Summer First Aid for School Holiday

Summer is a time for fun, family, holidays and outdoor activities. It's a fabulous time of year and it is most peoples favourite. The weather is fine and mild (we hope!), the days are longer, schools are out and the kids can play all day.

All of this easy and relaxed fun and adventure can increase the risk of accidents, injuries and even death, especially amongst children. The final Home Accidents Surveillance System Report identified that just a fraction short of 350,000 0-14 year olds in Britain, sustained injuries that required accident and emergency or medical attention from within the outdoor home environment, leisure facilities and sports activity areas. Granted, this figure does account for the entire year of the survey, but evidence does suggest that the largest percentage of these accidents would have occurred during the summer months. It's worth also noting, that this figure only includes accidents and injuries that required professional medical attention - Imaging how many cuts, grazes and sprains actually occurred!

Safe Kids Worldwide (SKW) is an international organisation focussed on the prevention of accidental injury to kids. The organisation is represented in numerous countries across the globe (although not in the UK for some reason) and has a head office in the USA. The SKW released figures stating that forty two percent of accidental injuries in children actually occur from May to August. The SKW identified in one report, that during the summer of 2004 (May 1st to August 31st) an average of 17 children per day in the U.S, died due to injuries that could have been prevented. Martin Eichelberger M.D., a chairman of SKW and a paediatric trauma surgeon, acknowledges the greater risk during this period as he not only sees the statistics, but also the physical evidence. "Children are more active in the summer and have less supervision, which may be why we see more accidents," he commented.

Run of the mill kids injuries, are kids injuries the world throughout. Whilst all care and responsibility can be taken to reduce or eliminate the possibility of serious injuries and death, it is nigh impossible to prevent all of the little cuts and grazes, stings bites and sprains. A little bit of thought and preparation can ensure that you are clued-up and adequately equipped to deal with these situations when they arise. So then, what should you have to hand ready to treat your little all action kid when they return with a bloody knee or sprained ankle for instance? Here are some of the top first aid items to keep in your first aid kit or kitchen drawer:

Antiseptic cream
Plasters
Crepe bandages
Instant Ice packs
Insect bite cream/Antihistamine
Low-adherent dressings (Melolin, Advacare)
Triangular bandage
Tweezers
The good news is that a fantastic range of family first aid kits and an extremely varied range of general consumables including the products above can be bought online with without having to take a trip down to the nearest high street chemist. A leading online supplier of first aid kits and general first aid and medical consumables is First Aid Warehouse.