Darkness is not the scariest thing. How to live in a high-rise building with a baby in Poznyaki in the capital: life hacks, tips, discoveries
A few years ago, today’s realities might have seemed like the plot of a fantasy film to Ukrainians. Life with a minimum of household goods, which Kyiv residents and others are now forced to live, is a test that sometimes causes despair, confusion, and anger not only at the enemy, but also at the local authorities, which probably should have foreseen something like this.
A few years ago, today’s realities might have seemed like the plot of a fantasy film to Ukrainians. Life with a minimum of household goods, which Kyiv residents and others are now forced to live, is a test that sometimes causes despair, confusion, and anger not only at the enemy, but also at the local authorities, which probably should have foreseen something like this.
Instead of an introduction
This text was persuaded by my colleagues. They say that others should know about my survival experience and life hacks that make life easier in a fully electrified high-rise building in the capital, where there is no light for 33 hours in a row. This is the Left Bank, Poznyaki. They say that such a text can help someone.
Let me just say: after two weeks of occupation without water, electricity, gas, and access to shops in a village between Bucha and Borodyanka in the winter of 2022, when we had to live, sleep, and eat in a basement at a temperature of about +10 °C, we were ready for anything. Even for the current dark and cold life. True, we didn’t have a baby then. Now the main one in the family is a 9-month-old daughter, so we have to take special care of ordinary, seemingly everyday things.
Next, about how we managed to arrange our life with a baby when there was no electricity, water, and sometimes even heating for more than a day (I admit honestly: we were lucky with this — the heating only went out for two days in total).
We were preparing.
As I already mentioned, the experience of living under occupation with literally nothing (because back then no one believed in such a war — with tanks in the streets, villagers being shot, raids by Russians and Chechens on houses) forced me to prepare for any scenario.
Therefore, ever since our return from Ivano-Frankivsk, which welcomed us after leaving the occupation, we have been collecting and methodically going through our worrying suitcases.
We have a significant supply of candles (during the occupation, we even had to make them from wax, which a neighbor who was a beekeeper shared), food — canned food, sweets, dry biscuits (this was what was sorely lacking at the time), medicines. There is drinking water in every backpack. There are also warm blankets, chemical and salt heating pads, matches, and of course sets of clean underwear and warm socks. Fortunately, we hardly needed most of these things, and they are still lying around, folded, for a more alarming time.
So, how to live during long outages, sometimes without heat and water in the apartment — further.
Light sources
The reality is that nowadays it is difficult to do without a charging station. We have two of them — both Bluetti. They are not very powerful for several reasons: we do not connect the stations to the entire apartment network, we use them point by point so as not to waste the resource.
The first one — BLUETTI EB3A 600W 268Wh — is compact and lightweight, easy to move around the apartment. It’s enough to power a TV and a light bulb (the husband made several light bulbs from a socket) for about five hours.
The second one is more powerful and weighs 10.5 kg — BLUETTI AC70P 1000W 864Wh. It provides the Internet, TV, light bulb, and charging phones and laptops for over 40 hours (until it is discharged below 40%). It is also a great helper to periodically refuel the refrigerator or, if necessary, turn on the microwave to heat up food.
We chose the small stations based on several criteria. In addition to power, charging speed was important—both charge in about an hour. They also had to be light enough that I could move and carry them without too much effort if necessary.
In addition to the stations, the apartment is literally «stuffed» with various light sources. In the bathroom and dressing room, since 2022, garlands from Chinese marketplaces have successfully performed the role of lighting. In the inter-apartment corridor, rooms and kitchen — rechargeable light bulbs. They shine for an average of four hours without recharging and are a great help, especially when you have to walk with a stroller through a dark entrance.
We also have a reserve of light in the form of lamps with motion sensors, several lamps that in peacetime would have served as nightlights, but have now become a full-fledged source of lighting.
A separate find is a lamp powered by a power bank, a rechargeable LED table lamp, and a bright light bulb on a magnet that can be attached to any metal surface.
