuarly since fever can be serious in young babies: if your baby is under 3 months old and has a temperature of 100.4 degrees F or higher, or older with a fever of 104 degrees F or higher, it's recommended that you call your doctor immediately, even in the absence of symptoms.
Advertisement | page continues below
So a reliable thermometer is an essential element in your parenting arsenal, and knowing where it's kept saves crucial moments and stress. If you need to treat your baby's illness with liquid medication, many first aid kits contain tools to give your baby medications, like a calibrated spoon or dropper. (For more infomration on what you should include in your baby's first aid kit, as well as tips for how to treat common infant ijuries and illnesses, check out BabyCenter's Infant CPR, choking & first aid course).
Finally, most kits will contain grooming tools that are just plain handy to have, which you may not fully appreciate unless you've ever tried to cut baby nails with adult clippers. Kits with tools like nail clippers with safety guards and magnifying glasses can be so helpful when trimming your baby's razor-sharp nails (truly a terrifying task), and scaled-down baby hairbrushes with soft bristles are made for tender baby skin, hair, and nails.
How we chose the best baby first aid kits
It can come as a real surprise that you need a particular baby gadget, and unfortunately that surprise often happens in the worst situation: In the middle of a night, on a holiday weekend, while you're on vacation, etc. So we asked the experienced parents we know: What does a baby first aid kit need to contain? What's essential, what's unnecessary, what would have saved you from an awkward or upsetting situation you went through?
Next, we examined recommendations on first aid and first aid kits for infants and children from relevant agencies such as the American Red Cross,Opens a new window the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP),Opens a new window and the Mayo Clinic, cross-checking to see what items each recommended.
Once we knew what to look for, finding the best baby first aid kit was simply a matter of looking through the options on the market for kits that had as many of our key items as possible, were well-priced, and widely available, and a handy size to keep in a glove compartment or stroller basket. That last element was key, because a kit that contained everything recommended by every source we consulted would be more like a toolbox than a travel kit, so we looked for kits that contained the real essentials, and note below where you may need to supplement.
Keep reading to find out our favorite emergency baby first aid kit, and first aid kit for travel.
Advertisement | page continues below
