There's a tropical storm threatening the east coast, so its got me thinking about emergency food preparation. If you were in the midst of an emergency, could you feed your child?
No one should rely on the government or shelters for food in an emergency, and ESPECIALLY someone with food allergies. You can absolutely not plan on others having allergy-safe food, so you must prepare on your own and be responsible for feeding your child with allergies in an emergency.
Now of course if a tornado rips your house apart, there's not much you can do. But, you can prepare for some things. For example, you can prepare for a long-term power outage or for a stay in an emergency shelter. Or, if you live in areas prone to tornadoes, you may choose to keep a second emergency kit at the home of a friend or relative across town.
I have two "emergency" kits, a small one in the car, and two plastic tubs in my house for more long-term use.
First, I have a shoebox packed in my car with non-perishable foods for my son. If we ever have car problems or are stranded, I cannot be sure there will be access to food he can eat. I pack it with shelf-stable milk and juice boxes, canned meat (chicken and vienna sausages), single-serve cereal, applesauce, fruit cup, etc. It also comes in handy if you end up dining out at a restaurant when you hadn't planned on it, or when you forget to pack something in the lunch box. You'll always have some items handy. Be sure to think about weather if you leave your car parked outside. You don't want anything freezing and bursting inside of your car.
Second, I have a long-term emergency food kit in our home for situations where we may need to move quick, or be stranded without electricity. If there's a hurricane or other emergency, and we need to depart ASAP, I cannot rely on a shelter to have safe foods for my son. Nor can I rely on having time to go to the store or dig through my pantry hoping to find enough shelf-stable foods to take.
I have packed two plastic tubs full of food that we can grab and go. Or, if we are ever stranded in our house, I'm sure to have enough food to last through a two-week emergency. We also have a propane single-burner stove and several gallons of water. Ideas for food include sunbutter, oatmeal, cereal, snack bars, pasta, canned meats, canned soups and veggies, applesauce, rice, dried or canned beans. I rotate this food every few months based on expiration dates.
The only downside to this is that the tubs are heavy and take up a lot of space! I've considered looking at freeze dried foods since they are very light and compact. You can fit 2-4 weeks of food in a large backpack and it lasts 15-30 years! So you think about it once and not again for a VERY long time. There's security knowing that you can grab and go very quickly and your child will not be short of food in an emergency. There are several online companies that offer freeze-dried foods and I've recently began to compare them. Once I find a company that I can be confident in and is reasonably priced, I will be sure to share that information.
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No one should rely on the government or shelters for food in an emergency, and ESPECIALLY someone with food allergies. You can absolutely not plan on others having allergy-safe food, so you must prepare on your own and be responsible for feeding your child with allergies in an emergency.
Now of course if a tornado rips your house apart, there's not much you can do. But, you can prepare for some things. For example, you can prepare for a long-term power outage or for a stay in an emergency shelter. Or, if you live in areas prone to tornadoes, you may choose to keep a second emergency kit at the home of a friend or relative across town.
I have two "emergency" kits, a small one in the car, and two plastic tubs in my house for more long-term use.
First, I have a shoebox packed in my car with non-perishable foods for my son. If we ever have car problems or are stranded, I cannot be sure there will be access to food he can eat. I pack it with shelf-stable milk and juice boxes, canned meat (chicken and vienna sausages), single-serve cereal, applesauce, fruit cup, etc. It also comes in handy if you end up dining out at a restaurant when you hadn't planned on it, or when you forget to pack something in the lunch box. You'll always have some items handy. Be sure to think about weather if you leave your car parked outside. You don't want anything freezing and bursting inside of your car.
Second, I have a long-term emergency food kit in our home for situations where we may need to move quick, or be stranded without electricity. If there's a hurricane or other emergency, and we need to depart ASAP, I cannot rely on a shelter to have safe foods for my son. Nor can I rely on having time to go to the store or dig through my pantry hoping to find enough shelf-stable foods to take.
I have packed two plastic tubs full of food that we can grab and go. Or, if we are ever stranded in our house, I'm sure to have enough food to last through a two-week emergency. We also have a propane single-burner stove and several gallons of water. Ideas for food include sunbutter, oatmeal, cereal, snack bars, pasta, canned meats, canned soups and veggies, applesauce, rice, dried or canned beans. I rotate this food every few months based on expiration dates.
The only downside to this is that the tubs are heavy and take up a lot of space! I've considered looking at freeze dried foods since they are very light and compact. You can fit 2-4 weeks of food in a large backpack and it lasts 15-30 years! So you think about it once and not again for a VERY long time. There's security knowing that you can grab and go very quickly and your child will not be short of food in an emergency. There are several online companies that offer freeze-dried foods and I've recently began to compare them. Once I find a company that I can be confident in and is reasonably priced, I will be sure to share that information.
*Click here to visit my page on Facebook and "like" me to receive my blog posts automatically.