When my son was around three months old, I needed to run out and pick up milk and a small tool my husband had on order at a local hardware store. I anticipated the total outing to be around an hour, and thought I had packed appropriately. We successfully made it to the farm where I picked up our milk for the week, and placed the glass jugs on the floor of the car. During the drive to the hardware store, my son woke up and started fussing which rapidly escalated to a full-blown tantrum. When exiting the freeway, the glass jugs rolled together and one broke, spilling a half-gallon of milk over the front of my car. We arrived at the hardware store, where I parked around the back. I hopped into the back seat, fed my son, where he promptly over-filled his diaper and soiled the clothes he was wearing. On opening his diaper bag, I discovered that I had planned poorly for my outing. I had several diapers, but no change of clothes. I’m sure you can imagine this palm-to-forehead moment as I stared in horror at the puddle of milk in my car, my filthy child, and the cold January afternoon outside. While this event was frustrating and challenging to take care of (I cleaned my kiddo, wrapped him in my jacket, and used the extra diapers I had to sop up the milk, then ran to the store and bought him a clean outfit to wear home), it taught me the value of being prepared for any contingency, a lesson every new mother and father eventually learns.
As avid outdoors’ enthusiasts, my husband and I are always toting our small child out on adventures. We hike, bike, rock climb, hunt, camp, and disappear into the wilderness every chance we get. When our son was seven months old, we planned a month-long rock climbing adventure in St. George, Utah, which required frequent drives and hikes deep into the desert wilderness. Preparation for the comfort and care of an infant for a single-day in the mountainous desert took extensive research. Between the two of us we carried all of our climbing gear, enough food for about 8-hours, warm clothing (down jackets, cotton long-sleeve shirts and pants, wool hats, and a wool bunting suit for our son), a lightweight travel-cot for our son, blankets, toys, and standard diapering supplies. On reflection, however, I realized if we had ever encountered a challenge that required us to stay the night in the desert, or hike out due to a flat tire, we would have been in serious trouble. It never occurred to me to carry extra food in the event we were out past dinner, or a change of socks, or a proper first aid kit, or more diapers than absolutely necessary. Weight was a huge concern, and we relied on the fact that we weren’t too far from civilization and other rock climbers.
Shortly after our return from our trip, I read The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler; joined a back-country hiking group of moms; and my husband broke his leg at a local climbing area which very quickly demonstrated how dependent I was on him for carrying capacity of our daily gear. It struck me that in the survival literature that I’ve read, there is no discussion on ensuring the safety of an infant. On a personal level, ensuring the survival of my son is the most important thing I could do in any scenario; in a TEOTWAWKI situation what could be more important than well prepared women who know how to ensure their babies can survive? So, I began reflecting on what was truly needed should something ever occur that required me to survive alone with our son. Using an extreme example, could I pack a bag that contained everything my son and I would need to survive in complete wilderness and isolation for three days, including carrying my son?
As I began building my lists and sorting out what I truly needed, weight was a primary focus. At 5’1” tall and 105 lbs, I can’t expect to carry more than 50-60 lbs, including my son. A strong man could undoubtedly carry far more weight, but he doesn’t have the advantage of being able to breastfeed and has to carry all of the food and additional gear required for an infant’s milk/formula.
The planning involved with this also emphasized the need to stay fit and active; have sound first-aid skills that are applicable to an infant (most local first-aid courses include training on infant first-aid); have a good understanding of wilderness survival and knowledge of the region you’re planning to survive in (in my case, the Pacific Northwest); and know your limits. Traveling with an infant restricts your ability to hunt for food, so knowledge of basic traps for small game is helpful. You can’t plan for silence from a child when he is completely out of his element, so you need to ensure you don’t attract unwanted attention from predators (human and animal alike) as a result of your child’s crying. Your focus when surviving with an infant needs to be on warmth, security, hygiene, and food. Finally, when planning for a worst-case-scenario survival situation, cost should never be an issue. Unless you live under a bridge, you’re never too poor to afford the best quality items. You’re life will depend on the choices you make, and the choices I made for my own survival with my son reflect this.
So, on to my list:
Carriers – if your child is less than 5-months old, invest in a Moby Wrap baby carrier
Once your child can comfortably sit up on his own, I recommend the Littlelife Voyager
Combine this with a hip-pack that you can wear in front, packed with essential small items, I carry a S.O.B. (Soldiers Optimized Butt Pack) tactical pouch, which is a good size for carrying a small handgun, my knife, flashlight, compass, maps, snacks for my son and myself, and water) .
