I received these products at no cost to facilitate my post. All opinions remain my own.
I have to toot my own horn a little bit: I’ve got this whole SAHM to two on lockdown. I rock at it.
Except for getting out of house. That’s still a challenge.
I’ve always been a bit absentminded; losing keys around my neck or glasses on my head… so with the diminished mental capacity of Mommy Brain (who knew that was a legit thing…. pre-child me thought it was just an excuse) and the need to now remember not only my things but the accessories that go with two kidlets… even with the coffee meter on “full,” I can find myself frazzled heading out the door.
Solution: make sure I have my own back covered if I forget stuff or have less than an hour to usher the monkeys out to the car. I’ve perfected my CARganization system so that as long as I have my keys and kids, everything else is already in the car.
Jill Blair, an Independent Director with Thirty One Gifts, hooked me up with this car organization kit and it’s seriously saved me a lot of grief in the month that I’ve had it all set up in Umi Car.
The visor organizer is where I keep my extra glasses (I can’t drive without them, and if I leave the house in my prescription sunglasses and then need to drive home once it’s dark, it’s… probably illegal).
I also have a pen and my lip balm. There’s something about sitting down in the car that makes me want to moisturizer my lips. There’s room in the organizer for plenty of other goodies.
The Hang Up Activity Organizer is for kid stuff. Extra fleece for Cub, since Calgary’s weather can change in be blink of an eye, extra blanket for Little Miss Cub, juice and some activities in case we get stuck somewhere and need a boredom buster. It will be super useful for road trips.
But the masterpiece of my CARganization is the Flip-Top Organization Bin. It sits next to Cub’s seat and is packed with everything you need to be ready for most eventualities that happen on outings with kids.
Items to keep in the car when you have young kids:
- Two diapers per kid;
- Cloth wipes and wipe solution in spray bottle (for hands, noses, faces and bums) or wet wipes;
- Wet bag or plastic bag for soiled items;
- Snacks and drinks;
- Full change of clothes per kid;
- Tissues or toilet paper;
- Boredom busters;
- Prefold diapers for many purposes, including wiping off wet swings or picnic benches. [Alternatively, a small hand towel.]
The box lid can also be flipped over to use as a tray, and the box attaches to the seat belt so it stays put.
Cub managed to pee through his diaper at Wendy’s last week. (He’s potty learning… sort of.) I was grateful to not have to sit him in his car seat soaked in pee: I was able to change him in the trunk (yay for hatchbacks!). When we went to Banff last weekend, I actually used the top of the box as a change table for Little Miss.
I have a tendency to overpack on outings, so knowing I’ve got spare everything in the car really makes my diaper bag lighter. And since Papa Wolf packs nothing when he leaves house with Cub, at least I know everything he needs is already there for him!
When we decide, last minute, to head to Library Story Time, I can just grab my purse knowing anything else I might need is already in the car. If we decide to stay out somewhere longer than usual, I have extra diapers for everyone, and snacks! And when any number of accidents occurs… there are clean clothes!
On the topic of things I forget when leaving the house: reusable shopping bags. But not anymore! Whether or not I was planning on stopping at the store, I’ve always got some bags. And since they hang off the back of the headrest, when I put the stroller in the trunk, I can still access the bags.
The Pack n Pull Caddy is actually designed for putting a tissue box on one side and feeding the tissues through the slot, and fits a garbage bag on the other side. Well, I’ve got our flannel wipes in the backseat for nose wipes, so I love using it for our shopping bags!
Seriously, having our car totally organized has helped me leave the house in a timely fashion when I’m not feeling particularly organized… one less thing on my mind so I can devote my neurons to finding the minuscule, transparent piece of Lego that is apparently Red Skull’s Cosmic Cube.
Shop & Connect
Thirty-One gifts has a variety of organization solutions for busy families, including tons of options that are great for cloth diapers! Shop here. Join Jill’s Facebook group here.
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If you’re not familiar with Thirty-One Gifts, they are a company that offers functional and adorable bags, thermals, wallets, totes and other organizational solutions in a variety of styles. Many of them can be personalized, too. Right now there are some amazing monthly specials for our customers and hostesses. Our Christmas items have also just been released and are affordable and great for all ages. The incentives for new consultants can’t be beat. If you’d like to learn more, please fill out the following survey and also be entered to win a $20 gift card.
Heather Sparrow says
WOW! I love the idea of your grocery bags. I hate getting caught out with no re-usable bags 🙁
I follow similar organization just not that co-ordinated lol I used to be but now that my twins are older its not too bad to be on the go without lots of extras.
I have a big ziplock of clean change of clothes for my 3 littles under my drivers seat. I also keep emergency snacks in my glove compartment, extra cash in a secret spot as well as a couple emergency diapers. a little organization goes a long way and being really organized makes life so much easier!
