As parents, we hope that our kids never have to know what it’s like to go through extremely distressing situations.
But the reality is that emergencies do happen.
And as much as we don’t want to think about it, it’s imperative that we do what we can so that we can prepare ahead of time.
Of course it does no one any good to panic, but putting some forethought into how to handle a situation should it arise is being wise.
Think about it like this:
Each year you know that cold and flu season comes around. You also know that someone in your house will get sick at least once during that time.
Would you rather wait until fever strikes in the middle of the night to find out you have no fever reducing medicine or stock up right before you know the flu season will hit?
I’ll bet you’d rather be prepared—just like I would.
That’s not panicking or blowing things out of proportion, that is using parenting wisdom by anticipating your family’s needs and having supplies ready before they need them.
I think the current health climate of the world calls for a bit of that parenting wisdom to be applied.
It seems each day more and more events are being cancelled, schools are closing and people are even being allowed to work from home.
So as parents, if the inevitable should happen—a quarantine—we should be prepared.
To help make it easy for you to get what you need, here’s a quick checklist of some basic items that are essential to have on hand in case of a quarantine.
You don’t want to run out of toilet tissue or soap, but there are more things that you might not have thought of.
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The checklist is free for you to print. (Scroll below to download and print)
Take it to the store with you or use it while you load up your Amazon cart. Either way, it will help you to not forget the important things you and your kids will need in case of emergency.
And because each family has unique circumstances and needs, there is also a blank emergency checklist included. So you can fill in other items specific to your family so you won’t forget anything when you go shopping.
Emergency Household Checklist
Food
- Water bottles
- Canned goods
- Shelf stable milk
- Snacks
- Fruit
- Nuts
- Veggies
- Sugar
- Salt
- Pepper
Household
- Paper towels
- Toilet paper
- Facial tissue
- Hand soap
- Laundry detergent
- Garbage bags
- Disposable cups/plates/utensils
Personal/hygiene
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Body wash/soap
- Feminine products
Medical
- Hand sanitizer
- Rubbing alcohol
- Disinfecting wipes/spray
- Disposable gloves
- Disposable masks
- Pain relievers
- First-aid kit
Pets
- Pet food/snacks
- Pet toys
- Pet medications
Misc.
- Books
- Magazines
- Extra batteries
Babies & kids
- Diapers
- Wipes
- Snacks
- Juice pouches
- Cereal
- Children’s pain reliever
- Toys/games
- Books
- electronics
This list is not exhaustive, but it should get you off to a good start preparing for an emergency quarantine situation with kids.
Things to remember
Contrary to what some think, you’re not hoarding things you’ll never use. Most of the items on this list will be used regardless of if there is an emergency quarantine situation or not.
Another important point to remember is what if the unthinkable happens and you or someone in your house actually gets sick during this time?
You’ll be so glad to have things like paper plates and cups to use instead of worrying about dirty dishes.
Don’t worry about naysayers.
Do the best you can preparing for your family so you can rest easy at night.
Entertaining kids during a quarantine
As many schools are going on spring break right now you were probably already planning to have different things available to entertain your kids at home.
But what about if they extend spring break an extra week or two?
Or what if there is a quarantine?
Don’t panic. Here’s a list of tons of ideas for days when kids are stuck inside.
Browse the list and write down a few ideas for each day. That way you’re armed with a plan every day you wake up and the kids aren’t sitting around on electronics all day.
I hope this emergency quarantine checklist was helpful to you and you are able to use it to make sure your family is prepared for whatever comes.
