What medical supplies should parents include in a go-bag for children?

The core medical additions for children in a household go-bag: any prescribed medications with current pediatric dosing confirmed by your pediatrician (printed, in original labeled containers); a printed pediatric dosing reference from your doctor for any OTC medications you might need; any prescribed epinephrine auto-injectors with current expiration dates; a copy of vaccination records; and the pediatric medical consent form if the child might be separated from their parents. For infants: a 3-5 day supply of shelf-stable liquid formula, diapers, and feeding supplies. For children with special healthcare needs: all condition-specific supplies and documentation.

What is a pediatric medical consent form and why does it matter?

A pediatric medical consent form authorizes a named adult — grandparent, aunt or uncle, family friend, caregiver — to make emergency medical decisions for a child when the parents are unavailable. Requirements vary by state: some accept a signed letter, others require notarization. During an evacuation, parents and children can become separated, or parents may be incapacitated. Without this document, a caregiver may be unable to authorize urgent medical care. The form should be in the go-bag and should name at least two authorized adults.

How do I prepare for a child's medical needs during an emergency if they have a chronic health condition?

Children with ongoing health conditions need everything in the standard family emergency plan plus condition-specific additions. Start with the household medical profile — include the child's diagnoses, medications (with pediatric dosing as confirmed by their physician), devices, allergy list, and specialist contacts. Then review the relevant condition-specific guide (asthma, diabetes, seizure disorders, etc.) for the planning additions specific to that condition. Talk to the child's pediatrician or specialist about what to do if medications or care are unavailable for 24-72 hours — that conversation should happen at a routine appointment, not during an emergency.

Medical Preparedness for Children

Planning guidance, not medical advice

This page helps families plan for children's medical needs during emergencies. It does not provide dosage guidance, treatment protocols, or clinical recommendations for any age group. Confirm all medication dosing, medical protocols, and condition-specific planning with your child's pediatrician.

What this guide covers

The standard household plan doesn't account for children. This does.

Most emergency preparedness guides are written for adults. When they mention children, it is usually in the context of evacuation ("bring your children") rather than the specific medical additions that children require.

The medical additions are modest for most healthy children — a few medications, a consent form, a printed dosing reference — but they matter exactly when they are missing: when a child is sick during an evacuation, when parents and children are separated, or when a caregiver who isn't the parent needs to authorize emergency care.

Ready.gov identifies families with young children as having specific emergency planning needs that require additions beyond the standard household checklist.¹

What this guide does not cover

Medication dosing for children — always confirm with pediatrician or pharmacist

Infant feeding advice, breastfeeding guidance, or formula selection — those are clinical and nutritional decisions

Developmental, behavioral, or mental health guidance

Condition-specific planning for chronically ill children → Chronic Conditions section

Evacuation planning with children in depth → With Young Children situation guide

Two household situations this guide addresses

Households with healthy children

The medical additions for most healthy children are modest: a handful of specific supplies, two or three documents, and a printed dosing reference. The sections on medications, infant supplies, consent forms, and comfort items cover everything this household needs. Total setup time: one afternoon. This is not a large project — it is a few specific gaps in the standard household plan.

Households with children who have special healthcare needs

Children with chronic conditions, significant allergies, developmental disabilities, or mental health conditions require everything in the standard family plan plus condition-specific planning. This guide covers the planning framework. The condition-specific additions are in the Chronic Conditions section. The conversation to have with the child's pediatrician or specialist is addressed in Section 4 of this guide.

¹ Ready.gov. "Children and Youth." Ready.gov — identifies specific preparedness planning needs for families with young children, including medications, records, and authorization documentation.

What to prepare

Six areas. Most families are missing one or two.

Work through these categories against your household's actual situation. Most healthy-child households can complete all six in a single afternoon. Households with children who have special healthcare needs should treat the first five as the foundation and add condition-specific planning on top.

Pediatric Medications

Children's medication formulations are more concentrated per dose than adult versions and are dosed by weight — not a standard fixed amount. Dosing changes as children grow. The planning goal here is not stocking a specific dose: it is having a current printed dosing reference from your pediatrician and knowing which OTC medications are appropriate for your child's current age and weight.

