If you have not already prepared an emergency kit for your children, you may want to enlist their help as you do so. This will help your children be comfortable with what is inside their kits. It will also give them something familiar to help them a scary situation. In a small child’s kit you may not put as much food (you would put in yours instead), but rather comfort items and activities. In an older child’s kit you would make it nearly as complete as your own. Here are five steps to having your child help you prepare the kit.
1) You can have your child pick out the clothes that he wants to include in the kit. In the case of a smaller child you may want to include an extra set or two of underwear and pants or Pull-ups. This can help take the stress off. Also you may consider including pajamas for your children, if there is room. This will help them sleep more comfortably in a strange place. I would opt for pajamas rather than nightgown since they are warmer and more modest.
2) You can have your child pick out the type of snack foods that you include in her kit. You should try to balance between including comfort foods and healthy long-lasting snacks. If your child helped pick out the food, she is more likely to eat during times of stress. You should include water or juice and several snacks in your child’s emergency kit.
3) Be sure to include important contact information in your child’s emergency kit. This should include the person who you will contact outside of the emergency area, your names and cell phone number, your child’s name and any other important information. If your child has food allergies or any other life threatening conditions you should include information about what to as well.
4) It is important to include fun items in your child’s emergency kit. This can include handheld games, books, and MP3 players. For younger children you may want to include stickers, crayons and coloring books, books, and a portable DVD player with a movie. You can also include small lightweight toys.
5) If your child has a comfort object, it is important to remember to include this as well. This might be something you grab at the last minute, or you may store a duplicate in the emergency kit. This can make a big difference in how your child will adjust to his surroundings. During times of stress children generally lean more on their comfort objects than normal.
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