Power Outage Kit for Kids

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Where we live in Maryland, it's common for us to lose power. Hurricane Joaquin was at one point, supposed to come right up the Chesapeake Bay. If you're following along, you know that we live at the top of the bay. Hurricanes have definitely wreaked their share of havoc here before and people were massively prepping for this one to do the same. Hurricane Joaquin's course changed and nailed the lower states instead.

Even though we personally lucked out this go around, it reminded me that we need to be prepared. I'm not a doomsday prepper or anything crazy, but we do try to be ready. Hurricane season still has another few weeks and anything could happen before then, but we're also thinking ahead to the rapidly approaching winter. We've put together a Power Outage Kit for the Kids.

The first thing we need when the power goes out is batteries! In our kit we're including Energizer® EcoAdvanced™, the world's first AA battery made with 4% recycled batteries! They are Energizer's longest-lasting battery. Not only will we be able to power critical devices, but they'll have less impact on the planet! We picked them up right at Walmart's checkout when we grabbed the rest of our supplies.

Inside our kit, we're also including some hand sanitizer for easy clean-up with the kids. Of course, we always have baby wipes on hand, too.

Kids are going to be bored. They may not have been doing anything that uses power, but when it goes out, that's all they'll be thinking about. If you have a portable DVD player that runs on battery, I'd say toss that in there! Our portable players are plug-in only, so they won't quite work for a power outage.

Of course, when the power goes out, the lights go out. In our house, this really isn't a big deal during the day because we have so much natural light. However, once that sun goes down, we absolutely need to be able to turn out the lights. We have several flashlights around the house, but I thought a little lantern would be great for the Kid's Power Outage Kit. Of course, this needs batteries and we'll gladly be using Energizer's longest lasting alkaline ever.

With that little light, they can color, use stickers, or read a book! Be sure to include all of those things in the power outage kit! You can pick up a few new things, but be sure to toss some items in there that don't get a lot of play time.

We picked up a new card game to put in our kit. New things always kill boredom (at least for a little while)!

Remember how I said to put things you already have in there? Charlie has a few electronic toys (like his LeapFrog Scribble and Write) that don't get a lot of love anymore, but they would if they were pulled out during a power outage. So, toss an older item in there and make sure you have batteries ready to put in it when you need it! This is a great way to recycle and give a little bit of new life to an old toy!

To put this all together, I'd look for a thin bin if possible. I had originally picked out a shoebox sized bin, but then found a flatter one that is able to fit under the couch perfectly! Knowing where it always is without taking up any space is a big win for me!

The Energizer® EcoAdvanced™ holds up to 12 years in storage! Ideally, you never need this power outage kit, but know that your batteries will still be good years after you create your kit!

Learn more about Energizer® EcoAdvanced™ and let me know what you would put in a Power Outage Kit for your kids?