Question of the Day: What Essentials Do You Keep In Your Car?
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source: Douea
Summer schedules often include more time spent on the road, whether it’s a weekend road trip or just a day at the local pool or park. With all this extra time spent in the car, it’s good to be prepared for life’s little emergencies – being stuck in traffic at dinner time, a potty accident after a long day, etc.
Of course, we don’t want to pack the whole house into the truck every time we go out, but Angie at The Creative Mama recently posted about her summer Go-To Bag, which stays stocked and ready in her car.
Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie also shared a detailed list of vehicle supplies she keeps in the car as well as a look at some of the car organizers available to make organizing your supplies easier, and earlier this week she spread some link love with even more posts about organizing your car.
Today’s question of the day is:
What essentials do you keep in your car for little – or big – emergencies?
What things do you most often wish you had remembered to bring?
Is there anything you keep in your car even though you’ve never used it?
Do you have a hard time keeping your car organized?
If not, what’s your secret to car organization?
Can’t wait to hear from you!
I’ll admit we’re not the best at keeping our car organized. I *do* organize it, and it looks so nice and clutter-free, but after a long day in the car running errands, it’s often trashed with snack bags, toys, miscellaneous things that have come out of the diaper bag and so on. By the time we get home and get everybody unloaded, neither my husband nor I feel like spending the time to clean up the car, even though it would just take a few minutes. I’ve tried car organizers in the past without much luck. I think for us, it’s just a matter of developing the habit and discipline to clean it up after we get out of it each time!
My #1 item for emergencies that we ALWAYS keep in the car is a little orange hammer and seatbelt cutter that we keep in the console between the driver and passenger seat. In an emergency, it would hopefully help me get everybody out of their carseats as well as to break a window and get out if necessary!
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As a single woman I may have a little different list of things that I “must have” in my car than the moms out there. Some of them will totally overlap, others maybe not.
Note Cards – to leave a quick note if I see a friend’s car in the parking lot or stop by a friend’s house and they aren’t home
Blankets – to sit on at the park (I think there’s always a frisbee in my car as well)
Umbrella – esp in the summer with the flash 15 min storms
Anti-bac waterless soap – learning to not keep this in the car or it will explode in the heat… maybe my purse would be a better place
Retractable pen and notepad – I’m frequently jotting notes at stop lights
Tripod – Silly, I know but I’m a (new) photographer and seemingly need my tripod only when I’m out and about
Shannon’s last blog post…Faithful
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How funny. I just put a basket between my kids’ car seats and gave them the whole, “all of your books & toys go back in the basket” talk. Well, most of the books were discarded into the floor after our ride. It will take some time.
I don’t really keep anything in my car, other than the stroller, a basket of books, magnadoodles and cds, and grocery bags. Everything else that is in there right now shouldn’t be.
PS~Erin’s last blog post…End of the Week Links
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Mandi I’m so glad you touched on this today, and am thrilled that my simple “go-to bag” is reminding others to be prepared. My biggest thing is remembering to update it. I have it on my calendar, but we all know how life goes…
When I do take something from it, I try to immediately replace it. Whether it be tylenol, a diaper, or snacks for the kids.
I think our biggest struggle is just cleaning as we go. I try to do this, but need to make it a goal that each time we leave the car, we take trash with us. So much easier than a big 2-hr cleanout every few months
@PS~Erin I love this idea, basket in between the kids! I’m going to make this one happen today!
Angie @ The Creative Mama’s last blog post…Get Your Creative On!
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My main car must-haves are a garbage bag, pocket kleenex packets, and napkins. The kids each have a bag they use to put a few toys in to take when we go somewhere. Then when we get home, we make sure everything comes back out of the car, so it doesn’t get piled with more stuff next time.
I also keep kids music and a travel size first aid kit in the car, because you just never know.
Amanda @ Mommy’s Idea Book’s last blog post…5 Lessons You Can Learn from Kids
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First things first, I don’t think it’s possible to have children and have an organized car!
Ha! 
I love having an SUV because I CAN have my “must haves” in the car without compromising space or comfort.
In the back seat I have a plastic tote with handles that the boys are allowed to fill with whatever toys they want but they have to stay IN THERE when we get out (easier said than done) — it’s a work in progress.
In the back, I keep a milk crate with the following:
*zip loc bags of napkins
*an extra box of Kleenex
*plastic cups
*boo boo box (small first aid kit)
*two bottles of water
*two rain ponchos
*antibacterial hand wipes
*Zoo pals brand snack cups (built in lids)
*straws in case we get drinks from some place and they either have a hole in the straw or forget to give us one
*sunblock and/or bug spray (depending on the season)
*our cup of Chuck E Cheese game tokens because you never know when you’ll actually be hit with the urge to get out of the Texas heat
I also keep a tote with this in it:
*two towels
*a travel blanket
Also in the back is where I keep my emergency roadside kit (jumper cables, flares, flashlight, etc.) in it. I always have at least 2 umbrellas as well.
Depending on the season I have a few other items… when it’s “sports season” I keep my two bleacher seats in there.
