Prepping with babies & toddlers

• Diapers in the next size up, too. Babies grow during long emergencies. Rotate them into use as your baby grows.
• Wipes: about 6 to 10 a day for a baby in diapers.
• Formula, if you use it: stock ready-to-feed. It needs no water and no mixing, so it's the safest choice when water might not be clean.
• Medicine: infant fever reducer, oral rehydration powder, diaper cream, and the dosing syringe that came with each. Ask your pediatrician for doses by weight and write them on the box.
• Thermometer, nasal aspirator, saline drops.
• A baby carrier. Keeps your hands free and the baby warm and calm against you.
• Copies of birth certificates, shot records and a recent photo of your child in your go-bag.

This is where a little planning feels like a superpower. Cloth diapering is easier than people think, and it never runs out.

• Flats are the prepper's diaper. A flat is one big square of cotton you fold to fit. It dries faster than any other cloth diaper, even on a line indoors.
• Flour sack towels work as flats. They're cheap at any big-box store and do triple duty as diapers, wipes and burp cloths.
• Covers make it work. A waterproof cover goes over the folded flat. Three or four covers are enough; just wipe them out and reuse between changes.
• Snappis replace pins. A little stretchy fastener holds the diaper on.
• Wash with a plunger in a bucket. A plunger-style hand washer in a 5-gallon bucket washes a load with a few gallons of water. Rinse, wash, rinse, then hang them in the sun. The sun naturally fades stains.
• In a pinch: an old cotton T-shirt folded into a pad, inside a cover or plastic bag, gets you through a night.

• Cloth wipes: cut flannel into squares, or buy a pack. Wet them with plain water from a squeeze bottle and wash them with the diapers.
• A peri bottle (the squeeze bottle hospitals give new moms) rinses a bottom clean with a few ounces of water.
• Diaper rash: the best treatment is free. Give your baby's skin some air time, then use zinc cream.

• If you breastfeed, it's the most secure food supply there is. Keep going, drink plenty of water, and eat. A manual pump needs no power.
• Cup feeding: when bottles can't be cleaned well, aid groups feed babies from a small, clean cup instead. Cups are much easier to wash than bottles and nipples. Ask your pediatrician to show you how before you need it.
• Powdered formula needs safe water. Use bottled water or water you've boiled, and follow the label.
• Relactation is possible. Some moms who stopped breastfeeding can bring their milk back with help from a lactation consultant. It takes time, so it's worth knowing about now.
• Toddlers 12 months and up: shelf-stable boxed whole milk, pouches, nut butters (if no allergies) and the snacks they already love.

• Start potty learning early if your toddler shows interest. A travel potty and a few pairs of training pants save a lot of diapers.
• Pack a comfort kit: a favorite blanket, a small toy, a book, and a snack they love. Familiar things keep little ones calm.
• Do practice nights. Make a lights-out night with a flashlight and a story feel like a fun adventure.
• Sleep: keep their bedtime routine, even in a shelter or a car. Same song, same story.
• Child-safety: camp stoves, candles, generators and heaters are new dangers. Set up a safe play zone first.