Hey Everyone,
New to this group, however thought I would ask a question that has been on my mind for a hot minute. So my fiancée and I are expecting our first child this next summer, however I see the direction things are going in this country and now I am SUPER scared. The worst part of my story is that I am in the Navy on a Destroyer and I am gone all the f#@%# time.....

1)What are some baby related items I can stock up on NOW while they are still on store shelves at a decent price? I have thought of Wipes, diapers, and baby food.....but I know there has to be more?
2)I Bought a chest freezer and have been buying MEAT like chicken and steaks and have been Vacuum Sealing them and storing them in the Chest freezer.
3)I have been vacuum sealing dry foods and buying canned food and hiding it under my home and in different spots around the home.
4)Not sure what medical supplies to stock up on....no idea what lasts longer term.

The idea behind this is if I go out to sea and don't come back, what are some ways I can setup my fiancée with enough supplies for the baby and herself to last for multiple months if SHTF?

Thank you so much for any advice.

Does your wife breast feed? If so you are covered. Make sure you have food and supplies to keep your wife good.

Apple sauce pouches. Holy balls they are the number one mobile convenience food. 4 kids and that’s the one thing that was a sure fire, “here” and no complaints.

*Comprehension edit*

Hope to god your fiancé can breast feed. Does she feel the same way as you with all your preps? Is she helping you at all, will she know what do to during this “shtf” time? You can have all the stuff in world but if someone doesn’t know what todo with it then, it’s worthless.

Diapers are tough because... baby's grow, FAST. Stock up on cloth diapers, wipes, formula, teething tablets, children's Benadryl and Tylenol and mush food.

Food and medical?

Some formula for backup is good to have on hand in case you’re in a spot where your fiancé can’t breast feed. Bottles, manual breast pump.

Medical you want Vaseline, gripe water, baby gas relief, vitamin D solution if your baby is breastfeeding.

Swaddle blankets are a must have on hand at all times with an infant.

Not much else I can think of off the top of my head. Aside from the crying and constant pooping babies are fairly simple. They’re either crying or sleeping most of the time. Crying= I’m hungry, I’m tired, my diaper needs changed, or I’m gassy/about to poop.

Don’t worry, you guys will be great!

What are you planning for? Shortages? Total meltdown.

Disposable diapers are nice (and expensive), but you can always lay in a small supply of cloth diapers (they are a lot of work - we lasted a week and went to disposables).

If she's going to breast feed, get a breast pump. My wife called this a godsend. Upside (or downside) is that you can also help feed the baby - which in the middle of the night will earn you big points if you can let her get some sleep. Personally, I'd avoid formula if possible, but if you use it, you can start watching for sales. As soon as the baby is born, you will get a couple of free cans and lots of coupons (think of like drugs, the first one is free). What I was told is that once the baby eats formula, they won't want breast milk so don't "try" it unless you plan on going that way (same goes for sugar).

You can start laying in jarred baby food. Even if you decide to process yourself, you'll always end up needing this (ask me how I know).

Clothes. Everybody and their mom will buy you infant clothes. Buy clothes for 3 and 6 months. By then the kid has outgrown the infant clothes and you'll have a draw full of cute outfits that the kid has worn once that no longer fit.

Everyone and their childless friend will give you parenting advice. I'll tell you two things on that. First, every kid is different, so whatever you've been told rarely works. If you have problems, try a suggestion and if it fails, move on. Second, if you're having a boy, buy a scrap piece of fleece cloth (anything absorbent). Cut it into 8 inch squares. You'll want to 10-20 to start (how many will ultimately depend on how often you want to do laundry). First time you change a diaper, you'll figure out real quick what to do with them. My wife got a stack as a gift and it left her scratching her head, got told the same thing. Later she called it the most useful baby gift she got.

Depending on your rank you might qualify for WIC. If you are planning on getting married do it ASAP. The medical benefits while in the service are amazing. Even if you do a at the court wedding now you can always do a fancier wedding in the future. Both my marriages were done with a judge at a court. Use the money you save on a fancy wedding to buy a house. Why spend thousands for a fancy wedding that will be over in a few hours? My current wife of only 11 months didn't really care about getting married at our age (50's), but the medical benefits (retired Army) made it a no-brainer.

Sleep

Whoa you guys are awesome! Really grateful for all the replies and ideas.



Me too! She is definitely onboard and helps me quite a bit with most of my preparedness. Its a new concept for her since she has not been exposed to the world of preparedness and the philosophy that comes with it, however I think you are on point with the idea of buying breast feeding equipment and or formula now! I got her a .38 special for the bedside but I can hardly find ammo for her :( I'm going to search gunbroker for some cheap ammo for her and take her out to practice.



Had not thought of teething tablets, or Benadryl or Tylenol. All are perfect for what I am trying to setup for her!



Thank you brother! All are great ideas, will be adding all to my shopping cart, especially Vaseline, vitamin d, and gripe water (have never even heard of that lol). Extra bottles will be very critical for sure!



Hey there, without going into it too much there is A LOT going on at the national level and I am now looking at being deployed short notice for things that are happening in SE Asia and Middle East, All of your ideas are great, I think that buying clothes for 3-6 months out is perfect, getting the fleece cloth I had to read that twice to pick what you were putting down hahaha. Excellent advice on the breast milk vs formula, had no idea the baby would have a preference. Will be saving every coupon I can find/use, I have been told by many people that the baby will be expensive! I think processing our own food is on her short list, I know its a lot cheaper and healthier for the baby.



Solid advice, I'm at the E6 level and had to talk to a corpsman for the first time in order to get a proper rundown of what my options were. She is a wonderful human so it makes the marriage part a really easy decision. I asked a couple of my buddies on the outside how much they pay for health insurance and it made me sick! One guy pays $1300 A MONTH for 3 kids and a wife. WTHell??? That's soo much money, could hardly believe it when I heard it. I am absolutely grateful to have a job and healthcare while so many are going without.

Yep, beat me to it!

A rocking chair was huge for us. A quality car seat for the 2:00am drives to help the baby fall asleep. A quality blender for making baby food, at any hour. A stroller is nice, for when the weather is good. Baby Bjorn, look it up. It was pricey, but we found that it was very valuable. Oh, one other thing, get her plenty of cocoa butter and vitamin e oil. It's to help with the stretch marks. It's called Palmer's. Get it now, have her start applying it now, as she is growing. She will thank you later.
Link: https://www.palmers.com/66-cocoa-butter ... a-products

Thank you for your service.

Diaper genies are a waste of money. Use grocery bags, same millions. Reusable diapers work but...... diaper diapers are way more convenient if you are out and about a lot.

Sleep.....

As mentioned above, learn to make your own baby food. Real damn easy. All you need is produce, blender, ice cube trays, and ziplock bags. A person could easily make a months worth of baby food in an afternoon. A baby food cook book off Amazon is like 10 bucks. It will save you shit tons. Some stocks of the baby oatmeal and rice cereal keep well also.

Cloth diapers are the way to go if you are thinking long term SHTF. Otherwise, as people have said formula (in case of issues with breastfeeding) and baby cereal. The little containers of baby food have a decent shelf life, but as others have said being able to make your own will be clutch.

You are a sharp fellow, and you and your lady will do fine. Those little buggers don't come with an operating manual, and each one needs what it needs. MA and PA are normally the best judges of what that is going to be as time goes by. You guys will do great. Be good to each other and play as a team. Your prepping mindset has you a step ahead of the game already and your willingness to serve our country tells me your dedication to any mission in life will serve you and your new family well. Thank you for your service.

Stay well and stay safe!