10 Things You Should Keep in the Car
We Don’t Think About the Essentials Until We NEED Them.
When you think about what to keep in your car, what items come to mind? Of course, a phone charger, extra change, jumper cables, and your cell phone come to mind, but what else SHOULD be in your car? Oftentimes, you never think about the things you should keep in the car until you really need them.
I’ve put together a list of car essentials that you should always keep on hand.
10 Things You Should Keep in the Car
1. First Aid Kit
2. Flashlight & Extra batteries
3. Tire Pressure gauge
4. Ziploc Bags
5. Bottles of Water and Snacks
6. Blanket
7. Trash Bags
8. Roll of paper towels
9. Wipes (Baby, Disinfectant, Body)
10. Chargers
Why you should always have these essentials in your car
Further Reading: 12-Point Checklist to Get Your Car Summer Road Trip Ready
First Aid Kit
Until I became a mom, I never realized how important a First Aid Kit was! I remember being at the park and my then 2-year-old fell and scraped up her knee. It was pretty bad. My husband got the kit out of the minivan and we cleaned her up. Thankfully, our minivan came with a pre-made First Aid Kit. I had never thought of having one until we saw it there. We now always have a First Aid Kit in the car.
Your First Aid Kit doesn’t have to be a full-sized kit. All you need to have on hand are a few basics. A variety of bandages in different sizes, gauze pads, tape, tweezers, alcohol wipes, and disinfectant.
Flashlight and Extra Batteries
A flashlight is another one of those things that you never think of until you need it. What could you use a flashlight for? It can be the smallest thing like helping you find your car keys or phone in between seats at night. Or a bigger thing like checking your engine at night if you get stuck on the road. Better safe than sorry. Be sure to have extra batteries for your flashlight, or consider getting a compact crank-style light. The worst thing is having something and not being able to use it.
Tire Pressure Gauge
My SUV has a built-in tire pressure gauge to let me know when my tires are low, which is great. What’s not so great is getting the notification that I have a tire that’s low, pulling into a gas station and realizing I won’t be able to tell how much air I’m putting into it.
There are lots of options out there, including digital ones that make it much easier to read in lieu of the older style ones that are very hard to read. If you can’t find a digital one, the ones with the larger print are also easier to read. I’ve found that having this little tool in the car is really helpful.
Resealable Bags
Another thing I realized after becoming a Mom is how much of a necessity resealable bags for the car were. You can use them for so many things. Use them for wet clothing, dirty and muddy clothing, and sand-filled clothing (beach days).
You can also use them to store items like tissues, paper towels, or wipes in your car. I also pre-plan out snacks and place them in resealable bags so the kids have easy access to them during road trips.
One thing I like to do is keep a small variety of different bags rolled together and secured with a rubber band. I use the bags at least weekly. I think these are definitely one of the top things you should keep in the car, especially if you’re a mom.
H2o and Plenty of Snacks
Bottles of water are great to keep on hand to keep hydrated if you ever get stranded, but have you ever thought about why they are so useful and a must-have for the car? Aside from drinking water, you can use a bottle of water to rinse off hands and feet (or paws). You can also use water in case your car windows are dirty and the anti-freeze doesn’t work.
Snacks are also a great thing to have on hand whether you’re on the go or on a long road trip. It’s always good to keep some snacks in the car in case of an emergency. There could be heavy traffic or you could get stranded somewhere. The worst thing to deal with is hunger and even worse, hungry kids!
Cozy Things
It makes sense to have a blanket in the car during the winter season, but it could also be of great use throughout the rest of the year. In my car, during the summer, a blanket is a must-have because the A/C is on full force, and I am normally freezing. Another reason blankets are great to have in the car is that you can also use it for other things. Use it as a changing table in the backseat, hang out in the trunk on a summer night, use it at the park for a picnic and more. Also, consider toting a pillow for those long car rides.
Further Reading: Be Safe, Smart, and Prepared On The Road: Winter Driving Tips
Trash Bags
Trash bags, now these are things you should keep in the car! They are a great car essential to help keep the car clean. Use them to collect trash, toss dirty diapers and empty snack containers. You can even keep a pack of larger trash bags and wear them as ponchos on a rainy day. Or smocks when the kids want to get crafty at the park? The possibilities are endless.
Paper Goods
Having a roll of paper towels in your car is another must! You never know when there will be a spill of some sort of beverage, a bloody nose or a sick passenger. It’s also great to keep other paper goods in the car such as a box of tissues, napkins, even forks, and spoons.
Give Me All the Wipes!
I keep a variety of wipes in my SUV. I have baby wipes, disinfectant wipes, as well as basic hand wipes. You never know what will need to be wiped up when you are traveling or even out running errands. And if you need to do a diaper change in the back of your car, you will definitely want to have wipes on hand.
Chargers
I know we all have some sort of phone charger in our cars, but I want to talk about power banks. Yes, you should have a charger for your phone in the car. But in case your car battery goes, you want to have a backup to charge your phone and be able to call for help. Make sure it is fully charged before you toss it into your glove compartment.
Further Reading: 100 Things You Should Always Keep in Your Car
So, go on and make a checklist of these 10 Things You Should Keep in the Car, and get to packing it up. Store in a cube or container in your car. You’ll find that these things can be life savers!
How many of these do you have in your car? What other items do you keep in the car that we should know about? 
Categorized:Car Culture