5 Items Every Mom Should Keep In Their Car

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely hate carrying a diaper bag. Sometimes, we are taking super quick trips and there really isn’t a need to travel with one. But low and behold – the moment you leave it at home because you are only going 5 minutes away, is the time you need it most * insert crying emoji*. That’s why I came up with my top essentials to keep in my car at all times. I will never get caught slipping again!

As a natural planner, I love to be prepared.

So, it was inevitable when I had my first child, I packed my diaper bag to the brim! The bigger the bag the better because I was packing it all! No item was left unpacked, haha.

When my oldest daughter was around 6 months old, I realized that carrying a 5lb+ diaper bag AND a 20lb baby was not going to work out, and even switching to a backpack style did not help. My shoulders and back were done, and I had to make a change, quick.

Over time, I was able to narrow down to only the essentials – and boy has it made a difference! My stomach is no longer in knots because I forgot to (or chose not to) bring a diaper bag. I know that as long as I have access to my car, we will be ready for most emergencies.

A little piece of advice, that is typically when it happens. So today, I’m going to share with you my top 5 essentials I keep inside my car, and why you should too!

1. Portable Toilet

Yes, I ride around with a toilet in my car, and I am not ashamed to admit it. Ever since we potty trained my oldest, the toilet has gone with us everywhere. Here we are 3 years later, and we still use it at least once per day. To keep cleanup a breeze, I line the toilet with puppy bags, like these. Then we keep baby wipes, Clorox wipes, and sanitizer nearby for easy cleanup. This one is pretty discreet and you can pull it out only when you need it!

2. Emergency Changing Station

And no, the diaper bag doesn’t count! Grab a plastic packing cube and fill it with a few diapers, wipes, changing clothes, and underwear for each kid. Size up so you never have to worry about if it fits if you forget to change it out.

The last thing any mom needs is for their baby to have a blowout and realize they didn’t bring the diaper bag….

But add in T-shirt for you too. Do you want to know how many times my husband or I picked up my daughter BEFORE we realized she had a massive blowout? And although we had a set of changing clothes for her, we did not have anything for ourselves. So guess what? We had to go to the store smelling like you know what to get a new shirt for ourselves.

Thank God for self-checkout! You’ll never catch me slipping again!

3. First Aid Kit

If your kids are anything like mine, they are probably a bit clumsy. My daughter loves to flip run and jump off anything, so a scraped knee or elbow isn’t anything new in our house. And every time, no matter how small or non-existent the bruise is, a band-aid and ointment always make it a little better.

I like to be prepared for it all because you never know with kids. I like my kit to be able to fit in my glove compartment, out of the reach of little hands. I have even stocked our cars with the small ones from Dollar Tree. Note: first aid kits generally come with only medicine for adults, so I add in a few children’s alternatives to ensure all my bases are covered.

4. Snacks

If I had a quarter for every time my kids ask me for a snack, I’d be joining Bezos on his trips to space. Ever went to grab a snack out of our bag, and realized you forgot to restock it from last time. And now you have no snack, and your toddler is screaming bloody murder and there’s no exit for miles or store in sight?!!

But seriously, sometimes errands run longer than we hoped, and our kids need a little snack to hold them over. Don’t leave it up to your mom-brain, and just keep a few nonperishable goodies in your car. I love goldfish because they hold up well in the TX heat.

5. Puppy Pads

Puppy pads are not just for dog owners. They can be used for so many things! I love to use these for those super messy diaper changes you don’t even want touching your changing pad… and speaking of changing pad. These are perfect for protecting your changing pad when using a public changing table. so slide a few in your diaper bag as well!

These are also great to protect your seats or floors when the kids happen to get dirty or have an accident.

I love the 4 packs at dollar tree because the packs are small enough to keep in my car, but you can also buy them in bulk on Amazon for more bang for your buck!

That’s it! My top 5 items every mom should keep in their car!

Now no matter where you are going, you can be sure that even if you forget your diaper bag, you’ll be covered. With kids, you never know what you’ll need to be prepared for, so let’s stay ready so we don’t have to get ready!

What are some of your must-have items? Meet me in the comments!