What Should I Include in His Care Packages???

A fav is the flavored water singles (koolaid, crystal light, iced tea) its a nice change from water everyday! :)

My cousin desperately wanted baby wipes and packages of new white undershirts - the tank kind and the t-shirt kind.

You've gotten some other great ideas!

My son in law has had 2 deployments to afghanistan and 2 to iraq. He loves the care packages I send. I put in the following (not all at the same time lol but try to send them at least once a month)

craisens
hot nuts (spicy)
peanut butter (the good stuff, jiffy, skippy etc)
mix ins for the water bottles stuff like tea and koolaid
favorite cookies (but make sure they have a long shelf date)
candy

I sent a bottle of mountain dew in a ziplock bag
little cans of v8
in the summer I sent a picnic for the 4th of july
package of paper plates, napkins and cups w/stars and stripes and a tablecloth w/same
big bag of marshmallows
hershey's chocolate bars
graham crackers so they could make smores
he loved those wafer cookies so I sent those also
ziplock bags in various sizes
warm fuzzy socks when he was there in the winter
cd's with his fav music
dvds
paperback books
a roll of his favorite toilet paper
his favorite by far was the easter box. in it I sent him a small easter basket with goofy stuff. a kite to fly etc. then a bunch of peeps and a tshirt from target that said peeps in the hood.

at the holidays if you have access to a class of any kind or a college dorm, sunday school class, work place, bookclub, ladies group etc do the following

have as many people as you can write letters to a soldier. they can write them to your brother or to any soldier. my son in law was in charge of a whole group of men he handed out letters from my sons 3rd grade class and then last year at the holidays from my older sons college dorm. we sent more than a hundred each time. the response is so positive. Some men never receive a letter from home. These letters give them a glimps of home.

I was also going to suggest powdered drink mixes. There are a ton of one shot deals too like Crystal Light and even Starbucks has some now that are good and they come in mocha, caramel, etc. I would say sweets, candy, etc. that isn't chocolate as I'm sure it will melt there. Books, crossword puzzles, word finds, soduko, magazines, etc.

I think it's sweet you are thinking of another package already! I hope he has safe travels.

One thing I remember when collecting goodies (with my daughter's brownie troop... we were helping supply care packages for Desert Storm.. wow, that was a long time ago!)...

They suggested pre-sweetened koolaid.... it is a nice change from just water in the canteen, and was easy to send in a greeting card to soldiers.

I don't know if that is a suggestion anymore, or not.

Tell your baby brother that there are a lot of people over here thanking the ones over there.....

My brother was in the first wave of Desert Storm.

They loved, gum and beef jerky. I sent loads of it plus people magazine and things like that.

While at home, I saved all info via newspaper, video from tv news, etc and gave it all ti him when he returned so he could see what news we got from his area.

Thank you to your baby brother.

Magazines
joke books he can leave there, my hubby had a good friend form Northern Minn in his unit and since my MIL is there she sent all sorts of northern MN joke books, they were a big hit

We sent him grass seeds and dirt

Cards from school children and sunday school classes, he visited one of them in Northern VA. THey were so excited that their "hero" had come home to see them.

Christmas tree, lights, stocking, tinsel, Christmas in a box. Send early, by Thanksgiving.
Each holiday send it to him in a box and his birthday.

pictures of you and your kids

Some items cannot be sent.
Coffee. It messes up with the sniffer dogs' noses and they are rendered useless for a while. It is the reason drug dealers send things packed in coffee.
Make sure if you send aerosol cans they have the pressure button on the bottom of the can. Most Squirt cheese does.
Meat products like Slim Jims, we called them Twizzlers

You can send chocolate from November until early March to Iraq, longer to Afghanistan. (Kabul)

Girl Scout cookies and Boy Scout popcorn BIg hit!!! Huge!!!
THE GS's may even want to send him cookies as their service project. We pick a new service member every year.

