72 Hour/Disaster Kits for Babies/Toddlers
Due to popular demand (and thanks to Amy on our Fun With Food Storage Forum) we have put together a comprehensive list of things you may want to consider including in your disaster kit if you have babies or toddlers at home. Remember these are only guidelines, and you should customize everything to suit the needs of your own family. Hopefully we will be able to get these ideas incorporated into our Emergency Preparedness Plan eventually so it’s all in one place!
If you have an infant or a toddler at home, consider including these items as you put together your disaster and 72 hour kits for your family:
- Instant formula. Make sure to buy the kind you do not need to mix with water. Also, track expiration dates and rotate through them frequently.
- 5 small bottles for the formula. You can fill them with purified water to provide extra drinking water in your kit.
- Refrigerated bottle bag. This is helpful in case you get the chance to warm up or cool down the formula you can keep it at that temperature for around 4 hours.
- Plenty of diapers. The exact number needed depends on the age of your child. I recommend including about 20 disposables and also 3 cloth ones that can be washed, dried and reused in case you run out.
- A travel package of wipes. These are great for washing as well. If you have space I’d recommend just storing a full box of wet wipes.
- Pacifiers. Put in two just in case. If you’re stressed the baby will probably be stressed and it’s a comfort for them.
- 3 cotton/flannel wraps, and 2 muslin wraps.
- Baby food. Depending on the age of your child you will probably want to include some jars of baby food. Once your baby can eat mostly regular foods just pop these out of your kit.
- Washcloths. Stored around 10 small ones, it’s an eventuality, you’ll require them at some point.
- Small comfort toy/s. If you child has a specific toy or blanket that he/she really loves, try to grab that in an emergency. But if you can’t, then try to have a usable substitute that will help comfort the child in lieu of their favorite item.
- Clothes – and plenty of them! This is a tough one as babies grow so fast. One trick I recommend is that as you swap out their closets to put in the next size of clothes to remember to do that in the disaster kit at the same time. Make sure to include clothes for all types of weather and include lots of spares.
- Ziplock bags. These work great for storing used diapers or anything else that is dirty, or clean for that matter.
- Bulb nose syringe and saline. Saline loosens mucous and syringe sucks water/mucous/misc out of ears, nose, mouth etc. You never know if you’ll need one so it’s great to keep in your kit.
- Infant tylenol/motrin. It never fails that kids get sick as soon as you are somewhere WITHOUT your medicine. So this is a definite requirement for any child disaster kit.
- Desatin or other diaper rash cream and travel-sized baby powder. The last thing you’d want in an emergency situation is a sore bum and nothing to treat it with. This will be especially useful if you have to resort to using cloth diapers.
The most important thing to remember is to always be thinking about what is appropriate for your child’s age and stage of development. For example, if your child is no longer drinking bottles then there is no reason to keep formula in your disaster kit.
Tags: 72 hour kit, 72 hour kit for babies, 72 Hour Kits, baby 72 hour kit, baby disaster kit, disaster kit, Disaster Kits
Filed under: 72 Hour Kits, Disaster Kits, Getting Started
When my kids were little, I took a blanket sleeper a size bigger than what they were wearing at that time, and put the baby’s special needs (bottles, formula, diapers, etc.) inside the sleeper. it was convenient, and when my baby grew to the next size, it was easy to just replace that sleeper with one the next size up, and the one that had been in my kit was now the right size for my baby to wear. One size bigger would not be a big deal for the baby to wear in an emergency, and it saves having to buy a lot of extra clothes that likely won’t get worn.
I like to use the ziploc bags to keep my stuff organized in my kit. For example, I put all the clothes in one bag, all the baby food in one bag, all the desitin, washcloths, other hygiene items in one bag, diapers in one or two bags, etc. This way my stuff is organized and easy to find and I can always dump the stuff out and use the bag if I need to. It also helps me separate different sizes of diapers since I have 2 kids that wear them. I also feel better knowing that there’s no way the desitin will get close to the baby food, which kind of grosses me out. BTW, I do the same thing in our kits for older people — 1 or 2 bags each for clothes, food, hygiene, etc. Grocery bags are also good for containing messes. They are bigger than ziplocs and free. It’s nice to have some of both.
This is a great list (and timely, as I live in Moorhead, right across the river from Fargo, ND). I do take issue, though, with your suggestion that the bum cream would be most useful if you had to use the cloth diapers: my daughter, now 3, wore cloth diapers all the way to the end, and only got a diaper rash in paper diapers. I think cloth diapers get a bad rap, and in reality are often better for baby bottoms.
Something else to consider (and this is a great list, thanks! There are a few things on the list that I had not thought of in my kit!) in an emergency situation is how you will keep your little one safe. A really great thing to have is a sling/pouch/babycarrier. Even if it’s not something you usually use, in an emergency situation it could be a real life saver. What if it’s an earthquake or flood, and you need to somehow hold your baby or toddler, but you also need both hands to climb over stuff, or hold on to things? What if you have to live in an emergency shelter for a couple of days with lots of other families, wouldn’t it be great to be able to keep your little one safely close by in a sling or something similar? I use my sling enough that I don’t want to put it away in my emergency kit, but I keep it by the door, and I also know of several ways to fashion and makeshift baby carrier. This great website has some short videos on how to do it and why! http://www.wearyourbaby.com/Default.aspx?tabid=169
Jennifer, Thanks for the note about cloth diapers. I have never used cloth diapers before, but my mom said that when she used them with some of her older kids we always had diaper rashes. Disposable diapers keep the moisture away from directly touching the body. I think it could possibly be if you get it changed right away you are fine but if the baby is sitting in it for any amount of time it could cause irritation. It also could depend on the sensitivity of each child, the quality of the diapers, etc. Anyway, either way it’s a good idea to bring bum cream!
