Welcome to Bruise and Band Aid Season
By Jennifer Snyder
The time has come: Annual Band Aid Season! This is when our kids are outside on the bikes, walking exotic trails, climbing trees and generally putting themselves in harm's way. When harm happens you want to be able to access your feel better supplies (read: first aid kit) as quickly as possible. So in honor of Band Aid Season, let's organize our medicine cabinets.
Location, Location, Location!Once our grandparents kept everything in the little box behind the mirror in the bathroom but modern culture maintains the kitchen is the most convenient place. I recommend medications taken orally be kept in the kitchen – where food-grade cleaning is consistent. External-only type of items can be kept in the bathroom. I have found that this is the easiest way to prevent accidentally taking something that shouldn't be. (don't ask!)
Also, if you have a very large or multilevel home, keep a kit upstairs and down. The benefit of this is twofold. First, what you need will always be nearby and, second, if you run out in one kit you can borrow from the other in a pinch.
Stock it up!Know what you need and make sure you have it. Create a list of items that should always
live in your care kit. This would include things like anti-itch cream, antibiotic ointment, Band Aids, etc. Keep your kit in a clear plastic container and tape or glue your list to the lid. I like to write such lists on pretty scrapbook type paper just to make myself happy. Be sure to label your kit.
Medications can be kept in a basket without a lid – imagine struggling with a lid when experiencing a migraine. Label your baskets by type: Cold & Allergy, Vitamins & Supplements, Stomach & Digestive, and Prescription Medications. These can be kept in a drawer or cabinet, whichever is most convenient. If you have small children it is helpful to keep a dosage chart for regularly administered medications. Type it up and make it look nice so that everyone (including your spouse) can read it.
Be Diligent!Regularly check your stock levels and expiration dates. You might not die from taking expired Benadryl, but you might. Seriously, medications lose their efficacy over time and what is the point of taking Advil if it won't help the headache? Check weekly for low quantities and monthly for expired items. Don't forget your sun block, it expires very quickly!
Have a Neat summer!
Jennifer Snyder, CPOÒ
Neat as a Pin Organizing Experts
www.neatasapin.net
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The time has come: Annual Band Aid Season! This is when our kids are outside on the bikes, walking exotic trails, climbing trees and generally putting themselves in harm's way. When harm happens you want to be able to access your feel better supplies (read: first aid kit) as quickly as possible. So in honor of Band Aid Season, let's organize our medicine cabinets.
live in your care kit. This would include things like anti-itch cream, antibiotic ointment, Band Aids, etc. Keep your kit in a clear plastic container and tape or glue your list to the lid. I like to write such lists on pretty scrapbook type paper just to make myself happy. Be sure to label your kit.
