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Letter Re: Caring for Babies in a Post-Collapse World

Mr. Hugh,

I would like to add to the article on caring for babies [1]. My mother-in-love told me that when her daughter was born, she contracted a stomach virus within hours after birth. She survived the virus, but her intestinal tract was very sensitive. The pediatrician put her on a formula of goat’s milk and rice water– water drained from boiled rice. This might work for the baby in your scenario as well. Goat’s milk is an excellent alternative to human milk, and rice is a grain that is very easy on the digestive tracts of infants and elderly folks as well. I am stocking extra rice for that reason. Also I saw a formula for an electrolyte solution for adults using ingredients that can be stocked for longer periods of time than the electrolyte solutions sold in stores. There may be one for children and infants or maybe the adult version could be diluted. I also bought some thermometer strips [2] that we put in our emergency medical kits. They don’t give an exact numeral readout, but they give a ballpark temperature (within one degree) reading based on the color that shows on the strip when placed on the forehead. (I like it better than trying to get a temp at the other end.) I think I paid less than $2 for each strip. As for diapering, don’t forget diaper pins and plastic pants. Or you could get a package of assorted quilting safety pins. As a last resort for plastic pants to go over the cloth diapers, you should have some rolls of plastic and Gorilla Tape [3] in your preps. Just don’t tape the baby! – DSR