The Ultimate Car Survival Kit for Parents

A few months ago, I had just picked up my husband from the airport with my kids in tow and was hoping to zip home in time for a double toddler-baby nap when the unthinkable happened: Traffic stopped dead for an hour in a spot on the highway where it was impossible to reroute. But of course, that wasn’t all. The perfectly potty-trained toddler had to pee.

In my wildest dreams, I never imagined how grateful I would be for the random lunch Tupperware my husband had left in the car weeks before — or how grateful I would be that said Tupperware was reasonably clean. I’ll spare you the details, but needless to say, the toddler has asked to “pee in a box” approximately 15 times a week ever since. 

So, in addition to a receptacle for, shall we say, unexpected road delays, there’s a whole slew of items that are crucial to have stashed away in your car for when disaster (or traffic) strikes. Here are just a few items you should consider storing in your car for when your child gets sick, needs to pee, spills an entire milkshake on the car seat, or for any other car-related mishap you could imagine.