Week - 50
Prepping with Children
While preparing for a an emergency or disaster with children is a little more complicated, it is important as they are completely dependent upon adults for survival. Very young children may not understand, but with older kids you can get them involved and make it fun. The CDC has a helpful checklist for a kid's prepping treasure hunt to get you started.
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Other preps you might consider for a smoother bug out with kids.
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School Day emergency:
* Teachers direct number or email - If there is an emergency, contacting their teacher directly will likely get you answers faster than calling the office.
* A way to contact your child directly - A cheap prepaid phone or even walkie talkies. Make sure they stay charged and go in their backpack every morning.
* Small emergency kit for school - If your child is stuck at the school or has to move to a safe location before you can connect with them make sure they have water and snacks in a separate pack in their locker to keep them comfortable.
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General Emergency:
* Identification and Family Identification - Have a small notebook or folder in your child's pack or inside coat pocket with their name, address, and parents phone number. Additionally, add in pictures of all family members with names and numbers on the back. This way if they get separated their family can be easily located.
* Children's medications both prescription and over the counter items for cough, cold, bad tummies.
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Traveling:
* Winter clothes, coats, pants, gloves, hats.
*Pillow and blanket.
*Snacks, snacks, snacks - having snacks on hand will help distract your kiddos from the situation and will keep bellies full so no grumpy grumps.
* Water flavoring - not all kids like just plain water and it is hard to make them drink it. A great and light weight trick is to pack a couple small bottles of water flavoring to trick them into drinking. Sugar free is preferable.
Other things:
Think of the little things that keep your child happy, a special blanket, toy, book, board games, or tablet loaded with movies and games that can be played offline. Remember all chargers and batteries!
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The best way to prep is to get your children involved as early as possible in the process. Take them camping. Run drills. Make sure they know where their special bug out bag is. Make it fun.
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Here is your challenge.
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Here is a suggested short list it is not a complete list. It is the same list as last week and will be the same for the rest of the year. Compare this list to your pantry and supplies and get what you and your family will need in the future.
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1. Take inventory of what is in your pantry and add what you need.
2. Water - Make sure to have enough water for everyone in your household for drinking and sanitation. Store 2 gallons of water per day per person for at least 1 month.
3. Antibacterial Wipes - For hygiene and cleaning surfaces.
4. Canned Proteins - Canned meats and tuna. For long term storage, dehydrate or freeze-dry the products.
5. Crackers and Cereals - Most of these items have a long shelf life if you store them properly.
6. Dog Food - Don’t forget your pets and livestock when planning your preps.
7. Dried Fruits - Collect fresh fruits, dry them and stock the dried fruits to use when fruits are no longer available.
8. Eggs - If you can, purchase chickens to have fresh eggs. Eggs purchased from the store last from 3-5 weeks in the refrigerator. To store for long term, remove the egg from its shell, freeze the egg whites, freeze the yolks.
9. Face Masks - Face masks are here to stay. So stock up on cotton masks or disposable masks.
10. Flour and Other Baking Supplies - These items will be hard to find.
11. Frozen Staples - Purchase bags of your favorite vegetables to store in the freezer, dehydrate or freeze dried the veggies.
12. Fruit Juice, Coffee, Tea - Purchase your favorites.
13. Hand Sanitizer - Bottles of hand sanitizer. If you can't find it, make your own.
14. Nut Butters and Nuts - Store nuts in the fridge for extended freshness.
15. Shelf-Stable foods - Replenish your long shelf-life supplies of non-perishable foods such as rice, pasta, soup, and beans.
16. Shelf-Stable Milk - Powdered milk usually have a long expiration dates. Almond, rice, soy, or oat milk are also good to have on hand.
17. Pain Relievers - Make sure you replenish your pain relievers and other over-the-counter medications. 18. If you have prescription medications, refill them now.
19. Propane or Butane Gas - Purchase enough gas for the time you are planning.
20. Medicinal products - Here is a PDF list of medical supplies from the Bureau of Industries & Securities. Pick and choose what you need from this list.
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Drill /Skill
Download the CDC checklist and have a Prepper's Treasure hunt with your children.
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Savings
Save $50 or as your budget allows. Save something. Here is a 52 Week Money Challenge Printable Spreadsheet
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Disclaimer: We at deCamp Outdoors are not scientists nor doctors. We are Preppers and Survivalists who share information based on research and studies as well as experience in the field of emergency preparedness. We strive to be 100% accurate, but if you see something that doesn’t look right, please send an email to deCamp Outdoors. We participate in the Amazon Services, LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn funds by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, at no cost to you. Videos, information and illustrations found on this website are for purposes based on the individual experiences of the presenter and or website/page dialog. Every situation is different and your results may differ. You should analyze the risks and research the information accordingly before proceeding to take action.
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