October 4, 2021 Family Transitions and Routines: Resources Learn how to navigate family transitions. Whether your child is transitioning from home to child care, from child care to kindergarten, or from one activity to another, realistic expectations and consistent routines can help them prepare for new scenarios which, in turn, makes navigating these transitions easier for you as well. To learn strategies for building strong routines, discussing change with young children, navigating family transitions, and more, view the list of resources below. Children’s Books, TV, and Movies Suggested Children’s Books to Support Transition, Human Development Institute 14 books to help ease children through transitions, The Art of Simple 45 Books to Get Kids Through Life’s Trickiest Transitions, Real Simple 16 Books to Help Kids Get Ready for the New School Year, Read Brightly Book Lists That Help Kids Through Transitions, No Time for Flashcards Starting School: Books to Help Ease the Transition, Childhood 101 The Best Children’s Books About Death, Fatherly 12 Books to Ease Back-to-School Anxiety for All Ages, Scholastic Back-to-School Books, Common Sense Media Back-to-School TV, Common Sense Media Back-to-School Movies, Common Sense Media Kids’ Books About the Immigrant Experience, Common Sense Media Movies to Help Kids Deal with Grief, Common Sense Media Movies to Help Kids Understand Divorce, Common Sense Media Books to Help Kids Deal with Divorce, Common Sense Media Books About a New Sibling, Common Sense Media 10 Relaxing Books to Help Kids Drift Off to Dreamland, Common Sense Media Books About Puberty, Common Sense Media Kids & Teens Booklists, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Selected Children’s Books About Kindergarten, Head Start Routines and Rituals Building Structure, CDC Answers from Experts, CDC Quick Tips, CDC Creating Structure and Rules (Videos), CDC Family routines: how and why they work, Raising Children Network Tackling Transitions with a Toddler, Montessori in Real Life How to Get Preschoolers Into a Routine After School, PBS Kids Why family routines and rituals are important, Evergreen Psychotherapy Center Family rituals: what are they?, Raising Children Network Easing a Toddler’s Daily Transitions, Parents The Environment: Schedules and Routines, Virtual Lab School How to Create a Morning Routine for Your Kids, Develop Good Habits Bedtime Routines for Children, Sleep Foundation Empowering Our Babies With Rituals, Janet Lansbury Essential Elements of a Baby Bedtime Routine, Janet Lansbury The Importance of Schedules and Routines, Head Start Creating Routines for Love and Learning, Zero to Three 10 Reasons A Daily Routine is Important for Your Child (and How to Set One), Petit Why Kids Need Routines, Aha! Parenting It’s All Routine, Regarding Baby Parents’ Guide to Routines for Kids, pathways.org Routines, Rituals, Consistency, and Structure for Kids (Video), Julie B Routines: The Unexpected Power of Habits, Practices, and Rituals, TEDx Talks The Importance of Routines for Kids, Zero to Thrive 5 Reasons to Establish a Toddler Routine, Parents Disrupted Routines Dealing with Behavioral Challenges from Disrupted Routines, Encompass Do time changes, vacations and other changes affect your child’s behavior?, Morneau Shepell Transitions in Early Learning Moving from an Infant to a Toddler Child Care Classroom: Embracing Change and Respecting Individual Differences, NAEYC Transition to Child Care for Children from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds, ResearchGate Daily Separations and Reunions, ECLKC Helping Children Understand Routines and Classroom Schedules, CSEFEL Change Doesn’t Have to Be Hard: Classroom Transitions, Head Start Helping Children Make Transitions between Activities, CSEFEL Terrific Transitions | Scholastic | Parents, Scholastic Starting Kindergarten Kindergarten Transition, Trying Together Your Child Is Going to Kindergarten: Making the Move Together, Head Start Transition to Kindergarten: Resource Guide, Head Start Transitions Resources for Families, Head Start Transition to Kindergarten: Why It Matters and How to Promote Success, Head Start Kindergarten Transition Parent Handbook, AIU 3 8 Tips to Prepare for the First Days of School, Scholastic Transitioning to Kindergarten, NAEYC Transition to Kindergarten, ECLKC TRANSITION TO KINDERGARTEN, The PA Key Transitioning to Kindergarten: A Toolkit for Early Childhood Educators, AFT 9 Ways to Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten, Understood Easing First Day Jitters: Strategies for Successful Home-to-School Transitions, NAEYC Transitions to Kindergarten, NAEYC Helping Kids Transition to Kindergarten, Kaplan Top Ten Tips for the Transition to Kindergarten, William James College Transition to Kindergarten, Ready Freddy 12 ways to help a child make the transition to kindergarten, Harvard Health Publishing Child Development Supporting Transitions: Using Child Development as a Guide, Head Start Infant/Toddler Transitions, Head Start Transitions: From the Children’s Perspective, ECLKC Playful Routines Five Essentials to Meaningful Play, NAEYC 10 Playful Solutions For Morning & Evening Routines, Positive Parenting Connection 9 Ways to Make Household Chores Fun, Scholastic How to make grocery shopping with kids fun, Focus on the Family Tips and Tricks to Make Bath Time Fun, Kids Kandoo 100 Simple Ideas for Parents to be Playful and Silly with Kids, A Fine Parent Mindfulness The Power of “Good Morning”, NAEYC Mindful Morning Meetings, NAEYC Adaptations and Targeted Support Supporting Dual