Carpooling Kids? Keep These 6 Items in Your Toyota

With kids back in school, you might find yourself facing a carpool with multiple children. To make things easier for both you and your passengers, be sure you have the following essentials in your vehicle.

1. Entertainment

A small basket or plastic bin is a great place to store toys, books, and games to keep the kids entertained on the road. As soon as they get in the car, they can pull something out of the bin, and once you get to your destination, they can put it back in. This keeps your vehicle clean and prevents any meltdowns from bored children. Consider rotating the contents of the bins each month so there’s something new and fresh for entertainment.

2. Snacks and Drinks

No parent wants to encounter children who are grumpy because they’re hungry or thirsty. Steer clear of those meltdowns by keeping snacks and drinks close at hand. Single-serve snack packs or applesauce pouches are ideal for hungry kids because they don’t create a large mess. While water is perfect for thirsty children, keep in mind that plastic water bottles can leach chemicals into the water if they get too hot. Therefore, only store juice boxes, and keep the water fresh.

3. Trash Can

Once the kids finish their snacks, be sure they don’t throw the empty wrappers on the floor. Avoid this by keeping a small trash can in your car. You can even repurpose a plastic cereal dispenser into the perfect car trash can. It’s small and thin so that it will tuck in perfectly behind the seats, and it has a snap-on lid that will prevent the trash from falling out if it tips over.

4. Wipes and Hand Sanitizer

You never really know where those little fingers have been, so get them clean in a hurry by keeping a bottle of hand sanitizer in your vehicle. Consider a natural hand sanitizer that isn’t made with any chemicals, so your kids can immediately stick their fingers in their mouths during snack time. A package of wet wipes will also help you clean up any sticky fingers, dirty faces, or accidents.

5. Spare Outfit

Whether your kid gets a little too creative in art class or extra rambunctious on the playground, you never know when an extra set of clothes will come in handy. Help keep the children clean and dry by keeping a full outfit, including shirt, pants, socks, and shoes, in your vehicle.

6. First Aid Kit

With children, cuts and scrapes can happen just about anytime. With a small first aid kit stocked with bandages, gauze, swabs, and antibiotic ointment, you can handle any minor injury and make sure you don’t get any stains on your seats. If you tend to spend a lot of time playing outside, consider keeping bug spray and sunscreen stocked in your first aid kit as well.

You never know what you’ll face when carpooling multiple children. Be prepared for just about anything by keeping your Toyota stocked with these essential items.

Image via pixabay.com

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