Prepping for Severe Weather with a Trach Baby

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With severe weather season upon us and our BIG tornado scare last night I was scouring the internet for tips and tricks on how to better prepare. I have spent my whole life in the Midwest and have witnessed firsthand the complete devastation a tornado brings however, with this being our first season with both babies at home I wanted to be UBER prepared.  So I have compiled my top 5 tips and tricks for how to prepare your storm shelter:

  1. Keep a stockpile of general baby essentials in your basement or safe place. These items can include but are not limited to:

    • Diapers/Pull-Ups

    • Wipes

    • Distilled Water

    • Formula

    • Kid Friendly Snacks

  2. Keep at least 5 spare outfit changes per kid including:

    • All weather gear

    • Pants

    • Shorts

    • Shirts

    • Socks

    • Shoes

  3. While riding out the storm, place the little one in their car seat. This seat is designed to keep them safe during impact AND they will be travel ready should you need to bug out.

  4. Distractions! Have new toys or books that the kids have never seen before. Storms can be scary for the entire family and having a fun little surprise will not only help keep your littles from a full melt down it will also keep them distracted so that you can focus on the weather!

  5. Don’t forget about the adults! Make sure you have:

    • Clothing

    • Closed-Toe Shoes

    • Small Personal Care Items

While I found plenty of great tips for riding out the storm with kids, I found very little for how to deal with these high stress situations with a child on life support, so I have an additional 5 tips for my fellow trach/vent parents in Tornado Alley:

  1. Create a spare Emergency bag to leave in your storm shelter, be sure this contains:

    • Distilled Water

    • Soap

    • Trach/G-Tube Dressings

    • Cotton Swabs and gauze pads

    • Medical Scissors

    • Neck Roll

    • Spare G-Tube

    • Downsize and Correct Size Trach

    • Trach Ties

    • Suction Catheters

    • Medical Tape

  2. Any spare O2 Tanks, a regulator, tubing, Ambu Bag and a key

  3. Spare batteries and charging sources. We keep our travel vent in our basement charging whenever we are not using it so that in an emergency situation it is already downstairs and ready to go.

  4. Feeding equipment - feeding bags, bolus and right angle tubing

  5. If able keep your entire overstock stored in or very near your safe place. This will ensure that anything you could have forgotten is nearby.

I hope none of this is ever necessary for you, but if it is I hope this helps you to feel a bit more prepared and in control.