Bug Out Bag Food Ideas for Kids & Babies – Family Preparedness

Kids and babies are often forgotten when it comes to preparedness. Kids live in an adult world and thus we think they must conform to us and our standards.

However, it’s actually the opposite. We need to be aware of their needs and make sure that their needs are taken care of at all times, especially during an emergency or disaster.

If you have children, even a baby, you should have a bug out bag for them. Or at the very least, have items for them in your own bag. Until they’re old enough to carry their own bag full of all of their own gear, then you’ll be carrying most of their stuff.

At the time of writing this post, I have two daughters, ages 3 years olds and 8 months old. My 8 month old obviously won’t be carrying anything for a while. My 3 year old was carrying her own backpack at around 18 months old. Of course all it had in it was some diapers and a couple toys, but still, we’d all go on hikes and she’d carry her own backpack. For part of the hike, anyway.

Regardless, you need to get your kids involved in carrying a backpack pretty early on.

Even if you’re still carrying most of their stuff and they’re only carrying a couple things, it lays a foundation. Even for my 3 year old, I’m still carrying quite a bit of stuff for her, but her bag is ever evolving. My 3 year old LOVES backpacks and loves to carry her own stuff. She even carries her own water in a camelbak!

In saying all of this, one of the most important things we can pack for our kids is food and water. Kids eat a lot. The best types of foods are ready to eat foods. Each kid will be different and you know your kids best as to what they like. And to throw another variable into the mix, as your kids grow their food preferences will always be changing. So you’ll be updating their food quite a bit.

Let your kids be involved when it comes to picking out what type of food they want for their bag. Of course, the younger they are, you’ll probably have to make a judgement call as to what they’ll like and eat. But older kids should be involved.

Change out the food every 3 months, as likes and dislikes change often. Plus, some of the stuff they may like, may have a short shelf life. Be sure to inventory food for all bug out bags every 3-6 months. You may even want to put a reminder in your phone/calendar when the best buy dates are for certain items. Even if they don’t necessarily “expire”, you want to keep the freshest food possible in your bags. Rotate often.

Of course, for babies, you’ll just be picking out whatever and packing it for them. Many of the below suggestions for babies will take into consideration that they don’t have many teeth yet.

Here are some bug out bag food ideas for babies up to 1 year:

• Baby food pouches – these usually last anywhere from 6 months to a year, but these DO go bad! So make sure to frequently change them out.
• Cereals – the individual bags work great for this.
• Peanut butter or other nut butter – we fed both of our kids peanut butter at 6 months and they’re not allergic to it, so we carry those individual travel cups of peanut butter, can do the same with any other nut butter.
• Yogurt drops – great on the go snack any time.
• Make your own teethers – There’s lots of recipes online that don’t require refrigeration, but may have a short shelf life but just make sure to package air tight and rotate often.
• Oatmeal – the little packages of oatmeal with some cinnamon or make your own packages.
• Dehydrated smoothies – make your own dehydrated smoothies and rehydrate them later.
• Crackers – make sure to buy crackers that have NO high fructose corn syrup, and low salt, also whole grain is a good idea, too.

It can be tough with babies (and kids…and adults, really) because, I don’t know about you, but we eat a lot of fresh foods. So if you have the time to grab some bananas and oranges or something as you’re walking (running) out the door, that’s a good option, too. The pouches are also a great option to give them some fruit and veggies.

Here are some bug out bag food ideas for toddlers and older kids:

• Cereal
• Granola bars or other snack or protein bars
• Crackers, gold fish, whatever they like
• Peanut butter packets or nut butter of your choice
• Granola
• Popcorn
• Individually packaged mac and cheese (or make your own dehydrated mac and cheese)
• Freeze dried foods (in moderation because of the high sodium content of some of them)
• Dehydrated snacks/meals
• Jerky (the cheese and jerky combos are good, too)
• Individual tuna/chicken/salmon packets
• Individual packet of pancake mix
• Trail mix (if they like trail mix, mine sure don’t!…yet, except for the chocolate bits, but chocolate can melt so be careful)
• Individual packets of mashed potatoes
• Individual packets of fruit and vegetables (if you or them don’t mind the weight)
• Fruit snacks
• Individual SPAM packets if your child likes SPAM and in moderation due to high sodium (though they do offer SPAM lite in the individual packets).
• Instant packets of rice
• Individual packets of beans
• Sweet treat for morale

In addition to the above food ideas, you’ll also want to include some type of electrolyte drink mix for them as they could get dehydrated easily. Make sure that they are drinking plenty of water as kids tend to forget about drinking water.

You know what your kids like and don’t like. As their tastes change, update their bags as needed. Kids may also eat far more than we do, especially when they’re active, so be sure to account for the amount of food, not just the type.

What are some other food ideas for babies and kids?