Ready for a peek inside my Subaru Ascent? Let’s go!
having this stay attached to my car window is THE BEST THING EVER, especially in Texas
don’t laugh - I can’t tell you how many times this has saved my phone from the abyss
approximately seven pairs of sunglasses
chapstick
my membership card to our favorite park/splash pad/dog park
spare cash for emergencies
tissues, baby wipes, roll of paper towels
hand sanitizer, wet ones
these lens cleaning wipes - aka Brett’s favorite thing
spare hair tie for me, spare hair ties for KK
spare phone charging cord, ten-feet long
I also keep a wall plug in the car, just in case we need a back-up - like the time Brett forgot to bring a phone charger on our beach trip
a few of KK’s favorite look and find books
this phone/tablet holder so in a dire emergency I can play a show for KK
a divided box like this with basic first aid supplies and medicine essentials
yes, this gets hot and that’s not ideal. but in an emergency I’d rather have something than nothing - here’s a list of our first aid essentials
a set of plastic cups - splash pad toy, pebble scooper at the playground, emergency snack holder, etc
the best set of plastic cars - having a separate set in our car buys me so much peace, and saves my bottom in so many situations
the best caddy of changing stuff - recently upgraded to this thing at the recommendation of one of y’all and it is AWESOME
travel toddler potty in a canvas grocery tote so it can easily be thrown in a stroller or our Outdoor Adventure Bag
two pairs of spare outfits for EACH person - me, brett, kk, and joey
while this is really handy for messes, accidents, impromptu swims, it also gives me peace of mind for an emergency situation
see more on our Emergency Tub and our Evacuation Bag
one inexpensive puffer jacket for each person*
I love that they pack up suuuuper small - and keeping them in my car saves my bottom multiple times a year. i can’t be trusted to remember to check the weather and/or bring a jacket.
y’all know I also love these Amazon Basics Mens Fleece Jackets - I grabbed several for our our Evacuation Bag when they were on deep, deep sale
*technically I don’t need these in the summer…but I also don’t like dealing with taking them in and out of my car. so they usually stay in year-round.
spare swimsuits, spare goggles, spare hats during warmer months
an extra quilt (for sitting outside)
a few extra towels (for messes, impromptu swims)
spare ring sling, spare baby blanket, spare burp cloth
spare pair of shoes and socks for KK, tucked in KK’s door, since we don’t always put shoes on her to drive somewhere, only to discover we’d like to stop in a place
spare pair of shoes for me
one of my favorite emergency lanterns
spare dog leashes, collapsible dog water bowl
some car emergency things, but I really need to learn how to use them - so I won’t link them, simply because thank goodness I have no idea what works well yet
And, I love my car organizer - it holds and impressive amount of stuff.
And we love our Outdoor Adventure Bag + Packed Pool Bag in warmer months.
A few notes re: our cars:
our unlimited car wash membership is one of my favorite things as a mom for four reasons - see the quick reel here. this membership (and a larger-than-usual line in our budget for coffee drive-thru) will especially come in very, very handy postpartum for days I want to get out of the house, but don’t want to load everyone in and out of the car 4779823 times.
we put a little money away each month to get a professional car detailer to deep clean our vehicles once a year. best annual purchase ever. my yearly tasks + expenses list reminds me to do this - and other annual things. BLESS.
we don’t take the dogs anywhere other than grooming, the vet, or my parents’ house, so I really don’t keep things for them in my car. however, I do keep stuff for them in our evacuation bag.
And I think that’s it!
This post is an excerpt from one of my most popular posts of all time - Things We Did to Prepare for Baby #2!
Here’s 20 things we keep at home for when we don’t feel well (or when we’re hurt)
See this Instagram post for the best, handiest thing people keep in their own cars. There are SO many things in those comments I need to add to my own car! (Even though the post is older, please keep adding comments! The ideas are GOLD.)
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