Prepper Tips for Babies and Children

Emergency situations and natural disasters are never
picture-perfect situations. When emergencies strike, we all need to
be prepared to survive until the crisis is over. But, there are
special circumstances when we have to put the needs of others before
our own. When it comes to babies and children, they will turn to the
adults around them for survival. That’s why there are special
preparations that need to be made for preppers who have children in
the home. These tips are also valuable for businesses, such as
schools and daycare centers, who serve children. These essential
items should to be included in your emergency survival kit to ensure
that babies and children have what they need:

Emergency Prepper Tips for Babies
Babies have unique needs. These needs must be met, even
during a crisis situation. Here are some tips for preparing an
emergency kit for babies:

• Formula – Even
  if your baby is breastfed, exclusively, your kit should include
  formula for your baby. During an emergency, many women go through
  stress. Some even become dehydrated. Both of these factors can
  affect a mother’s ability to breastfeed. Be sure to store formula
  with a long shelf life, such as canned formulas or powdered formula.
• Diapers – It’s
  always wise to store extra diapers, just in case. Emergency
  preparedness experts recommend cloth diapers for emergency kits.
  They take up less storage space than boxes of disposable diapers.
  They can also be washed out by hand to be re-used over and over
  again.
• Clothing – Your
  storage should contain full outfits for each baby to last three or
  more days. It’s best to store various sizes, just in case your baby
  goes through a growth spurt after your kit has been put together.
• Baby Medication – As
  you know, your baby can’t take medications made for adults. During a
  disaster, your baby may feel your stress. This could lead to minor
  colds, allergies, even stomach aches. Be sure you have baby-grade
  medications stored just in case your baby gets sick during an
  emergency.
• Baby Carrier – As
  soon as a crisis hits, your first instinct will be to grab your
  baby. In a matter of seconds, you’ll realize that you need to grab
  many other things, such as your emergency kits. It will be much
  easier to handle all of this at once if you can simply attach your
  baby to your body and keep moving. Have a convenient carrier ready
  for this purpose. Then, your hands will be free to grab other things
  as you and your baby run out the door.

Emergency Prepper Tips for Children
There are two major additions to your preparedness kit
that must be included if there are children in your home:

1. Emergency Food – Children
   can be notorious for being picky eaters. In a crisis situation, this
   can become a very serious problem. If your emergency
   food
   storage is filled with foods your child doesn’t like, they may
   refuse to eat any of it. This can cause malnutrition, low-energy,
   low-blood sugar, and various other health risks. Be sure to store
   foods that your children actually enjoy eating. This will ensure
   that they get the vitamins, minerals and caloric intake they need to
   stay healthy during the crisis.
2. Entertainment – Many
   parents may not feel like entertainment is essential during an
   emergency. However, a major tragedy can cause stress in children.
   Having entertainment that can help them escape from the stress
   caused by the disaster can help them maintain mentally. A good
   prepper should store a variety of games and puzzles, as well as
   other forms of entertainment for children.