How to Get Your Kids Involved in Prepping
Prepare Your Children for an Emergency
As a prepper, getting your kids involved in preparing for an emergency is tough. It requires tact and patience. For example, when they are infant children, they may not be of any help because, at that stage, they pose a security risk. They need to be watched, loud, and highly vulnerable, and you need to do all the planning on their behalf. But, if they are older, you will have better power and strength because they are mobile and can perform practical tasks.
You need to help your children develop prepping habits that will last them for a lifetime. We are not talking about strenuous simple drilling exercises; we are teaching them always to be ready. These prepping activities can be fun if you make them a natural part of their everyday life. They will find a lot of joy and security knowing that they can defend themselves in any situation.
Zero to One-Year-Old Children You are Their Prep
Infants are the most challenging kind of children to prep for their needs. Even though prepping with infants may be tough, this is what we recommend.
Food
When it comes to having food ready for your infants, it’s safe to say that breast milk is the best option. If you are a lactating mother, you need to pack meals that you will eat, especially calorie-wise. It would help if you had all the extra calories in your diet, and you need to eat much more than an active male prepper.
This way, you can produce food for yourself and your infant. If there is a situation where the child’s mother may be available but unable to breastfeed because of health, condition, or choice, you need to get some baby formula.
Other activities
- You can take your infant anywhere during a bug out using a papoose. This excellent gizmo allows an adult to sling the child to the chest or back while moving in a survival situation.
- Instead of stocking up on only synthetic diapers, we recommend cloth diapers as you can reuse them.
- Pack up heavy clothes and jumpsuits, diaper rash cream, and baby bottles.
- Ensure to treat your environment to avoid exposing your infant to diseases.
Prepping with Toddlers the One to Three Year Old Children
At this age, your children become toddlers, and it is easier to prep with them.
Food
As a prepper, you need to wean your child off breast milk and formula once they are about one year old. Start feeding them finely minced or pureed solid foods as soon as practicable. This way, you don’t have to stock up on expensive baby food.
Other activities
- Potty train them, thereby eliminating the use of diapers during a survival situation.
- Toddlers may still be learning how to walk, and they may go from not walking well to walking too quickly. You should carry a baby carrier.
- In case of a bug-out situation, buy a helmet for your toddlers because they fall too often.
- Carry lots of water and juices in your bug-out bag. Toddlers get dehydrated easily.
Prepping with Three to Ten Year Children
This is the right age to start introducing your child to prepper and survival training. Kids at this age are more willing to learn. You can teach them these survival skills methodically and slowly.
- Start by teaching the child the things that are hazardous in their environment. The dangers can be electrocution, ponds, pools, fires, insect stings or snake bites, and other hazards. Teaching them what is unsafe and what to avoid will help them in a survival situation.
- Once they are five years old, teach your child about firearms safety. This doesn’t mean they need to learn how to shoot; it means teaching them not to touch a gun. They should be taught to report immediately to you if they find a gun.
- Before they get to ten years old, your child should be able to learn how to make a fire, use a radio, look through binoculars or read a map.
Get the Ten to Twelve Children Involved in Prepping Today
At this age, your child can function as a full-fledged member of the team. They can work independently and should be able to help themselves in a survival situation.
- Your child should be able to defend themselves firmly. They need to be accountable to both themselves and their team, the family.
- Depending on their height, at age 12, you may consider teaching them how to drive a car. Just in case they need to move a vehicle during an emergency.
- They should pack their bug-out bag by this age, and they should be assigned tasks and responsibilities.
Survival Skills for Thirteen to Nineteen Year Olds
From a prepping standpoint, these are functioning adults that should handle any survival situation. They are regarded as adults regarding human resources needs, but you still need to treat them as teenagers because they are not adults emotionally.
- At this age, you should teach them tactical training such as fire team movements.
- They should also be independent and reliable.
- You should be able to send them into wooded areas, and they find their way home.
- They should be able to drive and handle other survival skill tasks.
Prepping for emergencies and bug-outs can be tough on even adults. So expect your kids to take some time to get the hang of things. What’s most important is that they show up and learn something new with every practice session.
FAQs on Prepping Survival with Kids
What are preppers afraid of when they have kids?
Some explanations focus on a tendency toward paranoia in American society or fears of terrorism or natural disaster. Rather than rampant paranoia, The motivation behind most people who prepare is simple: “preparing for a world in which we know more and understand less.”
Is prepping a waste of time when you have children?
Do we know what the future is for our families and us? It takes just one event to change everything. Some people say that it’s best not to prep because if things go wrong, they will be among those who survive, but others disagree vehemently with this sentiment as it is impossible to predict how long any given situation might last or even whether your family may need help from outside sources at some point in their lives. The truth probably lies somewhere between these two views, so why take the chance on being unprepared by packing up all your supplies today instead of waiting until something happens tomorrow before preparing yourself again then wishing you had done more yesterday too late now!
Can FEMA take your food stockpile for your children?
A time of crisis, scarcity, or government emergency declaration can cause food to be in short supply. Hoarding during this period may not seem very wise, but it is still legal. Under a state of emergency, the right to confiscate supplies from civilians will sometimes arise, and you could lose your stockpiled items if you are found hoarding any resources that might help others survive as well.
How can my kids be safe and prepared for anything?
You’ll need to do the following: Make a blueprint of what your child needs. Build up food supplies, store water safely, cook what we’ve stored with kitchens that work off-grid without electricity. Implement an outhouse system so no other animals or people have access to our toilets which will house rubbish and toilet waste in separate containers. Pack thematic bug-out bags full of great things they might find useful when escaping disaster zones – but first! Let’s create one central place where all this information is easily accessible.
Prepare for Natural Disaster or Man-Made Events Now Not Later
Preparing for an emergency is hard. You have to make sure you have the right supplies, and that your kids know how to use them correctly. If you don’t get it just right, then things could go really wrong if a disaster strikes. That’s why we’ve created this article on preparing our kids so that you can be as prepared as possible when SHTF! We’ll share what we do on how to prepare our children for an emergency so they’re ready when the time comes. This will help ensure their safety during any crisis – whether it’s a natural disaster or man-made events like terrorism or war. You never know when you’ll need to leave your house with your kids and the family dog in tow but a handy thing to have for the pooch is also a Dog Bug-Out Bag that bag makes it quick and easy.