Language Learners With Schedules and Transitions, Head Start Early Intervention Transition: Preschool Programs to School-Aged Programs, PA Dept. of Education The Importance of a Daily Schedule for Kids with ADHD: Sample Routines and More, ADDitude Challenging Behaviors Why Does My Kid Struggle with Transitions?, Charlotte Parent Planning Transitions to Prevent Challenging Behavior, NAEYC Reducing Challenging Behaviors during Transitions: Strategies for Early Childhood Educators to Share with Parents, NAEYC Responding to Behavior, CDC Answers from Experts, CDC Why kids have trouble following a routine or schedule, Understood Child won’t follow a routine or schedule? Try these 5 tips, Understood 5 morning problems solved, Today’s Parent When routines for your kids don’t work, you might be the problem, Being Dads 51 Mindfulness Exercises for Kids in the Classroom, Waterford.org When a Child Can’t Get Her Act Together in the Morning, Janet Lansbury Opportunities to Practice Creating Structure & Rules: Can We Make It Simple?, CDC Communicating with Your Child: What Would You Say?, CDC Giving Directions: What Would You Do?, CDC Using Discipline and Consequences: What Would You Do?, CDC Getting your children into a routine – DIY Routine Board (Video), And then she said Practice Routines: Daniel Tiger Bathtime Helper, PBS Kids Sample Schedules How to Create a Family Schedule (Spanish), Trying Together 5 Realistic Daily Schedules for Kids, From Ages 0 to 11, PureWow Daily Schedule for Kids (Printable), Mommyhood101 How to Build Cooperation, Independence and Listening Using a Printable Schedule for Kids, The Military Wife and Mom DAILY SCHEDULE • AGES 5-8, The Children’s Center Get Ready for Kindergarten! Activity Calendar for Families, ECLKC
Transitioning from Home to Child Care Support the Transition to Child Care Starting child care can be a difficult transition for children and caregivers alike. While child care has numerous benefits, including access to highly skilled educators who are trained to support your child’s development, it takes trust to let someone educate and care for your child without you. During this transition, your child may express discomfort or fear. That is totally natural. Adjusting to a new environment and schedule and building relationships with new caregivers takes time. However, with the right support and preparation, you can ensure that your child’s transition to child care is successful which, in turn, will reduce your own worries and anxiety. What are the benefits of child care? Although the transition to child care can be scary, this new early learning environment actually offers many benefits to both you and your child, including (but not limited to): opportunities for children to build and practice their cognitive, physical, social, and emotional skills right under the guidance of highly skilled early childhood educators, opportunities for children to play and socialize with other children and adults, which can help build self-confidence skills, lifelong friendships, and more, more structure and routine in each day, which helps children sleep better, eat healthier, and support children’s overall well-being, exposure to a variety of play, art, music, art, and other child-led activities, a smoother transition to kindergarten thanks to increased practice making transitions between home, and activities and other classroom skills, the ability for parents and caregivers to return to work which helps to stabilize financial security and ensures that families can continue to advance their careers, access to a reliable set of educators who provide child care on a consistent basis, no questions asked or additional schedules to be considered, the addition of much needed alone time for parents and caregivers to complete tasks, errands, chores, recreational activities, self-care, and more, and opportunities for parents and caregivers to grow their personal support networks by building relationships with other caregivers, educators, and more. To learn more, view these resources from ABC Academy and The Gardner School. How can you support your child’s transition to child care? To prepare your child for their transition to child care, consider: visiting the child care program before their first day to familiarize them with the environment and educators; some programs offer a phased transition approach; talk to your child about child care, including what it will look like, how it will be different from home, where you will go, and when you will come back; ask your child how they are feeling and validate their experience; be kind to yourself as well but try to set a strong, confident example for your child during drop-off; read books or watch tv episodes together where the main character is starting child care or the first day of school; work together to brainstorm strategies your child can use when they are feeling sad, angry, anxious, or unsure in their new environment; some children bring a comfort item with them to help soothe them during the transition; and ask for a copy of the child care schedule in advance and start practicing it at home before the official start of child care. Learn More For information on how to find, choose, and afford high-quality child care, check out our printable family guide. If you live or work in Allegheny County, visit Allegheny Child Care to find a high-quality child care program near you. To learn more strategies, view the following resources: 7 Tips to Ease the Transition Into Child Care, HiMama 6 ways to help ease your child’s transition to daycare, Motherly How to Help a Toddler Adjust to Daycare: 8 Tips for Parents & Teachers, Wonderschool