Make a CD or DVD of every one he knows wishing him Merry Christmas or Happy Birthday. Go to Grandma's and mom and dad;s and his buddies from high school, your kids, former teachers, pastor, old boss.

The guys in Afghanistan and Iraq usually get their packages within 10-12 days, sometimes earlier. Sending it to Japan, Okinawa, Korea or Germany will take a lot longer. My husband got one in 7 days once, in Iraq.

Awesome list!

http://militarymomathome.blogspot.com/2009/01/care-packag...

And drink mixes!

Cards to send BACK home. Birthday, anniversary, etc. We sent a stash to our friend for him to send to his family. He was REALLY happy about that!

baby wipes are a good idea, thats what my mom puts in my brothers. I think she also includes cookies wrapped in bubbles wrap (since they have such a long way to travel) but I am not sure what else

Any personal care items. Shampoo-conditioner-deodorant-soap or body wash and socks. Razors - saving cream - sunscreen - and for female soldiers tampons and pads.
Snack food is always welcome as is reading material. I talked to a man who served on an aircraft carrier during Desert Storm, they didn't touch dry land for about a year, he said he got so bored he's read anything including romance novels. Many of the men and women serving over there have laptops so they can email but having DVD's to watch is great and for football fans sending them the games every week is a real treat.

when I send CARE packages to my deployed friends, I include:

Silly String (my "nephew" who is EOD LOVES that!!)
band aids - all sizes
sunglasses (you can pick them up at the dollar store)
Advil
cookies (I put them in a ziploc bag with a slice of bread to keep them from getting stale
brownies
jolly ranchers (these are a HUGE hit!)
phone cards - my GF in GA has a phone card collection.

For my GF that was just over there - tampons and sanitary napkins - even some guys who have to go out on walking duty - have had to use them for bullet wounds (I don't know anyone personally that did this but my nephew told me some of his guys did).

Drawings....my boys LOVED to draw pictures...

thanks for my reminder!! I have another friend currently deployed and I need to put a CARE package together for him!!!

Great recommendations so far. I would avoid anything with chocolate so it doesn't melt. You don't know how long it will take to arrive to your intended.

I am told snacks and sheets/bedding are always needed and appreciated.

Amazon gift cards so he can fill his Kindle? I know when our friend was in the Peace Corps in Africa we were always sending him trail mixes and batteries.

They always love home made goodies. I used to send enough for my hubby to share with the others! I got lots of thank yous :)

socks and silly string

What ever you send will be greatly appreciated. I have sent care packages to men and women. Just remember to send more than one of anything you send because they are passed around and shared.

For men: razors, bandaids, tweezers, deodorant, toothpaste/toothbrush, plastic bags in a baggie (keeps sand out of things), magazines, puzzle books, batteries, calling cards. Snacks, pretzels, candies, packets for gatorade, tang, deck of cards.

For women: I have sent the same with extra packets of personal hygiene kits for tampons and pads with alcohol free wipes, bands for hair and a small mirror. Included were flip flops, soap/body cream with scrubbies, and a thank you card to each person for their service.

Just pack food items separate box from other items so that they don't smell like deodorant and such. These items come in handy if the PX/BX runs out. If you can get some mittens or scarves because the weather is changing but make sure they are navy blue or black. If they are colored they could possibly give them to locals.

He'll do fine.

The other S.

When my husband was deployed, he loved his favorite snacks, like trail mixes, chips, crackers, etc. Anything individually wrapped.

I liked to send small hand held snacks he could put in his pockets when he was away and didnt get chow. Those snacks came in handy.

Wipes are a MUST. My husband said that showers sometimes were rare, and he used baby wipes to try and keep clean. I am not sure how it will be with your brother, my husband was Infantry.

Also, magazines, deodorant, GUM was a big one.

Cold/Ice packs were a great gift. The guys all said that it was a help because the heat can get way over 100 degrees.

Later on when he gets to where he will be for awhile he will know what he needs the most.

For my husband, he said letters were the biggest help getting through. Anything from home.

I hope your brother stays safe, and comes home safe, and soon!