It is important to remember to rotate the supplies in your emergency kit. You should also make sure that you have enough food for your family, since children tend to eat more the older they are. Here is a list of five things to check when rotating the supplies in your emergency kit.
1) Check your food to see if it has expired. If it is going to expire within the next six months, you need to replace it. You may need to add supplies if your children are now teenagers, or if you recently had a baby.
2) Check all of your medication to see if it has expired. If it has or will in the next six months you need to replace it. Be sure to check the tubes of antibiotic ointment as well. When you purchase medication to replace that all ready in your kit look for medication with an expiration date two or three years away.
3) Check your batteries. Make sure that they still work. While checking your batteries, make sure all the things that use them are still in working order. This should include flashlights, and battery powered radios.
4) You can also update the activity kits you have included for your children. This needs to be done periodically because an eight-year-old will scoff at the “Barney” coloring book you may have packed years earlier. If you have younger children you can simply pass the kits down and create a new one for your oldest child.
5) You should check your iodine tablets or other methods of water purification to make sure they have not yet expired. The date should be listed on the bottle. If the bottle has been opened you need to dispose of it and replace it with a new one.