21 Things Every Parent Should Keep in the Car

Between daily errands and long family road trips, my family of four spends a lot of time in our Toyota Sienna, so keeping it well-stocked with everyday essentials and emergency provisions feels really important to me. Ultimately, stocking the car is all about understanding your own family’s particular needs. If you’ve got a baby who’s still in diapers, a packed diaper bag will be essential for you, whereas, if you’ve got tweens and teens, charging cables might be the hottest commodity imaginable. 

Consider this a jumping-off point of the top 21 items that all parents should keep in the car, and add your own personal touches to make sure your family has what they need — even on the go.

Stash a full change of clothes, including underwear, socks, and even a pair of shoes, in a packing cube for all of life’s little unexpected spills. This is especially important for babies, toddlers, and smaller kids, but in reality messes know no age limit, and if your teen would be mortified about having to spend a day covered in smoothie, then they’ll definitely appreciate having that back-up outfit in the trunk. (And older kids can help come up with their own change of clothes to avoid further embarrassment.) Rotate the clothing back-ups once or twice a year to make sure they still fit and are seasonally appropriate.

For smaller spills and spots, a full change of clothes might not be necessary — in which case, a stain remover pen can prevent stains from setting in and get you and your crew back to looking your best in no time.

My younger kiddo gets carsick whenever we take the scenic route, so we learned early the value of kids’ Dramamine, which helps prevent nausea, dizziness, and vomiting. The grape-flavored chewables come in a resealable travel case that stows perfectly in the center console.

Germs are everywhere, and if you need a quick sanitizing solution before a playground snack, these TikTok-buzzy hand sanitizer sprays are ideal. The cute Hello Kitty case is reusable and includes a key chain for hooking onto bags so it doesn’t get lost.

Caregivers of small children are typically pretty well-versed in packing snacks, but occasionally you find yourself caught in traffic with hangry passengers, and that’s when having a bag of nuts or a granola bar in the car feels like heavenly deliverance. Ditto for water, which is great for refilling tapped Owalas after soccer practice or otherwise hydrating in a pinch. Find a non-perishable snack your kids like reasonably well, and keep a few in the center console or glove compartment for easy access. Rotate snacks every few months to make sure they’re fresh.

Obviously, a travel potty is a must for potty training kiddos, but ours proved useful well beyond the potty training era for long car trips, during which my younger child inevitably has to go to the bathroom several times in a row when we’re nowhere near a rest area. You’ll also need toilet paper. And trust me — you are going to want disposable potty liners.

Whether it’s for bathroom-related purposes or just keeping little hands clean, a pack of Wet Wipes is a family car essential. Made without fragrances or alcohol, these are perfect for even the most sensitive skin. 

Keeping a roll of paper towels in the trunk has come in clutch more times than I can count — for everything from extra napkins to mopping up spills.

I find that my family is more successful at throwing things away if I make it really easy for them, like by providing a trash can an arm’s length away from wherever they may be, including the car. Use a plastic grocery bag for a thriftier option, or go with small trash bags; or, if you have an in-car trash can, keep a stash of liners for those.

Stay snuggly by a campfire, a fall music festival, or at an early morning soccer practice with a sturdy and dependable flannel blanket that rolls up for clean, organized storage. L.L.Bean makes a gold standard camp blanket, and it’s available in a half-dozen cozy colorways.

Unfortunately, booboos, fevers, and upset tummies are a reality of parenthood (and life), so it only makes sense to keep a well-stocked first aid kit in the family car for whenever one of these situations pops up on the road. Red Cross makes a well-stocked first aid kit that’s perfect for the car; in addition to all the bandages, gauze, and instant ice packs, I like to include meds my family uses often, like Lactaid, Immodium, and Benedryl, plus some extra “fun” bandages for my more particular passengers.

Even if I’m never planning on using it, having a roadside emergency kit in my car gives me immeasurable peace of mind. This one includes the standard jumper cables, flashlight, and towing rope, plus LED flares and a safety hammer for breaking the windshield (which you should probably not store in the trunk in order for it to be useful). 

Stocked with disposable toothbrushes, mouthwash, make-up wipes, hand lotion, breath mints, lip balm, and tampons and pads, a toiletry bag covers a lot of bases — and these Dopp Kits from Baggu look objectively dreamy while doing it.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve pulled up to gymnastics only to realize my daughter’s hair is down and looking absolutely feral after a long day at school, and of course, there’s not a hair tie to be found. Tame a day’s worth of tangles, and pull back long hair with a detangling brush and hair-friendly hair ties (that come in their own little reusable pouch).

Charge multiple devices quickly and without getting tangled up in their respective cords with this retractable 4-in-1 charger with both UCB-C and UCB-A ports.

I bought a pack of these when I was over-thinking an upcoming trip to Disney World, and they ended up going in the car once the trip was over. I’m so glad they did because they’ve been crucial for keeping the kids relatively dry during pop-up storms at sporting events and the farmers market several times.

For all those times when you don’t happen to remember the ponchos or when you pick up a kid from a playdate and they are inexplicably wet, you’ll appreciate having a big beach towel on hand.

This article originally published on Cubby. See it there: 21 Things Every Parent Should Keep in the Car