The Natural Emergency Kit That I Always Carry in My Diaper Bag

Welcome to the May 2013 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Emergency Preparedness

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared their plans to keep their families safe. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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With an 11 month old and an almost three year old, I like to be prepared for whatever I can when we are out and about. We spend a lot of time outside of our home - at children's classes, activities, play spaces, and play dates - and there are certain natural items I rely on to get us through the little accidents that so often happen to little ones at these ages.
Here are the items you will always find in my backpack, aka diaper bag:
1. Arnica:If you're not familiar with arnica, it's a homeopathic remedy made from a flower in the sunflower family that has the most amazing healing properties when it comes to bumps, bruises, and soreness. I have found that if I apply arnica to an injury within the first ten minutes of when it happened, the swelling goes away almost immediately. I really could not get by without it!
I actually keep three different kinds of arnica in my bag:- Whole Foods' 365 brand of arnica gel
- Hyland's Bump 'n Bruises Ointment with Arnica: This is kind of like a big tube of chap stick, so it's really easy to get on a squirming little one.
- Hyland's Arnica Montana, 30X, Tablets: If the bump or bruise also has broken skin in the area, a couple of these tablets on the tongue really help - although not as much as the gel or ointment.
2. Chamomilla 30X TabletsThis is really helpful with teething, but it also helps so much with the hysterical behavior that can also accompany an injury when your child is scared and hurting. I find that chamomilla takes the edge off and really helps my children calm down when they are faced with a big physical challenge.
3. Seventh Generation Free and Clear Baby Wipes:If I need to clean up an injury or clean my hands before touching an injury, I like having these non-toxic and naturally based wipes handy at all times.
4. Badger Antibug Twist Stick:Now that the warm weather is here, I consider keeping the bugs off my children a major priority. We live in an area with lots of mosquitoes (and West Nile Virus has been found in the mosquitoes here) and ticks. When we spend time outside, I like having a certified organic, all natural stick of anti-bug balm to swipe on to my kids and myself.
5. Cloth WipesCloth wipes are perfect for putting pressure on a wound, wiping noses (or other bodily fluid messes), and drying injuries or tears.
What emergency items do you keep in your purse or diaper bag?

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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be updated by afternoon May 14 with all the carnival links.)

• Be Prepared for Emergencies — Becky at Crafty Garden Mama is reviewing Angela England's new ebook, The Untrained Housewife's Guide to Getting Prepared. See what measures she is learning to adopt in her family.
• Prepare to Expect a Safe and Beautiful Natural Birth — What do you need to have prepared so that you can have a nice and relaxing birth at home? Lisa at The Squishable Baby shares her list in a guest post at Natural Parents Network.
• Fire Boxes for Emergency Preparedness — Jana of Jananas tells why she bought a fire box to store important documents and what is stored in the box.
• Firefighter Training Homeschool Curriculum — Kellie at Our Mindful Life helped her homeschooled kids prepare for emergencies through a Firefighter Training unit.
• 3 Secrets to a Royal Emergency — Jaye Anne at Wide Awake, Half Asleep tells the secret to living like kings during a storm-induced power outage.
• Is Your Family Prepared for an Emergency? — Chrystal at Happy Mothering shares an overview of what her family has done to become more prepared for emergencies.
• What to Do in an Earthquake — Julia at A Little Bit of All of It gives instructions for staying safe in the event of an earthquake as well as tips for teaching your children to keep safe and where to find information online after an earthquake.
• Spring Cleaning & Preparing, Part 2 — Justine at The Lone Home Ranger organizes and replenishes her emergency supply every spring and is learning to add to the food stockpile by preserving year-round.
• 15 Must-Haves For The Natural Minded Family When Disaster or Emergency Strikes — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares how she prepares for disaster or an emergency as a natural minded mama. Learn what 15 natural items you should consider having on hand!

• Emergency Preparedness: Cosleeping, Cheezits, Chocolate — Kristine at All the Things in the World was happy to have cosleeping in her emergency tool kit during Hurricane Sandy.
• Being Prepared For Personal Disasters — Luschka at Diary of a First Child draws on her own recent experiences and considers five things every parent should have in place to ease the burden when sudden disaster strikes.
• The Natural Emergency Kit That I Always Carry in My Diaper Bag — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares the four green and natural items in her emergency kit that she can't do without when she's out and about with her little ones.
• Prepared... or not? — Is it dangerous to not prepare? Jorje of Momma Jorje shares whether her family prepares…or not.
• Pack a car safety kit: 25 must-have items for emergencies — Whether you're out for a leisurely drive or fleeing a disaster, Lauren at Hobo Mama offers tips on stocking your car with emergency supplies that will tide you over if you're stranded.
• Teaching My Children About Tornados — Destany at They Are All of Me writes about preparing her children for tornado season.
• Preparing our children for emergencies — Preparing for emergencies means preparing your children, and Robbie at Going Green Mama shares ways on how to empower kids when it comes to emergencies.
• Emergency Preparedness in Sub-Saharan Africa — After living in Sub-Saharan Africa for 7 years, emergency preparedness is not just a concept any more to Laura from Authentic Parenting.
• Five Ideas to Keep Babies and Toddlers Safe from Choking — Do you have a baby or toddler who likes to put everything (and I mean *everything*) in her mouth? Dionna at Code Name: Mama does, and today she's sharing a story and some tips on how to keep your little ones safe from choking.

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