Ask your pediatrician for a printed dosing reference for fever reducers and antihistamines — specific to your child's current weight. This reference goes in the go-bag and is updated at each well-child visit as weight changes

Keep any prescribed medications in their original labeled containers — the prescription label includes the child's name, medication, and prescribed dose, which any pharmacist or emergency provider needs

For prescribed epinephrine auto-injectors (EpiPen or equivalent): confirm expiration date quarterly, keep at least two, store within the temperature range on the label, and ensure every caregiver knows how to use it

For prescribed inhalers: maintain a spare, confirm it is not expired, and include a written record of whether a spacer is required

OTC children's medications come in different concentrations (infant vs. children vs. junior) — store only one formulation per product to avoid dose calculation errors under stress

Infant and Feeding Supplies

For households with infants, feeding supplies are medical supplies. Formula, breast milk storage, and age-appropriate feeding equipment all require planning that most emergency guides don't address. This section covers supply depth and the specific advantage of shelf-stable liquid formula during emergencies — not feeding advice or formula selection.

Shelf-stable liquid formula (ready-to-feed, single-serve containers) does not require clean water or mixing — it is the safer and easier option during emergencies when water quality and clean equipment may be compromised. Maintain a 3-5 day supply

Powdered formula requires careful water-to-powder ratios and clean mixing equipment — if this is the household's standard formula, understand that the emergency use requires reliably safe water and clean bottles

Maintain a minimum 3-5 day supply of diapers and wipes regardless of whether you typically use disposables

For pumping households: a battery-powered or hand pump is the emergency option when electricity is unavailable. Breast milk storage bags in the go-bag

Age-appropriate soft shelf-stable food for older infants transitioning to solid foods — puree pouches have long shelf lives and require no preparation

School and Childcare Emergency Connections

Schools and childcare facilities have their own emergency plans — including shelter-in-place and evacuation protocols. Parents who understand their child's school plan and have confirmed emergency contact information with the school are better positioned to locate and retrieve their child during an emergency.

Confirm that the school's emergency contact list has current phone numbers for both parents and at least one alternate — schools call the list in order; an outdated number delays contact

Ask the school for their reunification protocol — where do parents go to retrieve students during an emergency? During an active event, showing up at the wrong location wastes critical time

Confirm the school has an updated copy of the child's allergy action plan, inhaler authorization, or any other medical protocol — schools require annual re-authorization for most medical protocols

For children with 504 plans or IEPs that include medical components: confirm the school has the most recent version, and keep a copy at home alongside the household medical profile

For children in after-school programs or childcare: confirm each program has its own emergency protocol and that your contact information is current there as well

Comfort Items and Practiced Plans

Children who have a familiar item and who have practiced what to do in an emergency respond measurably better during actual events. This is not about psychological theory — it is about two specific practical preparations that parents can make before any emergency.

One comfort item per child in the go-bag staging area — a small stuffed animal, a familiar blanket corner, or a simple toy. Familiar objects reduce distress during displacement, which reduces the demand on the caregiver during already demanding conditions. Small. Specific. Pre-placed

Practice the fire drill — walk the fire escape route from each bedroom with children. Show them the meeting point outside. Children who have walked the route once respond significantly faster than children who have only heard it described

For school-aged children: teach them their full name, parents' phone numbers, and home address — things that become inaccessible if their phone is dead or they are separated in an unfamiliar area

Age-appropriate communication: children who know the plan feel more capable and less frightened than children who are shielded from all emergency information. Explain the plan simply, in terms of what they would do, not what might happen to them

Medical Records for Children

Children's medical records have specific uses during emergencies that adult records do not: vaccination proof is often required for shelter entry, pediatric consent forms may be required for non-parent caregivers to authorize care, and school medical forms contain protocols that emergency caregivers need.

