Do you live in an area of the country where hurricanes, tornadoes, or wildfires are a pretty real threat? If so, this week’s post is for you!

I’m interviewing my teammate, Maura, as she has been in or around her fair share of natural disasters. She’s going to be sharing about how she and her husband prepare for these natural disasters, as well as how that has changed a bit with a child.

And we’ll of course touch on the sleep piece, too – how to not only prepare for keeping your child’s sleep as normal as possible through these storms, but also what to do if their sleep gets interrupted or they have a harder time sleeping due to fears around the storm.

When we say storms and natural disasters, what are we talking about?

Because I currently live in hurricane land, preparing for hurricanes is mainly what I’m talking about. However what I share will also be helpful when it comes to preparing for tornadoes and wildfires, as well!

Additionally, if you live in a part of the country that doesn’t usually get big winter storms, this post will also help you prepare for those rare snow storms that your community itsn’t well-prepared for.

Where all have you lived that’s been in storm areas?

I have lived in all of them, because I moved a lot as a child and have continued to do so as an adult.

I currently live in the golf coast region in Mississippi, so we get a lot of hurricanes, and I am originally from Texas.

What’s the worst storm you’ve been in, whether that’s overall damange to your home or around you, or extensive power outages?

I am very fortunate that I’ve never been in anything catastrophic.

As a child, I distinctly remmeber a really bad tornado touching down just north of where we lived in Louisiana.

Fire season is probably the worst we experienced, when we lived in Southern California. I vividly remember looking in my rearview mirror on my way home from work and seeing flames on a hillside. There were ashes falling onto our cars and houses, so although the fire didn’t get all the way to us, it was really tough from a health perspective due to all of the smoke.

Since having James, we thankfully haven’t been in anything too rough. The worst was probably a category two hurricane that came through. It didn’t hit us and power thankfully stayed on, but we had really high winds and minor flooding.

What kind of preparation do you do when you know a hurricane (or tornado or fire) is coming?

Because we’ve moved around a lot and have had the threat of hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and even big winter storms, we are firm believers in preparing! The more prepared you are not only helps your family, but also the extended community and the first responders.

When preparing for hurricanes, specifically, we think about it in two parts:

1. Plan to Evacuate

When it comes to preparing to evactuate, it’s important to think about who you’re going to contact, where you’re going to go, and what physical items you need to prepare.

The basics are of course water, food, and clothing, but I always recommend going to the Fema and American Red Cross websites to look over their preparedness lists so you know everything you should have with you.

2. Preparing the Home

Even though my husband and I often leave our house when a hurricane is coming, we actually spend more time preparing our home than we do to evacuate.

Again, I always recommend getting the official lists from Fema and the American Red Cross, but what might surprise you is thinking through medication. Do you have any medications that need to be refrigerated? And if so, what will you do if you lose power? Do you have some type of generator?

Similarly, do you have any medical devices that need a power source? What will you do if you don’t have power?

It’s also important to be prepared to stay home for two full weeks, in case the storm is really bad. If you can leave your house sooner, that’s great, but to be fully prepared, make sure you’ll be okay for two weeks.

What extra storm preparation do you do now that you have a child?

Preparing for a storm is important whether or not you have a child, but having a child definitely adds an extra layer of preparation.

Some things we add to our prep list include:

• Battery-powered sound machines– if you don’t have power, you can simply replace the battery rather than charge the sound machine
• Pack ‘n play or portable toddler mattress
• SlumberPod– so no matter where you end up having to sleep, your child still has their own, dark space (note: if you don’t have power/air conditioning, the SlumberPod is not best!)
• A clean sleep sack, if possible
• An extra stuffy or comfort item, if possible

I also recommend having all of these things ready to go in one place, so you don’t have to run around finding everything when you need to leave or shelter in place!

I also try to make these moments extra fun! For example, we normally limit our son’s screen time, but waiting out a storm is a great reason for extra screen time, and then it feels like a special day instead of a scary day!

I have found that when we, as parents, are prepare, our kids respond better; when our anxiety is less, their anxiety is less! And when it comes to sleep, especially, the more comfortable everyone can be, the more routine it feels, and the better sleep we all get, the better.

And if you can’t prepare for a storm like a tornado or an awful fire, do what you have to do to stay safe! Nothing else is more important.

For parents who live in the stormy parts of the country and now have a baby, or maybe recently moved to hurricane or tornado territory, or just feel really unsure about how to handle storms and their little one’s sleep, what advice would you give them?

Like I’ve already said, be prepared! And when it comes to kids, especially, the more “normal” and routine it can feel, or even more “special,” the more comfortable they will be.

However, we all know that we can prepare really well, but our kids are still anxious. Or we don’t have time to prepare, or due to a big middle-of-the-night storm, your child wakes up and has a tough time falling back asleep. That’s okay, too!

One off night, or even a few off nights, are not going to ruin your child’s sleep forever. So if you have to lay with your child to fall asleep, or hold their hand, or rock them so they feel safe, do it! Or if you need to do a bedtime reset, do it!

The next day, or the next week, when life is back to “normal,” go back to your normal sleep rhythms and expectations and they will likely do just fine. And if your child is still struggling? Think back to your original sleep training method, or just jump back to leave and check for a few days, and you should be right back on track.

For more on how to help your child sleep through loud thunderstorms, specifically, and how to get back to sleep after a night waking due to the noise, check out this post!

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

As I’ve already shared, tap into your local and national resources so you feel as prepared as possible. You will then be able to enter tougher situations with more calm energy and that calmness will translate to everyone else!

Conclusion

If you live in an area with a higher risk of hurriacnes, tornadoes, or wildfires, our goal is to help you feel a bit more prepared! So if the situation arises when you do have to evacuate or shelter in place or lose power for any length of time, you’re ready for it! That doesn’t mean all of the anxiety will go away, but being prepared makes a huge difference.

Also remember there will always be the unknowns you just can’t prepare for! And as we’re pediatric sleep coaches, we’re thinking specifically about your children. You can set up their sleep space as best as possible, but they may still have an off night, a night waking, or a tougher time falling asleep.

And we want you to remember that an off night isn’t going to throw their sleep forever off, you can always get back on track! You won’t be in survival mode forever, so give yourself lots of grace, and take it one nap and one night at a time.