Emergency preparation for babies and young children

Start with today's routine

Write down what your child uses during an ordinary day: feeds, suitable food, nappies, medicines, communication aids and any powered equipment. Identify which steps depend on clean water, refrigeration, electricity or another adult. Use this to choose preparations rather than applying an adult food list to a baby.

• Record the healthcare, pharmacy and equipment contacts you may need.
• Include spare clothing and a familiar comfort item.
• Check supplies when a child changes size, food stage or medicine.
• Ask the relevant provider now about any care need that cannot wait during an outage.

Adapt the household checklistPlan care and additional needs

Make a safe feeding plan before a disruption

If your baby uses formula, discuss a suitable backup with your midwife, health visitor or clinician where needed. Ready-to-feed formula can be useful when safe powder preparation is not possible. It still needs suitable clean, sterilised feeding equipment, and opened containers must be handled according to their instructions. Choose practical pack sizes instead of assuming an opened large carton can remain at room temperature.

NHS: formula milk questions and safe preparation (opens in a new tab)NHS-supported feeding and equipment guidance (opens in a new tab)

Separate drinking-water storage from infant feeding

The household water calculator is a storage-planning aid, not instructions for a baby's feeds or fluid intake. Powdered formula needs the correct preparation process even if bottled water is used. Bottled water is not sterile. Do not dilute feeds to stretch supplies or substitute an unsuitable milk because it is available. If you cannot make or obtain a safe feed, contact a health professional promptly.

Understand emergency water storageNHS: types of formula (opens in a new tab)

Plan suitable food, medicines and comfort

For children eating family food, choose familiar options appropriate to their age, allergies and swallowing ability. Check whether food can be eaten without heating and what happens after opening. A generic no-cook menu is a starting point for adults to adapt, not a prescribed children's diet. Keep medicines in their original packaging and follow the normal prescribing and storage arrangements.

• Keep a current medicine and allergy record for the adults who care for the child.
• Ask the pharmacist about medicine-specific storage if refrigeration may fail.
• Plan nappies, hygiene items and a safe sleeping arrangement.
• Use calm explanations and familiar routines where possible.

Food and no-cook planning

Agree school, nursery and family handovers

Before severe weather or another disruption, check the school or nursery's contact and collection arrangements. Make sure authorised adults know their role and the setting has current contact details. Agree a backup if a phone is unavailable or transport stops. Follow the setting's safeguarding process; a person listed in a home plan is not automatically authorised to collect a child.

• Record how the setting sends closure or collection instructions.
• Choose an accessible meeting point and an alternative if it cannot be reached.
• Practise an age-appropriate emergency call and help children learn their address.
• Keep conversations factual and reassuring rather than presenting preparation as a prediction of danger.

Write your family contact plan

Check support and practise carrying essentials

Households with young children may qualify for utility priority support. Check the applicable provider's criteria and record the registration outcome. Also try carrying the essential items you would take if told to leave, while allowing for the child's mobility and your own. Agree who helps if one adult cannot safely manage everything. In a fire or urgent evacuation, do not delay leaving to finish packing.

Check priority-support routesEvacuation and grab bags