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.