How to Create a Family Schedule Create a family schedule that works! As a parent or caregiver, you know how hard it can be to juggle daily responsibilities. From work and education to meals and transportation, families have to organize an intricate schedule of tasks and activities. While it can be overwhelming, creating a family schedule can help with identifying what needs to happen when, by who, and for how long. Every family is unique, so create a schedule that works for yours. It can be as loose or as firm as you need. The best type of schedule is a schedule that meets your family’s needs. To get started, follow the steps below and work together as a family to identify what does and does not work. How to create a personal or family schedule: 1. Print out a copy of the Schedule Planner on pages two through five. 2. Fill out your family’s schedule priorities, routines, and wants. Start with yourself. When done, move to another family member. Depending on the size of your family, you may need an additional paper for brainstorming. 3. Add in your priorities, routines, and wants into the calendar. Start with your priorities and block off dedicated hours for those tasks. That will make it easier to identify open times for other tasks or wants. Invite your family members to make their own schedules. This encourages them to be a part of the planning process and helps them better understand their schedules and routines. You can work with young children to create a schedule together. Ask them to talk about what they do after they wake up, at school, before bed, and in between! If the calendar is not big enough, use it as inspiration and create your own! Make it playful by decorating it in different colors, writing utensils, stickers, and more! Or draw it on a whiteboard or chalkboard so you can update it as needed! 4. Talk about your schedules together. What looks the same and what looks different? Keep your schedule on hand, post it on your fridge or a wall, or add it to your phone calendar. Make sure children can easily access their schedules every day. Making copies can be useful for when children stay elsewhere, such as at a family or loved one’s house. Keeping at least the required elements of the schedule consistent helps maintain your child’s well-being and ability to transition successfully. 5. Review your schedules together at the beginning of each day and refer to them often. Let children know if something in the schedule needs to change on a particular day and why it is changing. Try to keep your schedule as similar as possible each day. Think About Your Daily Routines What must you complete? Make a list of tasks you must complete on a daily basis and how long they typically take. Examples include drop-off, pick-up, grocery shopping, working, bathing, cooking, homework, and medications. What routines and rituals do you have in place? List at least three routines or rituals (morning, family meals, etc.) you have and the required steps. What would be nice to accomplish? Make a list of tasks that would be nice to accomplish throughout the week and how long they typically take. Examples include activities, hobbies, and social gatherings. What is recommended for children? At least 15 to 20 minutes of reading per day. Opportunities to play throughout the day (imaginative, cooperative, nature, parallel, etc.). A variety of play activities throughout the day for children ages three to five and at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day for children ages six to seventeen. For more physical health recommendations, read our family guide. Recommended Activities List Consider adding these activities into your family schedule, or create your own activity ideas! For young children, it is helpful to write short words with big letters and draw a picture of the activity on their schedules. Common Chores Making and Eating Breakfast Making and Eating Lunch Making and Eating Dinner Making and Eating a Snack At Work Doing Laundry Doing the Dishes Taking Out Trash or Recycling Sweeping the Floors Mopping the Floors Taking Care of My Pet Cleaning the Bathroom Cleaning Up Grocery Shopping Common Elements of Routines Drop Off Pick Up Brushing and Flossing My Teeth Taking a Bath / Shower Changing My Clothes Putting on My Shoes Packing My Backpack Medication Homework Set the Table / Clear the Table Quiet Time Nap Time Bed Time Family Outing Fun Activities Going to the Playground Going on a Walk Singing and Dancing Together Spending Time Outdoors Play Time Creative Time and Self Expression Reading a Book or Storytelling Snuggles with Someone I Love Visiting a Friend or Loved One Watching TV or a Movie Together Talking About Our Days Together Dedicated Time with a Loved One Playing Tag Doing Animal Yoga Additional Resources Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series Developmentally Appropriate Parenting is a family resource content series developed by Trying Together as an effort to empower caregivers to create high-quality experiences at the earliest stages of their child’s life. Zero to Thrive Zero to Thrive believes that the period from pregnancy through early childhood is an essential time for mitigating the multi-generational effects of inequity, trauma, and adversity. Their website features resources on routines, transitioning to child care, and more. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website features printable resources on creating a family schedule checklist, family rules, and chore charts.
Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series: Part IX Transitions & Routines From the moment a child is born, they experience a significant change in their environment or experience, also known as a transition. During early childhood, children experience a wide range of transitions, such as starting child care or kindergarten, welcoming a new family member, losing a loved one, and more. To navigate these transitions successfully, they need some help. To help guide families in navigating childhood transitions, Trying Together published resources on routines, rituals, kindergarten transition, family schedules, incorporating play, and more! Featured Resources Transitions, Routines, & Rituals: What are They and Why Do They Matter? This printable and online resource includes information on transitions, routines, rituals, and strategies families can use to help their children work through changes in routine successfully. Kindergarten Transition: A Guide for Families To support families in navigating the transition to kindergarten successfully, Trying Together developed the Kindergarten Transition Guide for Families. Readers will learn why kindergarten transition matters, about common steps to prepare for, and strategies that can help. Create Your Family Schedule Every family is unique, so create a schedule that works for yours. It can be as loose or as firm as you need. The best type of schedule is a schedule that meets your family’s needs. To get started, check out our How to Create a Family Schedule resource and work together as a family. Transitioning from Home to Child Care The transition to child care can be difficult for children and caregivers alike. Learn how your family can manage it together. How to Make Routines More Playful Children thrive when they have opportunities to play. Read this post to learn eight ways to make your routines more playful. Common Transitions and Routines for Children Although life changes can be difficult, families can help their children prepare and cope. Read this post to learn how to approach common transitions. Children’s Books That Talk About Transitions Are you looking for children’s books that talk about common childhood transitions? Check out this booklist to find books that talk about going to school, loss, changing family dynamics, and more. Your Child Is Going to Kindergarten: Family Guide The transition to kindergarten is a big moment for children and caregivers alike! You may be feeling proud and excited, or sad and uncertain, about the changes that this transition will bring. With a bit of preparation, your family can be ready for the first day! Learn more. Addressing Challenging Behaviors Challenging behaviors can manifest when children are overwhelmed. Read this post to learn strategies to address them. Transitions and Routines: Family Resources Are you looking for resources on family transitions and routines? Check out this list to view children’s books, routine templates, and more! More Information To stay up-to-date on available resources, follow Trying Together on Facebook and Twitter or sign up to receive our newsletter.
April 23, 2021 Emergency Reference Guide for Babysitters, American Red Cross This easy-to-carry, compact booklet provides step-by-step instructions to handle common emergencies for babysitters such as bee stings and asthma attacks. About It’s important for children to be safe, no matter who is taking care of them. The American Red Cross’ Emergency Reference Guide for Babysitters outlines steps babysitters can take for common injuries and emergency situations such as choking, poisoning or sudden illnesses. Download it now.