Keep a photocopy of the child's vaccination record in the go-bag — required by many emergency shelters and some school re-entry protocols after disasters

Include each child in the household medical profile with their own section: diagnoses, medications (name, pediatric dose as confirmed by physician), allergies with reactions, and pediatrician contact

Keep the most recent well-child visit summary — not the full chart, just a one-page summary that an emergency provider or substitute caregiver can read quickly

For children with ongoing conditions: keep a copy of their school allergy action plan, asthma action plan, seizure action plan, or equivalent — these documents are written for school staff but are equally useful for any substitute caregiver

Children With Special Healthcare Needs

Children with chronic conditions, significant allergies, developmental disabilities, complex medical histories, or mental health conditions need everything in the standard family plan plus condition-specific additions. The full planning for each condition is in the Chronic Conditions section. Two things that are unique to pediatric special needs planning:

The pediatric specialist conversation — the same pre-season conversation recommended for adult chronic conditions applies here: "What do I do if we're evacuated and can't reach the pharmacy for 72 hours?" This must be a conversation with the child's specialist, not a general assumption

School action plans (allergy action plan, asthma action plan, seizure response protocol, diabetic management plan) are written by the child's physician and kept on file at school — keep a copy at home alongside the household medical profile

For children with developmental disabilities or significant behavioral health needs: the caregiver backup chain matters as much as it does for older adults — routine disruption and unfamiliar environments are the specific risk factors

A medical alert bracelet or tag is appropriate for children with conditions that might require emergency intervention by a first responder who does not know the child

Children's OTC medication concentrations and dosing vary significantly by product and age group. The CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics recommend always confirming pediatric dosing with a physician or pharmacist rather than relying on general guidelines, as children's weight-based dosing changes with growth.

The most overlooked document in family emergency planning

The pediatric medical consent form — what it is and why it matters.

Most adults assume that any responsible adult can authorize emergency medical care for a child in an emergency. In most U.S. states, emergency medical personnel can treat a child without authorization in a life-threatening situation. But for non-emergency urgent care, hospital admission intake, or non-emergency medications, a caregiver who is not the parent may face barriers without written authorization.

During evacuations and major disasters, parents and children can become separated. Parents can be incapacitated. The grandparent, aunt, neighbor, or family friend who is with the child may need to authorize care and may not be able to do so without documentation.

What the form should include

Check your state's requirements

State requirements vary: some accept a signed letter from the parent, others require notarization, and some have specific statutory forms. Ask your pediatrician's office — they often have a standard form for this purpose — or ask your state's bar association for a template. Do not use a generic internet template without confirming it meets your state's requirements.

Shared custody households

When custody is shared, emergency planning should account for both households. Each parent should have the child's medical profile. Each household should have the child's emergency contacts for the other parent. If court orders include medical decision-making provisions, keep a copy with the child's medical documents.

Who to contact

Five conversations to have before any emergency.

Pediatrician — at the next well-child visit

Ask for a printed dosing reference for your child's current weight. For any child with ongoing conditions: "What should I do if we can't get their medication for 72 hours?" Request emergency refill authorization in the chart. Confirm the medical consent form if needed.

Pharmacist — for the medication list

Ask for a printed medication history for your child and confirm that the generic name is listed alongside the brand name for every prescription. Confirm expiration dates on epinephrine auto-injectors and inhalers.

School nurse or administrator

Confirm emergency contact information is current. For children with medical conditions: confirm that action plans (allergy, asthma, seizure, diabetic management) are on file and current. Ask for the school's reunification protocol location.

Named backup caregivers

The adults named on the pediatric consent form should have a copy of the form, the child's medical profile, and an understanding of the child's routine and any medical needs. This is a direct conversation — not assumed — and should be refreshed annually.

Your children — at an age-appropriate level

School-aged children who know their full name, their parents' phone numbers, and the family's meeting point are meaningfully safer during a separation event. This is a 15-minute conversation and a brief practice — the investment is small and the benefit in a separation scenario is significant.

Free downloads

Household Medical Profile

Includes sections for children — diagnoses, medications, allergies, emergency contacts, consent form location.

Medical Folder Checklist

Complete list of what to keep in the go-bag medical folder, including children's documents.

What children need that the standard checklist leaves out.