Moms Share the Most Helpful Items They Add in Their Child's School Go Bag or Emergency Kit

There is no such thing as being overly prepared when it comes to your children’s school emergency kit. These kits come in handy many times over when you and your kids find yourselves in sticky situations in school. Remember that time when your preschooler lost an average of one pencil a day? Of course, it’s not practical to put a hundred of these items in his survival toolkit, but it is best to anticipate the things that will require extras and those that will make a difference when mommy’s not around.

What is in your child’s school emergency kit 

The contents will change as children move up a level every year, but one thing remains: they will still need their school emergency kits throughout high school and maybe carry the habit even throughout college.

“When my daughter was in preschool, her emergency kit would contain water, snacks, extra shirt, shorts, and underwear,” shares Joanne Beato, mother of two girls and a boy.

Joanne adds she prepares only the basics and what is handy. “Young children won’t probably recognize the use for all those fancy tools you would like to squeeze in their kit, but for me, water and food are the most important.”

She adds, “By middle school, the water and food were still constants but no more extra clothing. I encouraged her to make use of her grooming kit, which contains a comb, alcohol, toothbrush, toothpaste, wipes, tissue, and baby towel. Apart from the grooming kit, she also keeps mine and her father’s calling cards for reference as needed. We’d also give her a little money just for emergency purposes.”

Leah Guevarra, mom of two, says she tries to keep the kit content simple as well to leave some space for teaching a sense of responsibility to her child. “Keeping it simple also helps so she doesn’t need to scrounge through so many items,” she adds.

For everyday school, Leah includes these items for her daughter, who is in lower school:

1. water in a reusable spill/leak-proof container
2. snacks of biscuits or cereals
3. hand sanitizer
4. wipes
5. extra shirt
6. underwear
7. face towel
8. paper with contact details

Leah adds, “I also teach her where to look for our contact information, and then share the same information with her teacher.”

More toiletries have been added to Leah’s list now that her daughter is entering adolescence. “I’ve added alcohol, tissue, sanitary napkin, and panty liners. She’s growing, so there’s more food in her baunan such as AM and PM snacks and lunch of rice and ulam.”

Going beyond the usual items in grab or go bags

Apart from everyday survival items, grab or go bags for emergencies have become mandatory in most schools. The schools come up with the list, which is helpful for many parents. Some schools even implement a standard bag design that is tailored for emergencies and has pockets and corners meant for specific emergency items. 

Most schools require student grab bags to contain the following:

1. flashlight
2. whistle
3. first aid kits
4. extra clothes
5. underwear
6. non-perishable food
7. utensils
8. bottled water
9. alcohol/sanitizer
10. wipessoap
11. sanitary napkin and pantyliners

Leah goes an extra mile by making sure she puts food items that her daughter likes. “I especially chose canned tuna for my daughter because that what she likes to eat,” she says.

Where applicable, she tries to be practical with the items she includes in the grab bag. “I put everything in a resealable plastic and use reusable containers for the food. For toiletries, I use the freebies we get from hotels,” she shares.

Joanne, on the other hand, says that while her children’s school list is comprehensive and covers what students will most likely need during emergencies, she still makes sure to put in something extra.

“I have to be the MacGyver mom, so I include a pair of scissors, safety pins, and rubber bands in my children’s grab bags,” she shares. “These tools have been proven handy and versatile in times of need.”