Safety and Emergencies: Family Resources Keeping children safe is one of the biggest responsibilities for a parent or child caregiver. Check out our list of resources below for more information, activities, and tools. Creating a Safe Home Environment for Children in Pennsylvania Allegheny County Health Department’s Safe and Healthy Homes provides free in-home health and safety assessments to qualified participants in Allegheny County as well as Beaver, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. The program aims to reduce hospitalizations, injuries, illnesses, or deaths from preventable home health or safety hazards. Assessments include a visual inspection for potential dangers in the home such as child safety hazards such as drowning, poisoning, tripping, burn risks, and window safety; lead-based paint; pest infestations; mold, and more. Allegheny Lead Safe Homes Program offers qualifying homeowners and renters in Allegheny County with free lead-paint testing throughout their homes and hires a certified lead abatement contractor to repair any lead hazards found up to $12,000. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency outlines actions you can take to protect your children and prevent them from coming into contact with lead before they are harmed. Staffed 24 hours a day by nurse specialists who have extensive training in clinical toxicology, the Pittsburgh Poison Center responds to requests for poison information from the general public and medical professionals who reside in 44 Pennsylvania counties. There is no fee to the general public for this service. The Pittsburgh Poison Center conducts comprehensive, continuing poison prevention education programs, as well as training programs and seminars for healthcare professionals. For emergencies, call 1.800.222.1222. ChildproofingExperts.com was founded by childproofing professionals of the International Association for Child Safety (IAFCS) as a resource for parents and caregivers seeking information about keeping homes, child care centers, and play facilities safer for young children. Safe Sleep Cribs for Kids® aims to prevent infant sleep-related deaths by educating parents and caregivers on the importance of practicing safe sleep for their babies and by providing portable cribs to families who, otherwise, cannot afford a safe place for their babies to sleep. The organization’s Sleep Safe Academy offers additional tools and resources for parents. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has a comprehensive Question and Answer page about how you can make sure your infant is sleeping safely. Learn more about creating a safe sleep environment for your baby. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) crib information center offers information on crib safety and up-to-date information on infant product recalls. The American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement, SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Updated 2016 Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment provides recommendations for building safe sleep environments. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Safe Sleep for Infants” video discusses infant safe sleep recommendations, the need for standardized SUID investigation and reporting practices, and promising interventions. The Safe to Sleep campaign has outreach activities to spread safe sleep messages and educational materials about ways to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths. Car Seats and Travel The National Child Passenger Safety Certification Training Program directory is provided as a way for parents and caregivers to contact technicians for information and assistance. Simply fill in the online form and search by location, language or special needs training. UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh‘s Injury Prevention Program sponsors car seat checks throughout our community. Car seat safety technicians are on-hand to teach parents to properly install car seats and explain the importance of child passenger safety seats. Call 1.877.498.4332, press 4 to make an appointment. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration maintains a directory of many car seat inspection stations. Safe Kids Worldwide offers tips for parents and caregivers before, during, and after a car seat inspection appointment. Safe Kids Allegheny County is led by UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Team Educators for Child Safety (TECHS) coalition of certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technicians and Instructors serving the greater Pittsburgh area. The PA Traffic Injury Prevention Project (PA TIPP) is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to assist in the development, training and promotion of Car Seat Loan Programs throughout Pennsylvania. Car seats provided to loan programs are purchased through the Child Passenger Restraint Fund from the traffic citations issued for violations of the Pennsylvania Child Passenger Protection Law. Pennsylvania Car Seat Fitting Stations have certified child passenger safety technicians available to assist with a car seat inspection and to teach you how to correctly use and install your car seat. The booklet A Parent’s Guide to Playing It Safe with Kids and Cars is designed to equip you with easy-to-understand information about today’s vehicle safety features, car seats and how to keep your kids safe in and around vehicles. The Car Seat Lady website offers some insight into how bulky winter coats pose a safety risk when worn in a car seat and what you can do to keep your child warm and safe. Pet Safety The California Department of Health’s “Don’t Let the Dogs Bite: How to be Safe Around Dogs” coloring book can aid parents and caregivers in teaching their children how to behave safely around dogs. The CDC’s “Stay Healthy Around Animals” coloring book teaches young children how to care for themselves and animals. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) offers a large amount of information for pet owners including: Tips for dog owners, including training your dog and teaching your children to respect your pet An outline of dog aggression and factors to consider to help you determine if your dog needs professional training. An outline of the types of behavioral and training specialists and their differences. Kids Health from Nemours has a list of infections that pets carry, how they spread, and how to prevent them. Personal Safety KidSmartz offers a list of safety scenarios to practice. Other resources include: Tell People “No” video The Safety Dance video Lesson plans about personal safety with project-based lessons for grades K-2 and 3-5. They’ll learn how to be safer through art activities, journal writing, and animated videos. The CDC has a backpack emergency card that parents can fill out and keep in their child’s backpack. Emergency Preparedness The CDC’s Ready Wrigley books teach children about different emergencies such as natural disasters and illness. American Academy of Pediatrics published Are You Ready for Disasters? Family Readiness Kit Sesame Street Let’s Get Ready: Planning Together for Emergencies is a bilingual (English and Spanish) multiple media resource designed to help entire families, especially those with young children, to plan and prepare together for emergencies. Through simple strategies and tips that can be incorporated into everyday routines, Let’s Get Ready helps children, families, and caregivers to prepare ahead of time in age-appropriate and engaging ways.
