A baby can't wait for the shops to reopen. Babies need feeding every few hours, get cold faster than adults, and get through nappies at a rate that surprises most new parents. That's why so many national guides make a separate point of them. Fourteen of the 24 guides we compiled list infant milk and baby food, and seven list nappies and baby wipes.
Feeding without a kitchen
The simplest plan is food that needs no clean water, no power and no washing up.
- Ready-to-feed infant milk. Ready-to-use first-stage milk comes in cartons or bottles, ready to drink, and needs no clean water. The UK's Be Ready checklist names ready-to-feed formula specifically. Keep enough for the whole period you're planning for, and check the dates.
- Powdered formula is cheaper and lighter, but you need safe water and a way to boil it. Treat it as a backup, not the plan, unless you also have a camping stove and stored water.
- Sterile teats and bottles, or disposable ones, so you don't need to sterilise.
- Baby food for older babies and toddlers. Sweden suggests gruel, infant formula, oatmeal and baby food. Slovakia gives the same list. Pouches and jars that can be eaten at room temperature are easiest.
- Snacks for toddlers that they already eat: rice cakes, crackers, dried fruit. A crisis is a bad time to introduce new food.
If you're breastfeeding, keep going: it needs no supplies. Make sure you have enough to eat and drink yourself.
Water
The national guides plan 2 to 3 litres per person per day, depending on the country. Count a baby as a person, and add extra for washing bottles and hands. See how much water to store for the sums.
Nappies and hygiene
Denmark, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the UK, Greece and Bulgaria list nappies and baby wipes, for the full period: shops may be shut or empty.
- Count how many nappies your baby uses a day, multiply by the number of days, and add a few more. Move up a size as your baby grows.
- Baby wipes double as a wash for the whole family when water is short.
- Nappy cream and a changing mat.
- Strong bin bags for used nappies, so they can be sealed and kept outside.
- Hand sanitiser for after every change. Fifteen guides list it.
Warmth
Babies lose heat quickly. If the heating fails in winter, keep the baby in the warmest room, dressed in layers with a hat and socks, and check often that they're warm but not sweating. Eighteen guides list blankets and warm clothes. A baby sleeping bag in the right size and season saves you worrying about loose bedding. Our post on staying warm in a winter power cut covers keeping one room warm.
Health
- Medicines for babies and children in the right strength for their age, such as for fever or pain. Ask your pharmacist which ones and what dose, and write the dose down.
- A thermometer. It's part of the first-aid kit contents we list.
- Your child's health record and vaccination card, with copies in your document pouch.
- Any prescriptions your child needs, with spares.
Comfort and calm
Seven guides list games and books, because days without screens are long, especially for children. Pack a favourite toy, a few books and something new to bring out on a bad day. For older toddlers, a torch of their own helps with the dark.
Sweden and Poland both give advice on talking to children in a crisis: explain simply and calmly, stick to what you know is true, leave out frightening details, and be honest when you don't know. Poland suggests giving older children a small role and practising it together, because knowing what to do helps them feel safe.
If you have to leave
Pack a smaller baby bag inside or next to your grab bag:
- Ready-to-feed milk and bottles for a day or two
- Nappies, wipes, cream and bags
- A change of clothes, a hat and a blanket
- Baby medicines and the health record
- A sling or carrier, which leaves your hands free
Poland recommends an identification tag for children with their name and a contact phone number. It helps if you get separated in a crowd or an evacuation.
Other things to arrange
- Check your childcare or nursery has your current phone numbers. The UK recommends this.
- In the UK, households with children under 5 are among those eligible for the Priority Services Register, which tells your energy and water providers you need extra support.
- Review the kit every few months. Babies change sizes and diets far faster than the twice-yearly check that suits the rest of the kit.
Our checklist lists the baby items separately and sizes water and food for everyone at home.