What should be in an emergency binder for grandparents raising grandkids?
Keep the legal papers and insurance copies on paper, keep the medical and contact details on both paper and your phone, and add a page about you, because the children need a plan if the grandparent is the one who gets hurt. That last page is the one most binders skip.
You are far from alone. The U.S. Census Bureau (2023 story, 2021 survey data) counted an estimated 6.7 million grandparents living with a grandchild under 18, and 2.1 million of them responsible for most of the child's basic care. Most binder templates online are written for parents, or for adult children organizing an aging parent. A grandparent raising grandkids is both at once.
Paper binder vs phone vs fridge sheet
| What you need | Paper binder | Phone (Family Ready) | Fridge sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works with a flat battery | Yes | No | Yes |
| Holds signed originals | Yes | No, notes only | No |
| Goes with you to urgent care | If you grab it | Yes, offline | No |
| Easy to update | Reprint pages | Edit any time | Rewrite |
| A helper can read it fast | If it is tidy | Large-text Emergency Mode | Yes |
| Cost | A binder | Free core, optional Plus | Paper |
The honest answer is both: paper for authority, phone for speed. The free Emergency Snapshot PDF is how the phone copy becomes the paper copy.
Honest limits
- This page and the app are not legal advice. Consent and guardianship rules vary by state.
- Family Ready organizes what you type in. It is not a legal record and never contacts anyone for you.
- Sharing sections with the children's parents, household sync and reminders need Plus, a monthly or annual subscription.
- iPhone only. Keep paper copies: no app helps if the phone is lost.
Grandparent questions
Can a grandparent consent to medical care without custody?
It depends on your state. Some states have a caregiver consent form or affidavit for relatives who are not legal guardians; others require a court order or a signed authorization from a parent. Grandfamilies.org keeps a national legal library of these laws, and a local legal aid office or court self-help center can tell you what applies where you live.
What papers should be in a grandparent's emergency binder?
Copies of any custody, guardianship or consent papers; each child's insurance card, doctors, allergies and medicines; school contacts; and your own medication list and backup caregiver, so the children are covered if you are the one who needs help.
Should the binder be paper or on the phone?
Both. Paper works with no battery and can be handed to a school nurse or ER desk. A phone copy goes everywhere you go and is easier to keep current. The comparison table on this page shows what each does better.
Is Family Ready free for grandparents?
The Emergency Card, Emergency Mode, offline access, household plan, kit checklist, encrypted backup and the Emergency Snapshot PDF are free. Family Ready Plus is a monthly or annual subscription that adds trusted-person invitations, household sync, guided reviews, reminders and extra printable packs such as Caregiver Handoff.
Can the children's parents see the plan?
Only if you choose. With Plus you can invite trusted people to view the specific sections you allow, and you preview everything before it is shared. Without Plus, you can print or export the free Snapshot PDF and hand it over.
Does Family Ready store legal documents?
Family Ready organizes the information you type in, including a section for important documents and where they are kept. Keep the signed originals in the paper binder; the app is not a legal record.
How it works in 3 steps
- One card per person. Make an Emergency Card for each grandchild and one for yourself: who to call first, allergies, medicines, important health notes. About five minutes each.
- Fill the household plan. Use the Dependants and Care instructions sections for routines, school, who may pick up. Skip anything that does not apply.
- Print it into the binder. The Emergency Snapshot PDF is free and dated, so you can see which copy is current.
Proof screenshots
The result: one finished page about you
Here is what the "about me" page in a grandparent's binder can look like. Write it in your own words.
If I am hurt or in hospital
Children in my care: 2 (ages 6 and 11). Their cards are in the front pocket.
Call first: their aunt. Backup: the neighbor two doors down, who has a key.
My medicines: listed on my own card. My doctor: on the back.
School pickup: 3:15 at the side gate. The school has the pickup list.
Ready.gov (2024) asks older adults to make sure at least one person has an extra key, knows where emergency supplies are, and knows how to give your medicine. For a grandparent, add "and knows where the children's binder is."
A mini story
An example, not a real customer. A grandfather takes his grandson to urgent care with a cut that needs stitches. The desk asks about allergies, the pediatrician's name and whether he can sign. The allergy is on the phone, in Emergency Mode, readable in large text. The signed authorization from the boy's mother is in the binder, which is in the car. He goes back for it. Next week he moves a copy into the glovebox. The plan got better because it was tested on a small day.
One design decision behind that moment: Emergency Mode is high contrast and large text, with a read-aloud button, because the person holding the phone is often not the person who set it up.
Start with one card tonight
Pick the grandchild with the longest allergy list and make that card first. Get Family Ready free; the Emergency Card never needs a subscription.
Get Family Ready free in the App Store
Updated November 2026. General information, not legal or medical advice.
Related
- Family Ready: a family emergency plan on your iPhoneA family emergency plan you build at your own pace: a free offline Emergency Card, household plan sections and a kit checklist. Free on iPhone.
- The 12-day emergency preparedness challengeOne small task a day, Dec 1-12, 2026, for older adults living alone and the grown kids who worry. Sourced to Ready.gov. Free to follow.
- Babysitter emergency information sheet builderFill in a babysitter emergency information sheet in two minutes, run a 20-second sitter drill on it, then print one page. Free, nothing saved.
- Who should be your child's emergency contactClosest isn't always best. Sort the people you know into first call, pickup backup and out-of-town contact with a 5-question flowchart.