It Is Time to Bug Out- With Small Children

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by Yard Dart, Apr 5, 2013.


  1. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    In a post SHTF situation, you have two small children to take with you on a bug out of your AO and you are moving to your BOL (either by foot, ATV or vehicle) where family and friends are to rally (you are not coming back to your AO). What have you done to prepare for your kids survival, movement and safety???? Do you have any special considerations and what have you done to accommodate them and their special needs?

    Note- this is a scenario thread to think about your personal issues and how you would address them, and to learn from others experiences and plans.....
     
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  2. Beano

    Beano Monkey

    I often think about my three girls and what would I be able to do for them. They live with their mom and her new husband in Florida; I'm currently in Missouri but subject to probably two more moves in the next five or six years. Their mom doesn't even think ahead a few hours, let alone a few months or years. If SHTF, I have no assurance that they would be safe. Florida, IMO, is going to be a dangerous place due to population density, as well as their location near the gulf coast being a liability.

    I have thought about assembling a few buckets of food and basic gear and taking it to them, as well as letting them in on my BOL once it's finished, but I don't know. Only God knows where I'll be in, say, three years---- I know that I'll be better prepared to take care of them and keep them safe than she will, but will I be able to get to them and bring them back to my yard?

    I know this wasn't the direction you were headed with your post, but it struck a nerve with me so I felt compelled to offer this up.
     
  3. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Good topic. I am going to stray a bit from you actual question, I hope you don't mind. I am unsure of how small is small when referring to children. Our plans involve school age children. We have no place to go to. There is no BOL.

    1. When I decided it was time to change our current way of living we first called it prepping. That caused some uneasiness with the children. The unknown is fearful and I realized they were getting worried about what was going to happen. Now I call it, "learning a new way of living". We are not getting prepared for SHTF, we are just learning to be able to take care of ourselves.

    2. In case of natural disaster that could happen when we are separated school, work, daycare/babysitters etc... there are two designated spots that are the meeting place. Place A. is the first meeting place if we are not there, place B is where to go and stay. Mom and Dad will be going to these spots. Move no further then B. In case of school officials, the children can say this is where our Mom and Dad will be. Place B is a likely receiving county evacuation site. Even little ones can know that if the family is separated this is where the family will meet up or messages left or received. This was the best we could come up with in case communications broke down and disaster happened quickly. Open to suggestions if this needs tweaking.

    3. On foot, we did a quick hike with two bottles of water. We made it longer then planned and then separated. Split the kids, split the parents. Neither party knew where the other went. We happened to have an airsoft gun with us. One child used the little balls from the gun to mark we were here. Another thought of sticks pointing the way, it is amazing when you ask a child how do we let Daddy/Mommy we are going here, they think simply and smartly. When we sat down after the "hike". The children came up with what they thought we needed. They declared BOB's for everyone no matter how small of a walk. Everyone gets a whistle, everyone gets a film canister full of airsoft balls so we can mark where we have been, extra socks cause a small one get blisters. Mom & Dad each have a small water purification system. Hunters carry hard candy to keep their mouth dry, we put lollipops in the children's BOB, lollipops are fun! Any little bit of fun makes things easier. Everyone has a thermal mylar blanket, everyone has a construction garbage bag W/ kids scissors to cut it open to make a shelter (like a teepee cause dangerous when leaving whole). Fun lemon bars & MRE's all in baggies because if they don't finish they can seal and save. Also just ordered Medline lemon Glyserin swabsticks.

    That is enough for now.
     
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  4. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Also, the children found that backpacks, no matter how small bothered them. We found that sling packs were more comfortable, they didn't weigh on the shoulders as much. Each child has a military glow stick but also the fun bracelet ones. Each has a LED keychain light plus head lamps, flash lights seemed heavier and they had to be held. Wooden matches light on a rock but regular matches and lighters were hard. We kept looking at ease, weight and least bothersome, we incorporated a bit of joy that could be had in a miserable situation.
     
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  5. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    Make SURE the wooden matches are the strike anywhere kind. Test a few to be sure. Keep them DRY, as in a boyscout match tube or a sealable baggie, and ensure they cannot rub each other to life. (Back up with or for a lighter.)
     
  6. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

    Moto, add one of these to each bag or kid's collar. And teach them how to use it. they weight almost nothing, and will keep them pointed in the right direction, if they are ever separated from you.
    download (4).
     
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  7. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    You might just consider a SECURE Phone Setup for the family... They are small, weight isn't a real problem, have a good 1.5 Mile Range, Minimum, even in a Dense City, type AoO. They are cheap, and can be included in a School BackPack, or BOB. This allows the Parent to make contact with a child from distance, doesn't necessitate, that the Parent spend a lot of time, searching a Rally Point, as they can have SECURE Comms, once within the Range of the Units. When in Private Mode, the Parent can direct the child to move to a better location, for Pickup, depending on the situation at the Rally Point.

    Something to think about.... .....
     
    Dunerunner likes this.
  8. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    @Beano @Motomom34
    Neither of you strayed from my question in general and both are great responses that I was hoping to generate for discussion and thought by all. To many of us can get blinder's on when thinking about general preparation, but may have forget something critical to plan, for the little ones in our lives. We had a discussion at home about this topic and what we need to do to get better planned for the grandkid's should they be here when there is an "emergency". I for one will say I have a ways to go to be properly prepared for three kids under 10 if SHTF while they are in my house. Each Monkey has a different take on how to best prep for, take care of their children and train them, relevant to your area's situation and the family resources.
     
