Evacuating with infants in an emergency - Advice for parents and carers

If you are caring for an infant and there is an emergency, it is best to evacuate early or as soon as you are advised to do so. Infants are especially vulnerable, and you need to carry a large amount of supplies to keep them safe, so leaving early gives you more time.

If an emergency means you have to leave your home, pack at least 3 days’ worth of supplies for each member of your family. The advice below is designed to help carers of infants prepare for an evacuation, and assumes that during an evacuation there may be no access to power or clean water.

General items for infants#

Suggested items to pack for an infant include:

• Hand sanitizer
• Disposable bags
• Nappies (diapers) for 3 days, around 30, plus wipes
• Comfort items, such as a blanket or a dummy (pacifier)
• Activity items, such as books, games and toys
• Bedding

If you are breastfeeding#

The stress of an emergency will not stop a mother from making milk, but it can hold back the let-down reflex. Encourage your infant to keep suckling until the milk lets down.

Breastfeeding mothers need extra fluids, so pack enough bottled drinking water for 3 days (around 9 liters).

Mothers who are exclusively breastfeeding do not need to pack any extra feeding supplies for their infant.

If you express breastmilk#

In an emergency there may be no electricity or running water to run an electric breast pump or to properly clean a hand pump. To prepare, it is worth learning how to hand express breastmilk in advance. A health professional or breastfeeding support service can help you learn this skill and provide information on expressing and storing breastmilk.

If you express, pack:

• Single-use plastic or paper cups for expressed milk, allowing one for every feed (for a young infant this may be up to 27 cups)
• Enough bottles and teats to use a fresh one for every feed. These should be washed, sterilized, dried and sealed in a zip-lock bag (for a young infant, up to 27 bottles and 27 teats).

If you formula feed#

Clean, hot water cannot be guaranteed in an emergency, so prepare a formula-feeding kit in advance. The items can be packed into a lidded plastic box, with the inside of the lid used as a clean preparation area:

• An unopened tin of infant formula (enough for 3 days of feeds)
• Enough bottles and teats to use a fresh one for every feed, washed, sterilized, dried and sealed in a zip-lock bag (for a young infant, up to 27 bottles and 27 teats)
• Enough 250 mL bottles of still drinking water to make up the formula (up to 24 bottles)
• Large containers or bottles of water for washing your hands and the preparation area (around 6 liters)
• A small bottle of detergent for washing your hands and the preparation area
• Paper towel (2 or 3 ply) to dry your hands and the preparation area (up to 200 sheets)

Cup feeding in an emergency#

Feeding bottles and teats can be hard to clean and sterilize in an emergency. If you are preparing to evacuate and do not have enough clean, sterilized bottles and teats to last 3 days (up to 27 bottles and 27 teats), a bottle-fed infant can be taught to drink from a cup.

Open cups are the safest to use. For a young infant you can use a small disposable plastic cup, such as a medicine cup.

To cup feed:

• Only cup feed an infant when they are fully awake and alert. Never lay your baby back, as this can cause choking and spluttering, and the baby may breathe in (aspirate) some milk.
• Wrap small babies to gently restrain their hands, or hold older babies so they cannot reach for the cup. Sit the baby upright on your lap and hold them firmly with your other arm and hand.
• With the cup about half full, hold it so it just touches the baby’s mouth and rests lightly on their lower lip, reaching the corners of the mouth.
• Start with a tiny sip to encourage the baby. Do not pour milk into the baby’s mouth. Tip the cup just enough so the baby can lap the milk themselves, bringing their tongue forward.
• Keep the cup tilted in this position. Do not take it away when the baby pauses, unless the baby pulls away. Let the baby start again when ready and set their own pace.
• Follow the baby’s cues. They should control how much milk they take at a time.

Cup feeding may seem slow and messy at first, but it gets easier with time and practice.

Feeding infants who have started solids#

Pack food and water for at least 3 days, along with baby spoons or disposable teaspoons. In an emergency, non-perishable foods are a safe option for infants who have started solids. They should be eaten with clean hands and a clean baby spoon.

Suitable items include:

• Enough non-perishable food for 3 days (3 meals and snacks)
• Bottled still drinking water for infants over 6 months of age (around 1.5 liters)
• Wheat biscuit breakfast cereal or infant rice cereal
• Long-life milk (for use on cereal only)
• Low-salt tinned baked beans
• Infant meal pouches, such as tuna, rice and vegetables
• Tinned fruit in natural juice
• Fruit and vegetable pouches for infants
• Nut spreads
• Tinned chicken breast (in water)
• Tinned fish (in olive oil or brine)

Key points#

• If you are caring for an infant, evacuate early when you can, as infants are vulnerable and need many supplies.
• Pack at least 3 days’ worth of supplies for each family member, and assume there may be no power or clean water.
• Exclusively breastfeeding mothers need extra drinking water but no extra feeding supplies for the infant.
• If you express or formula feed, prepare a kit with clean bottles, teats and water in advance.
• A bottle-fed infant can be taught to drink from an open cup if clean, sterilized bottles run short.

Where to get help#