Summer Safety Brochure, Allegheny County Health Department Summer offers plenty of opportunities to get outside, get active, and enjoy family activities. By heeding some simple tips, parents and caregivers can ensure that summer is both safe and fun. About The Allegheny County Health Department and Allegheny County Department of Human Services developed a Summer Safety brochure, featuring important information and tips on how families can enjoy summer while staying safe. The Summer Safety brochure includes tips on the following topics: bug bites and stings sun safety safety on wheels water safety car safety chemical and poison safety To view the full list of tips, download the brochure.
Let’s Get Ready: Planning Together for Emergencies, Sesame Street A bilingual (English and Spanish) multiple media resource, Let’s Get Ready and Handling Emergencies are designed to help entire families, especially those with young children, to plan and prepare together for emergencies. Through simple strategies and tips that can be incorporated into everyday routines, these helps children, families, and caregivers to prepare ahead of time in age-appropriate and engaging ways. About Preparing for emergencies is something the whole family and community can do together! Help children remember important information, and create a family emergency kit and plan. These steps will go a long way in keeping children safe and secure. Let’s Get Ready Toolkit Handling Emergencies Toolkit
CPR for Infants and Children CPR can save a child’s life by providing the brain, heart and other organs with life-giving oxygen in the event of respiratory and/or cardiac arrest. Drowning, poisoning, accidents, smoke inhalation and SIDS are only a few of the emergencies that could result in death if not treated quickly. About A number of resources and courses are available to help parents and caregivers learn how to administer CPR in the event of an emergency. Infant / Pediatric CPR Study Guide, National CPR Association Child and Baby First Aid/CPR/AED Online, American Red Cross Infant CPR and Choking, National Health Care Provider Solutions Infant CPR and Adult & Child Anytime® Training Kits, American Heart Association
A Guide for Families: Creating An Emergency Kit Be prepared for an emergency situation. Emergencies like natural disasters, fires, injuries, and other crisis situations can happen in the blink of an eye, so it is important to be prepared. When children and their families prepare for an emergency situation together, children learn the basics of staying safe, and it can make emergencies less stressful because they will feel empowered. Create an Emergency Kit Take some time to create an emergency kit box with your child — turn it into a treasure hunt or a game to keep your child engaged. As you put items in the box, explain how they would help during an emergency. Prepare kits for your home, work, and vehicle and review them every six months to a year to replace expired food items or clothing your child has outgrown. Use this checklist to prepare kits for your family. Basic Needs Water (one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation). Food (at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food). Can opener for food. Emergency lighting, such as a flashlight, head lamp, or battery-powered lantern. Extra batteries in common sizes and batteries for any other devices such as hearing aids. Car chargers, power banks, and adapters for home use equipment and devices. A battery-powered or hand-crank National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio with USB port(s). Battery-powered or backup smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. Appliance thermometers for your refrigerator and freezer. A surge protector power strip. Matches in a waterproof container. Warm clothes, blankets, sleeping bags, and emergency blankets to keep you warm in cold temperatures. Personal Needs Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties (for personal sanitation). Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items. Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, and diaper rash cream. Pet food and extra water for your pet. Cash. Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes. Books, games, puzzles, or other activities for children. Medication A list of your prescription medicines. Include information about your diagnosis, dosage, frequency, medical supply needs, and allergies. Medical equipment such as inhalers, hearing aids, glucose meters and test strips, eyeglasses, etc. First aid supplies: Bandages. Antibiotic ointment. Antiseptic wipes. Latex gloves. Oral thermometer. Hand sanitizer. Tweezers and scissors. Nonprescription drugs, like pain and fever relievers, antihistamines, and antidiarrheal medicines. A cooler and chemical ice packs to chill medicines that need to be refrigerated. Paperwork Copies of insurance cards (home, car, health). Personal identification. Vital records. Photocopied veterinary records and registration information. Personal care plans. More Information For more information about preparing for an emergency with your family, visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Ready Campaign website: ready.gov. Print This Resource This resource is available as a printable PDF (English) (Spanish).