Another good thing for kids, and maybe adults too, is to have a current picture of their family in a ziploc bag. If they are ever lost they can show someone a picture of their family which would make it easier for someone to help them.
I’d recommend a NoseFrida instead of a bulb syringe, both in and out of the emergency pack. It is so much more effective at unclogging little noses. I’m also including teething gel, because you never know if you’ll need it but it can make a screaming, teething baby calm down faster than Tylenol, which is good for the baby and the nerves of everyone him/her!
I thought baby powder was no longer recommended. I’ve never used it on either of my kids.
Pipe cleaners are a very compact but entertaining little thing to keep toddlers/preschoolers occupied and entertained.
Another thing: if you have a picky toddler, formula may be good to keep in the kit, since it’s a more complete nutrition than cocoa mix. When I ran out of milk recently, I mixed some up for my 3 year old and he drank it without question. It’s an option for the picky toddler.
I love my sling, but I’m not packing it up. Instead, like Megan, I store it in a closet near the door, where my purse and shoes are, so I’d grab it if we needed to evacuate.
Babies and Toddlers 72 Hour or Disaster Kits
These came to mind after reading your article….·
Camping wipes to use to bathe baby preferably the disposable kind
Baby foods are great to keep in bag if baby needs a lighter diet if gets sick. Suggest food warmers that are used to warm up emergency foods included here for liquids or foods that need warming. A small spoon and straw might prove useful.
Clothes especially for rain, snow and extremely hot weather.
The baby powder is soothing for all little one’s creases during hot weather.
First aid kit include child safety pins, thermometer, sunscreen also the dryer sheets for bug repellent, orajel for teething pain and some type of teether. Button comes off or something won’t close then bring needle and thread.
A few comfort toys … include a small soft toy that is easy to wash & dry quickly and a small book with pictures and a small soft ball that doesn’t roll far.
For older toddlers…a goodie bag with non choking types of goodies to pop in the mouth one at a time.. cereal, fun crackers, tiny cookies, soft mints, Variety: soft/crunch/ quick dissolving/ chewy/ No lollipops, gum, sticky or choking type items.
Vitamins of a fun type that child likes
Disposable camera
Real small flashlight
Organize these into separate bags
Keep a list of all that is in the carrying case including expiration dates and keep it handy in a baggie in the case.
·
Babies and Toddlers 72 Hour or Disaster Kits
These came to mind after reading your article….·
Camping wipes to use to bathe baby preferably the disposable kind
Baby foods are great to keep in bag if baby needs a lighter diet if gets sick. Suggest food warmers that are used to warm up emergency foods included here for liquids or foods that need warming. A small spoon and straw might prove useful.
Clothes especially for rain, snow and extremely hot weather.
The baby powder is soothing for all little one’s creases during hot weather.
First aid kit include child safety pins, thermometer, sunscreen also the dryer sheets for bug repellent, orajel for teething pain and some type of teether. Button comes off or something won’t close then bring needle and thread.
A few comfort toys … include a small soft toy that is easy to wash & dry quickly and a small book with pictures and a small soft ball that doesn’t roll far.
For older toddlers…a goodie bag with non choking types of goodies to pop in the mouth one at a time.. cereal, fun crackers, tiny cookies, soft mints, Variety: soft/crunch/ quick dissolving/ chewy/ No lollipops, gum, sticky or choking type items.
Vitamins of a fun type that child likes
Disposable camera
Real small flashlight
Organize these into separate baggies
Keep a list of all that is in the carrying case including expiration dates and keep it handy in a baggie in the case.
This is a really great list! One thing I never leave without is gas drops. Most of the tummy aches that my kids get are because of gas. My oldest can take an adult size, in an emergency, because simethecone (sp?) is pretty safe. But, I do like to have the drops for the younger ones.
This is a really great list! One thing I never leave without is gas drops. Most of the tummy aches that my kids get are because of gas. My oldest can take an adult size, in an emergency, because simethecone (sp?) is pretty safe. But, I do like to have the drops for the younger ones.
Thank you for sharing this very useful list. If you are a parent you should have all of these useful stuffs for your baby.
I'd like to add a sling or wrap-style baby carrier. I got stuck in the snow about 1 1/2 miles from home (the middle of nowhere) with a 2 year old and a new baby and no way to call anyone. I took off my coat, put the 2 year old on my back, put the baby inside my sweater, covered them both with my coat and walked home. I don' think I could have done it without being able to strap the kids onto my body. Now one sling per child is in our 72 hour kits, even for the 5 year old.
I would like to add cloth diapers! We only cloth diaper here, no sposies! There are loads of new styles out there. We store extra water for washing them in, but they are great because we have the one that are one size. That way, no worrying about having to keep up the stockpiles with current sizes. I keep the majority of my stash here at home, but keep extras in the car just in case.You never know if you will home when something happens or not.
As far as rashes and such as a pp said, my kids have never had a rash and only wear cloth. So, it may have been the detergent washed in (I make my own laundry detergent) or the material or something against the baby's skin.
Also, I have two moby wraps, one for each child. If needed, I can carry both babies at one time (one on my back and one on the front). Moby wraps are my favorite baby wraps and highly recommend them to everyone!
Ya cloth diapers would be better, who knows how long you will be out and you don't want to run out of disposables with no other options! ick