  9. Motomom34

    Motomom34 Monkey+++

    Kellory- I like these & am going to look for them. I had bought some (cheap) and the dial goes where ever it wants. I have learned that somethings you can't skimp on.

    ghrit- we went to a boat show and they were giving out waterproof match containers. They come on a key chain and float. We learned by living that sometimes people want to play with what is in the BOB and things end up in the bathtub so we have declared rules on what is play and what is for emergency only.

    BT- as usual my comms are lacking. This is one area we go round and round. The old nextels are where I want to start. Boost is saying they have a push to talk, no contract phone. We live in a dead zone. Cells do not work, actually three houses down if you climb on their roof you can get a few bars but..... so I think push to talk is the way, with a few minutes added if phones are up. Does that sound the best?
     
  10. KAS

    KAS Monkey+++

    good post !! good responces!!!

    I my kids BOB i have something to keep them occupied like coloring books and paper for drawling and crayons ... all stuf u can get for free or is real cheap to buy .. also little treats for them ... hard candies and such ...Keep the happy keep them calm and keep them quiet

    As for explanations of what we are doing that all depends on the situation ...

    Running from a hurricane . we just tell them what we are doing and you will know were we are going when we get there ... {cause usually we just get in the truck and drive ....
     
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  11. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Be very careful when looking at a "Push to Talk" Cellphone... Many of these, ONLY Work if there is a Network Connection. This is a Different Service than the IDen/ISM "MotoTalk, or DirecTalk" Service that our SECURE Phones use. .....
     
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  12. kellory

    kellory An unemployed Jester, is nobody's fool. Banned

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    pin on ball compass | eBay
     
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  13. Imasham

    Imasham Monkey

    I realize this is an old topic but I thought I'd share something. A couple of years ago my wife and I took our 1 year old to London for a holiday. We bought a child GPS tracking device that we attached to the diaper under the clothes. If the kid wandered more than 30' from us the parent unit would receive an alert. We could also press a button that would sound a loud alarm on our child's unit so we could listen for it. It only had a range of 150' but had no costs other than the initial purchase which was about $35.

    There are higher end units that provide real time GPS tracking but they generally have a monthly fee. We are considering getting one so we always know where our child is so if we have to bug out during school time we know where our child can be found.

    My wife and I have created a BOB just for our child with fun stuff to play with, eat, etc. She is too young right now for much more but my BOB takes that into account for now. The child's BOB will be updated annually for the next decade or so taking into account expanding knowledge and capabilities.
     
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  14. Dunerunner

    Dunerunner Brewery Monkey Moderator

    Nice revival....
    Good Topic....

    My children are all grown up and nearing their 40's so they are on their own, but I do have two granddaughters who could benefit from some skill training.

    1. Take them camping, and I don't mean in the motorhome or travel trailer. Tent camping as primitive as you can get.
    2. Teach them about the necessity of fire, how to start and maintain a fire, collect fuel for the fire, and what tools are needed to start a fire, etc.
    3. Teach them to fish, hunt, and forage for food.
    4. As an exercise, teach them to build a primitive shelter.
    5. Teach them how to wield an axe, be it a hand axe or a double bit...
    6. Teach them how to purify water.
    7. Take them hiking and remote camping as often as possible. Go a day foraging for food with them.
    8. Teach them about the importance of being in shape and how that in and of itself is a survival skill.
    9. Make all of the above a game. That way it will be fun as well as a challenge.
    10. Teach them like their lives depend upon it without becoming a drill instructor, the key is to keep it fun, make it a competition, winner gets smores...:D
     
  15. Imasham

    Imasham Monkey

    While I'm currently taking a little break from it, I was a scout leader for many, many years. Dunerunner's last two points are bang on. I made every skill training session a game and, if I do say so myself, I became exceptionally good at it! I found great success with utilizing the latest reality/game show as a basis for many scout meetings and camps. From Survivor to the Amazing Race, from the Weakest Link to Millionaire, all were adapted into competitions that the boys really got into.
    Make it fun and they learn like crazy. Make it like school and they'll be tuned out immediately.

     
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  16. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Just, an UpDate for those who didn't know.... the SECURE Phones have GPS built-in, so once in contact with the child, they can relay their GPS Coordinates back to the Parent, even if they do NOT Know their precise Location...and Again, this is from a distance of 1.5 Miles Minimum.... Also a Parent can be sure that the Child is within that 1.5 Mile range by Transmitting to that specific childs, specific SECURE Phone, because if it is in range, and turned ON, it will send back a "Connect Ack" Response when interrogated from the Parents Unit. The only thing that happens on the Childs Phone, is a soft Beep, In the EarPiece.
     
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  17. Imasham

    Imasham Monkey

    If I googled the right company the SECURE phone is $89/month which is beyond my limit! Cool product though. Does each person you want to contact have to be using one though?

     
  18. Ganado

    Ganado Monkey+++

    @BTPost didn't you create a thread on SECURE phones?
     
  19. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Not the SECURE PHONES, I was talking about... Go the Comms forum, and read the THIRD Sticky Post... We use these for MonkeyNet... and they are "The Pour Man's Encrypted Communications Devices".,,
     
  20. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

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