Take control of uncontrollable scenarios by organizing a grab bag for each member of your family.

Being a parent is a full-time job. You become an educator, a doctor, and an enforcement officer all at once. It can get tiring at times, but providing our kids with a loving environment and ensuring their safety is a responsibility we should never take lightly. 

With the direction the world is heading to right now, a disaster might happen near you anytime. How do you prepare yourself? How can you prepare your entire family? Why do you need a grab bag?

The Value of Preparedness

We all want what’s best for our kids. Hence, you don’t want them out in the streets during unexpected calamities with no food or any plan. Developing a fool-proof system on how your family will function during emergencies is essential.

Create a plan

Arrange a meeting with every member of your family. In the meeting, see to it that the following are settled:

1.Decide a rendezvous point in case you get separated in the chaos and panic. Moreover, there are possibilities that when an emergency occurs, you might be situated in different locations. If you can’t go back to your house, the home of a relative or a family friend in another area can be the designated rendezvous point.

2. Make your kids memorize your family’s contact information as well as your local emergency hotlines. Print it out or write it down. As long as your family has a copy on them all the time.

3. Pack a grab bag for everyone. 

What’s a grab bag?

Once your family’s system has been established, the last thing on your checklist is organizing a grab bag. In choosing one, pick a sturdy backpack with proportions reasonable for the member of your family. If it’s for adults with a strong build, you can check this out. You can buy this for your toddlers and this one for your teenagers. You can also let your kids decide on which design they want! There are a lot of options in the market, so choose one that would best cater to your family.

Inside your grab bag

No matter the age and gender of your partner and children, a grab bag must include necessities, sustenance, and important documents. Make sure your children know that a grab bag includes the following:

• Your emergency plan 
• Contact information
• Food and water
• Important documents
• Some cash
• Medicine and first aid kits
• Map and/or compass
• Flashlight and whistle
• Clothes

Food, water, and medicine are perishable goods, so let your kids check their grab bag stock every three months. When the foods are close to their expiration date, remind your kids to take them out and replace them. Don’t forget to make your children pack at most two sets of clothing and a jacket. Since a rendezvous point is in place, having a map and a compass will help in electricity and cell towers get damaged. A flashlight and a whistle may also come in handy.

Print a copy of your meeting address, important contact numbers, and emergency hotlines. To reduce the chances of damaging this, laminate said paper. This could be a fun activity for you and your family! You and your kids can also run to the school supplies store to buy a waterproof envelope for each of you. Inform your kids that the important documents, some cash, and the aforementioned papers must be placed inside the envelope.

To sum it up, establish a protocol for emergencies. Make sure each member of your family knows every part of your plan. Here’s a printable directory for you and your family!