In my console I keep my emergency tool (has a hammer for breaking windows, cutter for seatbelts, etc.) my car charger for my MP3 player
We ALSO have a tote that we take with us when we’re “on the go” It has markers, crayons, small containers of playdoh, plastic stencils, sketch pads, activity books, etc. This comes in and out of the vehicle with us since, face it, it gets hot in Texas and I don’t want the crayons to melt or the markers to dry out.
If we’re goign to be gone longer than an hour, I also grab our handy little travel cooler and pack the boys some grapes (halved of course so they don’t choke, carrots or other chilly snack) and something to drink. It’s nice to have that so you don’t have eto stop for unnecessary and unhealthy snacks/drinks when you’re on the road.
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As a adult with no children at home, in my car I have detailed street maps for my local area; napkins; registration and insurance info – all in my glove box along with my auto manual.
In my back seat I have my grocery totes (about 6 held in one of them); my umbrella; and my large windshield sunvisor.
In my tote bag, I carry my purse; my hairbrush, hair bands, barettes, and cell phone. In the winter I add my Yax trac (put on my shoes to aid walking on the ice).
In my way back (I have a Subaru Outback)I have a beach blanket (heavier blanket in the winter) and in the winter a shovel, ice scraper/long handle brush.
When I know I am going for a period longer that an hour or two, I also pack a small cooler with water and fruit. I try to eat a small amount every 3 hours or so.
After reviewing the lists, I believe I will get a first aid kit to keep in the glove box or console as well as an emergency tool.
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This is a great topic – especially since I just spent the morning cleaning out our van. We keep it pretty clutter free but all the sand/crumbs/etc; it gets pretty yucky! We have an organizer in the trunk that I think I got from Walmart. It straps onto the entire back of the rear seat and has tons of pockets. I love it because it keeps all the stuff off the floor of the trunk. In there I keep a change of clothes for each kid, extra wipes, a first aid kit, a “neat sheet” and a fold-up potty (I have a 2 year old potty training) as well as a ziplock full of plastic grocery bags. My husband has some other “tool” things in there as well but I’m not sure exactly what so hopefully I’ll never need them
In between the driver and passenger seat in the front I keep a small basket with paper cups (for handing out small snack portions) tissue, and napkins. In the past I’ve tried having a small tote in the back for books, paper, pencils, etc for the kids but we never had success keeping the stuff picked up so I got rid of it. They are allowed to bring out one thing to the car but it must come in when we get home. That’s the only way we can keep the car semi clean – take back in what you bring out (and that includes Mommy too!)
Clara S.’s last blog post…We finally did it!
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Mandi Reply:
June 27th, 2009 at 5:07 am
Oh, yes, the potty is a must-have for us too! I learned that after I had to take my 3yo, 1.5yo and 2 WEEK old into a gas station by myself…
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Don’t have much of anything I keep in my car. My five year old likes to bring a lot of things along, but not take it out of the car when we get home. So now we are working on gathering things up when we get home.
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I notice alot of people talking about having an emergency tool in their car. I purchased a multi-purpose garden trowel last summer that has a reinforced handle, twine cutter, and knife edge on it that I keep in my truck. The twine cutter cuts 550 para cord like butter so I know it will cut a seat belt. I don’t know if I can say the brand but if you ask I’ll tell.
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Hey Mandi, thanks for including my links in your discussion. One other thing I forgot to mention is that each time we go on a trip my kids each bring a bag of activities with them but then are responsible for cleaning up and bringing that bag back into the house afterwards. It really makes a difference in keeping all the van clutter under control.
Org Junkie’s last blog post…Mini-Mom Timeouts
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We keep a diaper bag stocked with:
- diapers/ wipes/ bags for disposal
- children’s/ adult Tylenol
- sunscreen/ hats
- change of clothes for the youngest 2 kiddos
- anti-bacterial hand cleanser
- emergency “supplies” for the mama
Under the mat, I have the jumper cables and such.
I also keep a stroller, a bag full of reusable shopping bags (so I have them anytime I need them!), and some snacks/ water bottles.
In my glove box, I keep an atlas, some spare straws, a pair of gloves along with the owner’s manual/ registration/ insurance cards.
Between the front seats, I have an organizer that holds change, pens, a Sharpie marker (I use this ALL the time!), and post-it notes.
In my house, if you put it in the car- you bring it back in when we get home. We drive a lot and it takes NO time at all to fill the car with clutter if we don’t stay on top of it!
Karen’s last blog post…Happy Birthday Cael!!!
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I keep a diaper bag packed with clothes/underwear/diapers for each of my three girls. (Every three months or so, I check the clothes to make sure that they still fit – especially important for the baby.)
Also, I never go ANYWHERE without my emergency throw up/poop kit, which has come in handy more times than I care to remember:
A brand new roll of paper towels, an entire pack of diaper wipes, and as many plastic grocery bags as I can stuff down in the hole of the paper towels. It’s a lifesaver!
Jennie’s last blog post…Exception Words
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Terry Reply:
June 27th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
Thats a great idea, putting the bags inside the paper towel roll.
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