EMS Magazine`s Resource Guide: Pediatric Care: The Diaper Bag That’s an Emergency Tool Kit

“You never forget an emergency; it changes your life,” says Florence Weiner, who invented the Baby-Everywhere Diaper Bag to equip parents, nannies and babysitters with the supplies they will need when faced with a child’s medical emergency. She’s speaking from experience.

This grandmother of four, with 30 years behind her as an advocate for people with disabilities, took action after her daughter’s five-year-old son went into acute respiratory distress following a bout with the flu. The little boy was saved, she says, due to the quick response by EMS providers, but when her daughter lamented, “I had no idea how sick he was,” Weiner realized she had to do something.

“My daughter is very smart,” says Weiner. “I knew if she had no idea, there are lots of other parents who have no idea.”

She asked around and found out most people had an out-of-date first aid book tucked into the back of some shelf and a scribbled list of emergency numbers on an overcrowded bulletin board—neither of which could be found when critical seconds were ticking by. She also found out why statistics say people wait 20 minutes before calling 9-1-1, which is often too late. “People told me they were afraid to bother anybody,” she says.

Her Baby-Everywhere Diaper Bag includes instructions in such lifesaving techniques as CPR, Heimlich maneuver and basic wound care in words and pictures for use on the fly, as well as guidance on when to call 9-1-1. The 40-page Expert Advice for Keeping Your Baby Safe is based on prevention and response advice from pediatricians, emergency room doctors, nurses, paramedics, firefighters, police officers and experts such as renowned emergency medical author Peter Rosen, MD, FACEP, and is available now in English and Spanish, with additional translations in development.

The bag comes in three low-profile styles and also includes a bottle, blanket, first aid kit, places for medications and a toy, changing pad, plastic pouch for diapers, waterproof lining and zippered compartments for cell phone, wallet and keys. It may be the only diaper bag that can save a baby’s life.

Retailing at $50, the bag is available to EMS providers at a discount with agency logos added by request. For more information, visit www.babyeverywhere.com, or call 866/888-8711.

—KR