10 Things EVERY Parent Needs in Their Car
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HuggiesNewYear #CollectiveBias
Every parent has had that moment. You know the one. Where you are in the car and you suddenly realize you forgot ____. I know I have had my fair share, and I decided to do something about it. I wanted to get ahead of the game. No more getting caught off guard for things that I just didn’t have time to think about. That is how this list came together. In my opinion, these are the 10 things that EVERY parent NEEDS to have in their car, always. I picked up everything on my list for under $20 from Family Dollar since they are pretty much a one stop shop, and I am even sharing a printable shopping list so that you can make sure you get everything that you need!
- Diapers: Let’s be honest. How many times have you forgotten to pack diapers in the diaper bag, or stick a couple in your purse? Or better yet, how many times have you packed two diapers only to have your kid blow through both of them within minutes? You seriously can never have too many diapers stashed in your car, but diapers can get expensive. I grabbed a package of Huggies at Family Dollar and made sure to pack several in the car for those just in case moments.
- Wipes: Wipes are a parent’s most versatile tool. I love having a package of wipes in the car for cleaning up spills, changing diapers, and wiping hands & faces. I have always been a huge fan of Huggies wipes because of how thick and durable they are.
- Hand Sanitizer: Picking kids up from school, playing at the park, playdates….there are germs everywhere. Especially during cold and flu season, hand sanitizer is a must have in the car.
- Tissues: There is nothing worse than not having anything to wipe a runny nose with. If your kid’s nose is already sore, you definitely want to have nice soft tissues to wipe with.
- Ziplock Bags: This is my biggest and best tip for you. You NEED gallon sized ziplock bags in your car. There are a couple of reasons and uses. First, if you are changing a stinky diaper on a road trip and don’t have a garbage can nearby, you can zip that diaper up into a ziplock bag until you get to a garbage can, and you won’t have to smell a thing! Second, it is a perfect barf bag. Barf. Zip. Problem solved. Last, if your child has a blow out, you can stick those stinky clothes into the ziplock bag until you can get it home and wash it. I put 4 bags in my car.
- Bandaids: I think this is pretty self explanatory. It is amazing the healing powers of a bandaid in the eyes of a child.
- Antibiotic Ointment: I love having an antibiotic ointment in my car for those times when my kids are bleeding and I want to try to keep the bacteria out and keep the scarring to a minimum.
- Tylenol: For those days when you have a headache from all of the yelling going on in the car (ya, I’m totally talking about JUST the kids yelling. Ha!) Just make sure to buy it in a childproof packaging.
- Feminine Products: Kids aren’t the only ones that you should be prepared for. This one speaks for itself.
- Snack Crackers: There is nothing worse than a hungry child on a road trip. Instead of making a stop before you get to the hotel, grab a package of crackers to help tide them over and save yourself a headache in the process.
I hope this has been helpful for you! I know that it has been something that is helpful for me and my family, and I definitely feel much better prepared for when we leave the house. To help you be even MORE prepared, I created a free printable shopping list that will help you make sure you don’t forget anything while you are out shopping. To use it, you’ll simply click the link below to get to the shopping list. Once there, save the list to your computer. Then you’ll be able to print as many copies as you would like! I made it so that there are four lists per page, so go print it out, cut it apart, and get started being better prepared by heading to Family Dollar today!