And, of course, a bunch of power banks, headlamps, and small flickering LED flashlights are a must-have. The latter are at least for safe crossing of the road. In short, even when there is no electricity, we always have light at home.
For a very dark day, we also have a car battery with a light bulb. But its problem is that it charges very slowly. Therefore, this device is for last resort.
And here’s my favorite life hack for parents: add lights and a stroller for your child, and navigating dark, dark streets will be brighter, more fun, and safer. We did this with the help of an ordinary garland.
Warm
Taught by the bitter experience of living under occupation, we always have several sets of thermal underwear and warm socks. This year they came in very handy when the heating went out for several days. When the temperature in the apartment drops below 17 degrees, it becomes noticeably uncomfortable.
Fleece men, warm bodysuits, and tights are indispensable for a child. We also have an electrically heated blanket that runs on a power bank — a really cool thing.
We also have a rubber heating pad in a «furry» fur coat, a bunch of salt heating pads, and a few chemical ones (the kind used by the military). Fortunately, we never needed the chemical ones.
And another perfect, albeit unexpected, «warmer» is a dog. We have a dachshund, and she’s always warm. When you need to warm up quickly, she’ll happily snuggle up next to you under a blanket, and life immediately becomes a little better.
Food
When it’s cold, you always want hot food. But in a house where everything is electric, it’s not easy. And delivery in severe frosts often doesn’t please with warm dishes. Of course, you can go to Epicenter, Puzata Khata, or McDonald’s, but when you’re home alone with a child and the elevators don’t work, it’s a whole special operation.
That’s why our indispensable helpers are thermoses. I have four of them, and they keep the heat for more than a day. Even after 40 hours without electricity, I managed to brew hot tea from a thermos. And also, friends and acquaintances who have gas always write that their gas stoves are at our service (I really appreciate it and always mean it). And it’s fascinating — our people are incredible.
We always have sweets as a source of quick energy, ingredients for sandwiches, ingredients for hearty «New Year’s» salads with mayonnaise. I also try to keep a few boiled eggs — they satisfy hunger well.
We even learned to receive guests without the lights on with various snacks — it’s tasty, convenient, and quick. And there’s no need to wash the dishes :).
If necessary, a tourist stove with gas cylinders would come in handy, but we have only used it once since 2022. Dry soups are also very helpful — not Mivina, but natural Street Food soups from a Ukrainian manufacturer: they are both warming and really tasty.
Everything is easier with food for the child. She is nine months old, and she willingly eats ready-made cereals, cottage cheese, puree, and she always has clean, warm, and fresh mother’s milk. It is precisely because of the risks of blackouts that we do not plan to complete breastfeeding yet.
I usually heat baby food on the radiator. When it’s cold, I use boiling water from a thermos: I pour some hot water into the container and put the jar or bottle in there for a few minutes.
Storing food in the winter is easier — the balcony successfully acts as a refrigerator. And we try not to keep a lot of perishable foods.
Hygiene
This is probably the most difficult issue in everyday life with a baby without hot water (we don’t have a boiler). But even here we have adapted: we have a large supply of dry and wet wipes, as well as warm water in bottles that are on the batteries. When the batteries are cold, boiling water from a thermos comes to the rescue again.
Just in case, we have several dozen army dry showers — a truly indispensable thing when water is critical.
We have been storing a supply of technical water (disinfected with aspirin, so it keeps well) since 2022. This year we even had to use some of it until the water supply was restored after the shelling. Drinking water is always in stock.
Instead of a conclusion
This is just my experience. These are the things that make our lives a little more comfortable. I understand that there are families who are forced to live in much worse conditions — without heating, water and electricity for weeks. Perhaps something from what I have described will be useful to them.
I am convinced that we must now prepare for any scenario. It is this conviction and advance preparation that allow us to survive the winter more or less comfortably.
I’ll be honest: if the heating in the house completely disappeared, we would leave the capital for the village, where we could heat with wood and have gas. We would do the same in the event of a water collapse. And without electricity… we have somehow learned to live with that.
How to stay warm when the house has no heating or electricity, the water has been drained from the system, and the restoration time is unknown: 7 useful life hacks
