• Home
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure & Privacy
  • Media Kit
  • Little Family Adventure Shop

Little Family Adventure

Active Family Travel and Lifestyle Blog

  • Get Outside
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Family
  • Go Green
  • Deals

May 28, 2014 By Nicky 5 Comments

10 Must Haves to Keep in Your Car, Especially if You Have Kids

Little Family Adventure sometimes receives compensation and/or hosted travel and sample products related to blog posts. This story may contain affiliate links.

With summer travel season upon us, you want to be sure you and your car are prepared. Having kids means you should be prepared for everything. The unexpected always happens, so you should be prepared.

This is a list of my 10 Must Haves to Keep in Your Car, especially if you have kids.

1. First Aid kits with plenty of Bandaids- If you have kids, you should carry a first aid kit.There is a reason this is #1 on my 10 Must Haves to Keep in your car.  You never know when an emergency will pop up. The kit doesn’t have to be big. Mine includes plenty of bandaids, sterile guaze, medical tape, anti-itch cream, Tylenol, antiseptic wipes.

2.  Books – I have a few books for each child in the backs of the front seat. They are usually a combination of readers, activity books (dot to dot, word search, Mad Libs, etc.) and comics. It helps prevent the “Are we there yet?” when they get bored. They are also helpful when we go out to eat. Note: I’ll swap out these books often to prevent the kids from getting bored with them.

3. Snacks- I keep a bag of nuts and trail mix in the car. Nuts and dried fruit are  good options, especially during the summer. Both don’t melt or get sticky, plus they will seldom make a huge mess in the car. For younger children, snack crackers would be a good option. Snack bars and energy bars are also good choices.

4. Hoodie or sweatshirt – You never know when the weather will change and it’s good to be prepared. Even in summer time, we keep them in the car. They don’t take up much space and you will be thankful when you walk into a store or restaurant that has the AC on artic chill.

5. Pocket knife-  My handy Swiss Army knife has been a life saver. From cutting off clothing tags to cutting bandage tape, you never know when this will come in handy.

6. Water Bottles – We take at least 2 water bottles with us everywhere. We fill them before we ever get into the car and never leave home without them. I don’t like plastic bottles because they are wasteful, but can also leach harmful chemicals into the water if you leave them in your car for a long period of time.

7. Car charger and USB cables-  I keep an extra set of USB cables for the iPad and my phone in the car. They never leave my car. That way, when an electronic device fails, I can charge it with no problems.

8. Tissues or Toilet Paper– It never fails that the someone will need a tissue when you don’t have any.  I keep a pocket sized box of tissues in the console and a roll of TP in the glove compartment. The toilet paper seems a little redundant, but nothing is worse than being in the middle of nowhere and someone has to go to the bathroom. Sometimes a tissue just isn’t enough for an emergency roadside stop.

9. Trash bags  If you have kids, you have trash. I keep small grocery store bags and a large kitchen trash bag in my car to curb the mess. Plus they come in handy when you have wet, soggy clothes or messy items like flowers/shrubs from the nursery.

10. Duct Tape – It’s the ultimate fix it upper. It’s comes in handy on everything. I once had the strap of a sandal break. Duct tape was able to hold it together until I got home.

So these are my 10 Must Haves to Keep  in Your Car.

What other suggestions do you have?

Filed Under: Family Travel

About Nicky

Nicky Omohundro is a travel and active family lifestyle blogger and social media influencer based out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She shares stories, destinations, and ideas on food, family, health, and outdoor recreation to help families find their own adventures. Her spirit animal is a caffeinated squirrel fueled by coffee, real food, and the desire to seek new adventures.

« Family Fun in Little Rock, Arkansas : Hometown Adventure Series
Celery, Apple and Walnut Salad »

Comments

  1. Patti says

    May 28, 2014 at 10:55 am

    Good list…Gorilla tape is much stronger than regular duct tape…we taped down our windshield’s weather stripping and it held up all winter long. Avoid contact with skin or hair. 😉 We try to keep sunscreen and hats on hand as well. And a flashlight.

    Reply
  2. blankChristina @ Juggling Real Food and Real Life says

    May 30, 2014 at 2:05 pm

    Great tips Nicky. I thought my car was pretty well packed, but you’ve given me some ideas here. Trash bags! Why did I never think of that? We carry blankets with us. We sit on them at the beach, at the park, and on the bleachers. They are also good for when we get cold.

    Reply
  3. blankMichelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says

    June 5, 2014 at 7:18 am

    These are awesom, Nicky! I am definitely not prepared…will be using your list! I’ve got chargers for cell phones and napkins! LOL Clearly, I could improve.

    Reply
    • blankLittle Family Adventure says

      June 9, 2014 at 5:01 pm

      I’m really bad about cleaning out my car every so often. Afterwards, I have nothing I need. It’s always a work in progress. 🙂

      Reply
  4. blankBonny at Oysterbed7 says

    August 1, 2014 at 7:19 am

    What a great list! When the kids were very small, I also kept a change of clothes for the kids and an extra t-shirt for myself. You never knew what was going to happen. Trash bags are something I never thought of! Thanks for this.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Find What You’re Looking For Here

Welcome to Little Family Adventure

blank Hi, I'm Nicky. I'm an active mom of 3 who wants to help you have "No Child Left Inside." We're getting outdoors and traveling as a family to bring you new ideas, destinations, and activities. Let me help inspire you to find your own adventure at home, outdoors, and around the world.

Follow Our Adventures

coffee table with cups and text overlap
HOT DEALS OF THE WEEK  (Updated Every Thursday)
campfire meme

GUIDES

Family Vacation Ideas

Camping Checklist

Weekend Camping Menu Under $50 

Camping Breakfast Ideas

Outdoor Activities for Kids

Funny Camping Memes

Camping Gifts

Hiker Gifts

Backyard Camping Ideas and Activities

Winter Activities for Kids

blank

Reader Favorites

Kringla shaped cookies in a tin

Kringla Recipe for Traditional Norwegian Cookies

Easy Gumbo Recipe - This Instant Pot Pressure cooker version is so simple to make. I also share the secret to getting the roux perfect every time

Easy Gumbo Recipe (Instant Pot version)

campfire cooking

Don't Go Camping Without Seeing these 25+ Camping Recipes First

Memberships

Family Travel Association member badge   The Family Backpack Trusted Blogger BadgeSATW_logo

The FTC has set regulations on disclosing when bloggers advertise or recommend products. Find this information outlined in my disclosure policy

blank

Copyright © 2021 · Little Family Adventure - Divine theme by Restored 316 & Designed by That Pretty Face