When you’ve got a family, it is nearly always a good idea to be prepared. I think many parents will say that they didn’t plan ahead as much until they had children. You don’t want to be caught out when an emergency happens. Even it is just having the diaper bag ready to grab, it makes a difference to your daily routine. What about bigger emergencies, though? We live in a time where there are lots of natural disasters and extreme weather conditions. So there might be a point when you do have to just up and leave your home for a time. Does your family have an emergency bag or plan in place? If you don’t, then it is a good idea to sort something soon. There are some essentials that we all need in an emergency bag; especially when you have got children. So here are some of my suggestions. I’d love to hear what else you think is important to have with you.
Water
It is obvious to many that we will need water to be able to survive. Even if you don’t have food, you can get by with water. So storing large containers of water is a great idea. Glass bottles are the best if you can find them. Plastic bottles aren’t good for the environment or us really. Particularly if they are stored in areas where the sun can heat them up. Water in plastic bottles isn’t meant to be good to drink after a year too. So it is best to store up in glass bottles where possible. Then you will have plenty. Each person will need around a gallon a day.
You could collect water using a water butt in the garden. If you choose to do this, then you could just get a small water purification kit. Throw that in your emergency bag, and you will be able to make any water good for you. It is a slower process than just having stored water in bottles. But it makes you able to purify any water that you find.
Food
It makes sense that you should have some food in your emergency bag. Little ones will get hungry faster than we adults would, so having something to hand is a good idea. You obviously want foods that are non-perishable. So canned or tinned goods, as well as dried foods. You could take grains like rice or pasta too. If you are packing things like this, then a small camping stove is a good idea too. Make sure that you pack a small pack of matches in too. Then you can boil up water and have rice and tinned corn or pasta and sauce, for instance. Think about things that will keep you full and give you energy as well. Foods like protein bars, nut butter, and dried fruit are all good ideas too.
If you start to build up a store of these types of foods, then write it all down. Have a list of all of the foods in your food storage. It is good to keep track of what you have. It is also a good idea to mark down the expiration dates of all of the foods that you have. You don’t want to get to eat them, and they’re all out of date. So mark it down on a calendar and make sure you eat them up before they expire.
Medication
You need to have some kind of first aid kit in any emergency bag. It is so important to be able to keep well and safe. So a small kit with bandaids, bandages, and some alcohol wipes are a good idea. Then you can clean up any cuts and grazes. You could even throw in some essential oils in there (you know I am an essential oils fan). So I know that they can make up an important part of any first-aid kit. Lavender is great for bites or stings, for example. Melaleuca (or tea tree) is great for skin and can be used as an antiseptic. There are lots of other oils that you can use too. So some small samples of a variety is a great idea.
It might also be a good idea to pack some painkillers or medication. If you get headaches, or your children get a fever, you can make sure that it can be kept in control. There is nothing worse than being away from home and feeling unwell. Essential oils are a great idea for your medication box too. You could use oils like peppermint to cool a fever as well as headaches. If you’re interested in essential oils for pain relief, then there are lots of resources to help. Somewhere like http://www.naturallivingideas.com could be a good place to look.
If you had a toothache for example, then you could use something like clove oil. Gargling with a few drops in water could help a toothache a lot. Toothaches are the worse, so you want to be able to deal with it easily. If you find that it becomes too much pain, then you could always make an emergency appointment at a dentist. There are even some dentists that are 24 hours. So there is no reason for you to have to be in pain when you’re out and about. You could find out more information somewhere like http://dentista.24hora.org.
Flashlights
When you don’t know where you are going to end up being, you need to think about lighting. If you end up camping, for example, you will need to see what you are doing. Flashlights are a great idea. If they are the ones that you charge up yourself, then even better. If not, then make sure that you have got a large selection of batteries stocked up. One flashlight for everyone in the family is a good idea too. Then you don’t run a high risk of anyone getting lost, for example.
Important Documents
If your house catches fire, you can’t just run around and grab all of your important documents. So if they are all in one place, or copies are all in one place, it makes a huge difference. Using a folder and keeping copies all in the same place means you can easily deal with things. If you need to contact your insurer, how will you know how to contact them? So think of driver’s license, passport, and insurance documents. Writing down important phone numbers is a good idea too. You might not be able to rely on cell service, for example. A lot of us these days rarely remember phone numbers anymore as we don’t have to. So if you need to call someone, make sure that you have all the numbers you will need. It is also a good idea to have some cash packed in the bag too. You can’t rely on being able to find an ATM. So have at least $100 in cash for emergency purchases.
Games
Let’s face it, when you’ve got children, they will still get restless, whatever situation you are in. So packing some books, puzzles and toys is a great idea. It will help if they are entertained if you are in a stressful situation.
It can take time and money to pack an emergency preparedness kit. It can be really worth doing too. Get a few things each month and build it up gradually. Should the worst happen, you will be glad you made the effort.
