Preparing with Baby

Families with young children and babies have different needs than those without. Which means they will need to store additional items in their emergency kits and 3-month-supply to meet those needs. The lists below are not all-inclusive; reflect on what you and your baby need and adjust the list to fit.

Source: Prepared Not Scared
Here's a List of the Basics You Might Want to Store:

• Formula
• Diapers
• Wet Wipes
• Diaper Rash Ointment
• Bottles
• Pacifiers
• Blankets
• A copy of your baby's immunization records
• Water

You Might Also Think of Including:

• Medicine for Fever Relief
• Pedialite
• Ear Drops
• Bulb Syringe
• Few Toys
• An outfit 6 months larger than the child current needs

Here are some guidelines to help you decide what you may or may not want to include in your emergency kit and how to make it.
Source: Preparedness Pantry
1. Do a little “home shopping” – You probably have duplicate baby items you wouldn’t miss day to day. Select items you don’t need daily because you don’t want to keep packing and unpacking this bag like just another diaper bag. Find items that won’t expire or lose their usefulness (like sized clothing/diapers would).

2. Think small – You already have a baby to carry, you don’t want a 15 lb emergency bag, too. Think small for items in the bag - use sample packets of diaper cream, ointments, (like those received in the hospital) to equip the bag. Trial size, travel size and sample packs reduce the size and weight of your kit. Included mini nail files, packets of Brush ups for when baby has teeth, and mini books for entertainment. Small stick-on baby thermometers eliminate the need to include a regular thermometer.

3. Make it Multi-Task – Include items with dual purpose. Instead of separate wipes, burp clothes, washcloths, pack three small baby washcloths – these can be wet for washing or baby bum wiping. They can become a tiny bandage, burp cloth or diaper stuffing. Of course, the hope is you have a water supply to wash and reuse, but carrying a lot of disposable items doesn’t make sense if you need your bag to stay a manageable size. Include a small blanket which could be re-purposed as a pillow, changing pad, or even clothing if baby’s outfit becomes soiled.

4. Include information – Your baby probably can’t talk, so include information in the unthinkable event you become separated from your child. Create a laminated information card with the baby’s name, birthday, parents’ names, address/phone information, and medical/feeding information. Include a photo of the baby and parents, so you can be identified and reunited with baby. Also, attached to the outside of the emergency kit include a “Grab It” card – this lists other items NOT in the bag that you might want grab if you have time/room (extras like clothing, diapers, food, medications).

Recipes for Baby items
Source: Prepared Not Scared

Emergency Baby Formula

Ingredients:

1/3 cup plus 2 TBSP instant powdered milk OR 1/4 cup non-instant powdered milk
1 1/2 cup boiled water
1 TBSP oil
2 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Mix powdered milk and water together.
2. Blend thoroughly.
3. Add oil and sugar.
If baby bottles are not available, milk can be spoon fed to an infant.

Soy Milk Formula

Soy milk is a good substitute for any one that is allergic to cow's milk.

Ingredients:

2 cups soybeans

Directions:

1. Soak soybeans for 12 hours. (Change the water frequently.)
2. Grind soaked, raw beans with a fine blade in a food grinder.
3. Add 6 cups water to the soybeans in a large pan.
4. Cook until foamy for 1 hour.
5. Put through a blender, then strain through a cheesecloth.
6. Refrigerate.

Emergency Baby Food

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cereal grain
1/4 cup beans

Directions:

1. Boil until soft, then press through a sieve.
2. Boil again to insure that it is bacteria free.
This will provide good protein and iron, as well as calories. This can be fed to infants under 6 months if adequate milk is not available, but it must be pureed to a fine texture.

Teething Sticks

Ingredients:

2/3 cup milk
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour (approximately)
4 TBSP butter, melted and cooled
1 cup untoasted wheat germ

Directions:

1. Beat together the milk, butter, and sugar.
2. Stir in the wheat germ and enough flour to make a dough.
3. Knead until smooth and satiny, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Pinch off balls of dough and roll them into sticks about 1/2-inch thick and 4-inches long.
5. Bake on a greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until browned and hard.
6. Cool the sticks before giving them to your baby to teethe on.
Always supervise any child with a teething stick.

Diaper Rash Reliever

Ingredients:

2 TBSP powdered chamomile flowers
1/4 cup cornstarch

Directions:

1. Add cornstarch and FINELY powdered chamomile to a container with a shaker top.
2. Cover, and shake it into a mix.
3. At every diaper changing, shake the mixture on baby's bottom until evenly dusted with a thin coating.
HINT: If rash persists, dab garlic oil onto rash areas. It might be stinky . . . but I hear it works!