Gear –
- 1.8oz – Swedish Firesteel
- 11oz – Backpacking cookset which is big enough to wash diapers in. I found the Open Country 5-Piece Nonstick set to be ideal
- 8oz – Biodegradable, phosphate free soap – Campsuds fit the bill perfectly
- 4oz – Hand sanitizer gel
- 3.1oz – MSR Ultralite pack towels
- 2oz – String for hanging diapers to dry, building traps, and a myriad of other uses
- 20oz – Water filtration system such as the Katadyn pocket filtration system, or go super light with iodine tablets
- 13.2oz – Diapers – avoid packing your standard cloth or disposables, and instead get a set of Gerber baby organic birdseye diapers (10oz for 6 diapers), and combine with 2 Gerber waterproof diaper wraps (1.6oz each)
- 12oz – Wipes – rather than getting pre-moistened wipes, pick up disposable dry washcloths which are lightweight, cotton, and will work well for multiple applications, just remember – you must have water to use them
- 4oz – 2 small, lightweight food containers that can hold 4oz of food each. You will find it helpful to be able to prepare your baby’s food in advance, as they typically require food of some kind every two hours;
- 3lbs – Food – a personal choice, as you can choose to carry MRE’s or freeze dried foods. If you go with freeze dried foods, plan on at least 2lbs worth that can be cooked soft enough for your child to share with you (if he’s eating solids by this point), and remember that an infant cannot digest complex foods yet, do not choose foods that are heavy in salt, contain honey, or egg whites, and if you don’t know yet about allergies, avoid nuts. Include in this weight any formula or cereal your child needs.
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- On an additional note to other breastfeeding women, remember you need to take care of yourself. Do not skimp on food because it makes your load easier to bear. Your body needs proper nourishment and water in order to care for your child.
- 2.5lbs – Water bottle for yourself, and to share with your child – at least a 1-litre bottle, whatever you can carry
- 6oz – Sippy cup or bottle for your child; necessary if using formula
- 1lb – Survival Knife – get one of quality that can strap to your thigh or has a good sheath for MOLLE attachment for ease of access
- 1.5lbs – Hatchet (Swedish handmade quality is vital)
- 6oz – LED compact flashlight (both a Petzl Tikka headlamp and a Surefire 6P or similar)
- 3oz – Compass
- 3lbs – 1st Aid Kit; In addition to a standard kit, remember to include in your kit the following important items you may need:
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- Infant Tylenol; gripe water; diaper rash cream; lanolin for breastfeeding; nasal syringe bulb; nail file; Vaseline; natural insect repellant (not DEET based); tweezers
- 6lbs 12oz – A tent of some sort – I prefer the Bibler/Black Diamond Tempest as it’s lightweight, compact, and can withstand any weather on earth.
- Lightweight, good quality clothes for layering in. You can find light wool layers for your child, as well as a lightweight wool bunting suit, I have found that natural fibers like wool work far better than synthetics in maintaining an infant’s core temperature; Make sure you have at least one down jacket packed for yourself, large enough to snuggle your child in when sleeping at night; down booties for sleeping; extra socks; at least one full change of clothes for your child (weight varies depending on your need); hats for you and your child (wool and/or cotton beanies and a waterproof cap with brim for yourself. Your own clothes need to have a top-layer that’s reasonably water-resistant, and have warm, comfortable, waterproof hiking shoes that are ready at all times.
- Thermal blankets
After careful calculation, my total weight before clothing and blankets are considered is 30 lbs. With the weight of my son added in at 23 lbs, I’m within my limit range of 50-60 lbs. After estimating clothing and blankets, my total 3-day emergency kit for wilderness survival averages close to 60 lbs. Remember that children grow rapidly, so you can’t plan on the emergency clothes too far in advance. Always invest in a few high-quality clothing items that are slightly large on your child, and that are durable, warm, and can be layered. I can just lift my pack into position on my own with my son in place already. For a long hike, I need to carry a set of lightweight poles to help support the load. For a TEOTWAWKI situation, I intend to carry a Walther P22 with appropriate ammunition in my hip pack. [JWR’s Comment: A .22 rimfire pistol might suffice for stopping small game, but it would be foolhardy to depend upon one for self defense.]
Each person is unique in what their situation may bring about. If I were to use a stroller or car for planning my survival, I could carry significantly more gear and in far greater comfort. However, I wanted to use an extreme example, from which I could adjust my calculations for other situations such as when I have my husband to help share the load.
I hope that by sharing my experience in preparing for the survival of an infant, others will also take the time to invest in appropriate items to ensure their smallest and most precious cargo will survive regardless of the situation.