DeDe Does....Emergency Bags for the Car

Emergency bag for the car
If you have children, you must have one of these that remains in your car at all times! Then you never have to stress about an impromptu play date in a fountain or that mud puddle that came out of nowhere and accidentally captured your child. I have seen that happen with my own two eyes! My poor innocent twin boys have been violently attacked by mud numerous times. It’s horrible… poor babies! LOL
Seriously, there are times when someone gets sick and I’m not close to home. There is also the occasional instance where I’m stranded for a longer period of time than anticipated. Sometimes appointments run over or traffic has you off the normal schedule and routine. The only way to plan ahead for those types of scenarios is having something readily available for the backseat cry of “I’m hungry/thirsty/bored”.
IMPORTANT: Anytime you have to use anything from the bag, restock it as soon as you arrive back home!
My boys each have a small backpack that contains the following items:
1) Change of clothing (full set including undergarments and socks) – if you are still in the diaper or pull-up stage, then make sure there is one of those and include a swim diaper as well. Keep these items inside a large Ziploc bag. This way you can use the Ziploc to place the soiled items in until you get home. – I know, brilliant, right?!?!
2) Small pack of wipes (or just a few in a small Ziploc bag)
3) Small hand towel (or larger if you have room) – the dollar store ones are perfect for this
4) Snack (something that keeps well, like granola bar, goldfish crackers, pretzels, animal crackers, etc.)
5) A small bottle of water
6) Band-Aids and Neo-to-go (must have for boys!)
7) Small activities: small paperback books, a few crayons, notepad, and “junk” toys (dollar bin items, kid meal toys, birthday party goody bag items, etc.). Any items that are fun for a moment but will eventually break or get lost so nothing that they are “too attached” to. Attending birthday parties is a good way to stock up on these items. LOL
One important thing to remember is to switch out items every few months. The clothes will need to be seasonally updated. The snack will eventually expire and the toys will need to be inspected for safety. The wipes may dry out and the Band-Aids will long be gone! I forget to follow this procedure unless it is on my calendar. So, make a point to add it to your calendar with an email or task reminder set to repeat every three months. Then when it pops up… immediately take care of it and you are good to go until the next time you are reminded! Or, when one of those rogue mud puddles jumps all over one of your precious children! Beware!!