Keep these eight helpful items in the car for more comfortable and tidy travels with your family
Traveling with children has its rewards and challenges, depending on the day (and their moods…). Here are eight items to keep in your car for more pleasant (and clean) trips.
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Wipes
Wet Ones Sensitive Skin Wipes
Photo: Amazon
Store anti-bacterial wipes in the center console of your vehicle so you can easily retrieve them to help passengers stay clean. They’re a useful item to pack for the road, whether you’re wiping down a messy toddler or yourself after you’ve spilled some coffee on your leg.
Place small tissue boxes or travel-pack sized ones throughout the car. This will help keep your vehicle and your children clean and decongested during the drive.
Hand sanitizer
Germ-X Foaming Hand Sanitizer
Photo: Amazon
Help your crew stay healthier by keeping a bottle of alcohol-free hand sanitizer in the cabin. It’s an easy way to keep the germs at bay when you and your young ones are out and about.
Sunscreen
Shield your kids’ skin cells from harmful UV rays when going on summer vacations or daytime outings at the park or pool when you keep sunscreen in the car. Just make sure to bring it inside the house on especially warm days, since sunscreen can degrade in extremely hot temperatures.
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Snacks and water
CamelBak Kids BPA Free Water Bottle
Photo: Amazon
Pack non-perishable snacks to have on hand when little ones get hungry on the road, so you can travel longer without stopping. Granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers, applesauce, and dried fruit tend to be crowd-pleasers for young taste buds. You’ll also want to bring along leak-proof bottles and cups for water to keep everyone hydrated and comfortable.
Trash bag
Invest in a trash holder for your car to help keep the cabin tidy. When it gets full, simply empty it at rest stops or when you get home.
First-aid kit
First Aid Kit
Photo: Amazon
Store a first-aid kit under a seat or some other centralized location in the car. That way, you can easily retrieve bandages and other emergency supplies if someone gets hurt and you’re away from home.
Restaurant bag
Your Modern Family blogger Becky Mansfield recommends keeping a “restaurant backpack” in the vehicle. Pack it with coloring books, crayons, small toys, and disinfecting wipes. That way you’ll always be prepared to go out to eat at a moment’s notice and keep the kids happily occupied during the occasion.
Whitney Russell is a current resident of Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not adventuring through the exciting world of car news, she can be found hiking with her husband and their two dogs, motorcycling, visiting her cute nephews and nieces, discovering new memes, reorganizing and/or decorating some corner of the world, researching random things, and escaping into a great movie, poem, or short story. See more articles by Whitney.
