Disclaimer: I partnered with cars.com to bring you this informative sponsored post following child passenger safety week. All opinions expressed are my own.
Our family likes going out to explore new and different things and places so we spend a lot of time traveling in our car. This is especially true on the weekends. Spending more time in the car means we always need to be prepared for the unexpected, but most importantly we need to keep the kids safe and entertained at the same time.
Since last week was Child Passenger Safety Week, I thought it would be a good time to not only remind you of car seat safety, but also to let you know what must-have items I keep in our car at all times.
1. Water – I don’t like storing plastic water bottles (due to leaking chemicals) in our car so I keep it in a glass bottle instead. The water is mainly used for emergencies only, not for drinking unless absolutely necessary. We also travel with fresh water in the car too that I fill up in a thermos before leaving the house.
2. Blankets – I do this because the kids and I are constantly cold, especially in restaurants.
3. “Busy” bag – I have a backpack filled with: books, crayons, pencils, coloring books, hand sanitizer, baby wipes and small toys. This bag comes in handy for keeping the kids entertained at places like the doctor’s office and restaurants. I also refill our busy bag with snacks for the kids each time we’re going on longer car rides.
4. Tissue, napkins or paper towel – Life gets messy at times. You’ll be glad you keep at least one of these handy in your car at all times.
5. First aid kit – Because you never know when an emergency will strike. Be prepared.
Also, if you’re looking into purchasing or renting a car cars.com has a lot of great information! They also provide car maintenance tips and car seat safety tips for parents.
Did You Know?
- Road injuries are the leading cause of unintentional deaths to children in the United States.
- Of those children ages 8 and under who died in vehicle crashes in 2014, 26 percent were not restrained by an age-appropriate device such as an infant seat, booster seat or seat belt.
- Children should ride in a vehicle back seat until they are at least 13 years old.
Source safekids.org
Your turn: What’s on your top 5 must-have list of items you keep in your car? Feel free to share in the comments.
I like the idea of a “Busy” bag!