Want to help the children? Help the parents.
Babies and toddlers are vulnerable in emergencies such as bushfires, floods, storms and cyclones. We can all play a role in supporting families in disasters.
ABA's growing collection of emergency resources includes information to share with parents and caregivers and a variety of resources to use in your role.
They have been developed with input from a range of emergency and health organisations as part of ABA's Community protection for infants and young children in bushfire emergencies project. This work was made possible thanks to a Preparing Australian Communities grant from the Australian Government.
Resources to share with parents and caregivers
Our fact sheets and evacuation kit lists for families with babies and toddlers will help those impacted by emergencies to prepare, evacuate and recover.
All resources are free for you to share digitally or print and distribute to families in your community. By sharing these resources you can empower families and enhance their safety and preparedness for emergencies.
Which resources will help me most in my role?
Select your area of work
Healthcare
Evacuation centre planning or operation
Frontline emergency response
Early childhood education and care (ECEC) and child-focused services
Relief and recovery
Quick and easy ways to learn more
Watch the launch of the emergency resource collection
Learn about our new evidence-based emergency resource collection and how you can use them in your role.
Complete the FREE eLearning module
In just 15-20 minutes, you can learn simple ways to help with this eModule on Disaster support for babies, toddlers & caregivers.
Read our publication
Experiences and support for caregivers of infants and young children: 2019–20 bushfires featured in the July 2024 edition of the Australian Journal of Emergency Management.
Understand the evidence
Read the full findings and recommendations from the Babies and Young Children in the Black Summer (BiBS) Study.
Watch the webinar
Hear the findings of the BiBS study shared in an online panel discussion, ‘Want to help the children? Help the parents’.
Encouraging parents to prepare for emergencies
Emergencies can happen at any time. Planning ahead helps parents and caregivers to protect their young children if they are impacted.
Packing an evacuation kit with all the items needed to care for their baby or toddler for at least 3 days is an important step every parent can take. It also helps to plan to leave early, and to evacuate to a friend or family member's home (rather than an evacuation centre) if possible.
- Encourage parents to follow Planning for emergencies: A quick guide for families with babies and toddlers to get started.
- Share our collection of evacuation kit lists with parents to help them know what to pack in their evacuation kit for their child, based on their age and feeding method.
- Do you work in healthcare or with pregnant women? Display the eye-catching posters below to encourage women to think about how breastfeeding can be part of their emergency preparedness.
Emergency preparedness posters
Emergency preparedness posters
Safer infant feeding in emergencies
Feeding and caring for a baby or toddler through an emergency can come with new challenges for parents.
- Breastfeeding provides safe food, hydration, protection from infection and comfort. But breastfeeding challenges during emergencies are not uncommon and breastfeeding mothers may need extra support.
- Parents feeding their baby expressed breastmilk or formula can also face challenges due to disruption of power, clean water, supply chains and sanitation.
Our new emergencies fact sheet collection has something for everyone:
- A fact sheet on Supporting infant and young child feeding in emergencies relevant to anyone who may encounter families with babies or toddlers during or after an emergency.
- A series of six fact sheets for caregivers which can be shared directly with parents. These contain emergency-specific information and tips to help them safely feed and care for their baby or toddler through any emergency.
For further support, breastfeeding counsellors are available 24/7 on the National Breastfeeding Helpline (1800 686 268).
Supporting evacuated families
Evacuation centres can be challenging places for parents with young children. Mothers evacuating alone with a baby or toddler or while pregnant are especially likely to need your support.
The following resources will assist you to identify and reduce risks for babies and toddlers in evacuation settings.
Recovery
More resources coming soon!
Babies, toddlers and caregivers continue to need support in the days, weeks and months following an emergency.
Check back often as we continue to create new resources to help you deliver this support.
