How much water does a family of four need?

Around 3 litres per person per day, so roughly 36 litres for four people over 72 hours: about two supermarket multipacks plus a container you can fill.

What should I add for a baby?

Nappies and wipes for the whole period, your usual formula and a safe way to prepare it if you bottle feed, two changes of clothes, a warm blanket, and a written note of their weight, routine and any prescribed medicines.

Do I need a separate kit for each child?

No. Quantities of water, food and blankets scale per person, but equipment does not. A torch each is worth it; a second radio is not.

Should the kit live at home or in the car?

Start at home, since staying put covers most disruptions. A smaller car kit is a sensible second step, particularly in winter.

Build an Emergency Kit for Your Family

A family kit is not a bigger version of a single person's kit. Some things scale with the number of people, some things you only need one of, and a baby or a pet adds items that no general checklist will have on it.

This page covers what actually changes, then builds a list for your household.

Build My Emergency Kit

Built around publicly available UK emergency preparedness guidance.

What scales with the number of people

Water, food and warmth scale directly. Tools and equipment usually do not: one tin opener and one radio is enough for a household, but a torch each saves a lot of arguing in the dark.

How quantities change with household size, over 72 hours
Item	One adult	Couple	Family of four
Drinking water	9 litres	18 litres	36 litres
Food	3 days of meals	6 days of meals	12 days of meals
Torches	1	2	4
Foil blankets	1	2	4
Radio, tin opener, first aid kit	1 each	1 each	1 each

Babies

A baby is the single biggest change to a household kit, and the items are the hardest to improvise. Nappies and wipes take up real space, so plan where they will live.

If you bottle feed, keep a sealed spare of your usual formula; ready-to-feed cartons avoid needing clean water and sterilising equipment. Keep a written note of weight, any prescribed medicines and doses, the feeding routine and your GP or health visitor number. That is a note for whoever is caring for them, not a substitute for medical advice.

Nappies and wipes for the full period, plus a margin
Your usual formula and a way to prepare it safely, if you bottle feed
Two full changes of clothes and a warm blanket
A duplicate comfort item, which is worth more at 2am than anything else in the bag

Pets

Pets need the same planning you do, and a sudden change of food upsets them. A spare lead and a collapsible bowl kept with the kit means you are not hunting for them if you have to move quickly. Keep microchip and vet details with your paperwork.

Medication

We do not recommend buying or stockpiling prescription medicines. What helps is a written list: who takes what, the dose, and your pharmacy details. If you are unsure about supplies, speak to your GP or pharmacist.

Home, car, or both

Most families start with the home, because staying put is what the majority of disruptions call for. A small car kit is worth adding separately if you do the school run or drive rural roads in winter. The contents overlap less than you would think.

Involve the children

Children cope well when the adults around them are calm and the routine is roughly familiar. Letting them help pack the box, and knowing where the torch lives, turns a power cut into an adventure rather than a fright.

A family home kit, 72 hours

Two adults and two children, preparing at home for three days. Add a baby or pets in the builder and the list changes with you.

Bottled drinking water
Mains water can be interrupted or put under a boil notice. Bottled water needs no power and no preparation.
How much: 36 L (3 L x 4 people x 3 days)
Manual tin opener
An electric opener is useless in a power cut, and a stocked cupboard you cannot open is not a food supply.
Shelf-stable food
Food that keeps without a fridge and can be eaten cold if you have no way to cook.
How much: 12 days of food (1 days of food x 4 people x 3 days)
LED torch
A phone torch drains the battery you need for calls. A proper torch is the most useful thing in a power cut.
How much: 4 torch (1 per person)
Spare batteries
Torches and radios are only as good as the batteries in them. Keep a sealed set that does not get raided for toys.
USB power bank
Keeps phones alive for calls, alerts and torch use. Charge it every few months so it is ready.
Battery or wind-up radio
If the mobile network or your broadband goes down, local radio is how you find out what is happening.
Spare charging cables
A power bank with no cable is a brick. Keep spares in the kit rather than borrowing from the kitchen drawer.

Plus 25 more items in the full list, including warmth, hygiene and documents.

Common questions

How much water does a family of four need?: Around 3 litres per person per day, so roughly 36 litres for four people over 72 hours: about two supermarket multipacks plus a container you can fill.
What should I add for a baby?: Nappies and wipes for the whole period, your usual formula and a safe way to prepare it if you bottle feed, two changes of clothes, a warm blanket, and a written note of their weight, routine and any prescribed medicines.
Do I need a separate kit for each child?: No. Quantities of water, food and blankets scale per person, but equipment does not. A torch each is worth it; a second radio is not.
Should the kit live at home or in the car?: Start at home, since staying put covers most disruptions. A smaller car kit is a sensible second step, particularly in winter.

Build a list for your family

Tell us who is in your household, including a baby or pets, and we will work out the quantities and show you what you are missing.