Manon Danielle says
I am no where near this organized! I really need to get my butt in gear! Please help me! 🙁
megan grant says
This level of organization makes me happy lol. I WANT to be this organized! I leave an extra blanket in the car for little S as well as one of daddy’s spare baseball hats because he can’t travel without it (little S that is. I just got a new (to me) car so my stuff hasn’t made it back in but I usually have Kleenex and a lip balm.
Robynne Mills says
I need organisation help for all the CDs and toys I bring into the car for lil man! These are awesome!
Tiffany Blank says
This is completely awesome! I have a Thirty One bag for work but I haven’t taken the plunge to buy anything else! They are so amazing! Your car organization is a must for sure!
Ally smith says
oh this looks perfect for storing my wraps/carriers in the car & extra cloth diaper and change of clothes for my kiddos!
Kayla Mussar says
This is great! I need to keep spare blankets and clothing in the car.. with 4 kids, space is tight so I really need to get organized like this!!
Jo Fraser says
Love your uses for these items. I have the utility tote in the stow and go area of my van so if I need to stow my seats I can just lift the bag out
psychsarah says
My car is rarely organized (i.e., never!) I try to have a water bottle for everyone and some kind of snack. We generally aren’t in the car very long (i.e., to and from school/daycare or the grocery store) but inevitably, my car is full of random toys/books that my children insisted on bringing with them that they never want to bring in the house.
Armi says
Prefolds to wipe off wet playground equipment! Brilliant. As is this whole concept. My van is a mess with things, this makes much more sense!!
Rekha says
Wow, I love this level of organization! We have two diaper bags so one is almost always ready to go, but the bigger one is better and has most of those things in it. We only keep napkins in the car, and I usually leave a burb blanket in there, and one of her toys. I love this idea though so I’ll have to put one of these organizers on my Christmas list!
Stephanie says
Such great ideas. I always keep extra diapers and wipes in the car as well as snacks and water. But having the vehicle a bit more organized would make my life easier!!
Cori says
I would put spare cloths, games, books, and snacks, oh and wipes.this would help so much
Laura Cooper Gaither says
I love these for car organization! My in the car must have are reusable bags – I like Chico bags because they fold into themselves – because they easily double as wet bags when I inevitably forget those, and because I almost exclusively shop at Sams and Aldi for groceries, and of course, you have to have your own bags there.
With four kids, I try to keep toys in the car to minimum, but one thing that is always a hit with the three youngest girls are hot wheels cars. They can drive those over their legs and car seats every trip and be content. I always need spares, to keep the fighting to a minimum.
Holly B says
My car/ travel must haves are diapers, wipes and snacks/toys for older kiddos. Great giveaway, I could really use this.
Samantha says
These are great! I’m always having to dig in the car to find toys, books, wipes, etc. it would be so nice to have them all neatly put away especially for the long car trips we have coming up for the holidays!
Monica says
We Have a small car so we Have to be organized. Diapers, blanket and, most impotantly, Torin the T-Rex toy! Can’t go any where wo him
Heather Bailey says
With six kids and all the older ones in multiple sports we are aways on the go. I need this bag in my life. My suv is a hot mess right now.I have everything from cloth diapers to football equipment everywhere.This bag as so many uses. I might not go insane every time I try looking for something.
Rebekah Butler says
I always have extra cloth diapers, wipes, an emergency binkie, and a couple of different toys 🙂 My son hates his car seat, so a variety of toys is key!
Danielle G says
We have the Flip Top bin and LOVE it too! We keep my sons toys, cups, etc in it.
Jennifer P. says
I keep the following in the car: a large blanket, a smaller blanket for my youngest, 2 diapers, wipes, books, bandaids, sunscreen, water, spare outfit for my youngest, a sweater for each child, an emergency kit, sunglasses, hats, gloves, and a wet bag. And we always bring snacks and a water bottle each, but I load those each time, I don’t store them in the car.
Amy Hall says
I keep chapstick and snacks handy in the car lol
wobbles13 says
we always have extra sweatshirts for each of us in the car, very important in the fall & winter months!
Crystal E. says
I like to keep snacks, wet wipes, napkins, coloring books and a spare towel in the car for trips!
Kelly Postal says
I’m a mama of four so I keep many things with me!! A change of clothes for four kids, tissues, allergy medicine and dropper, Band-Aids, aneseptic wipes, antibacterial ointment, hand and face wipes, ChapStick’s, lotion, sunscreen, paper pads, crayons, cloth wipes, wet bag, cloth diapers,wipe solution spryer, and in the winter months I have blankets and a set of hat and mittens for six people as well.
Stefanie Skinner says
This is amazing. THIS is what I need in my car! The one thing that is always in my car is my Tula!
sarah sar says
This would be extremely handy for keeping wipes, towels, snacks and some baby essentials in the car!
Wanda Tracey says
This would be fabulousy awesome for toys,blankets,snacks diapers and bottles and all the other essentials we carry for our little one.
Wanda Tracey says
I tweeted shared and pinned it.https://www.pinterest.com/pin/332984966178414713/
Janice says
I have a soft-sided zippered “box” in my trunk that keeps the things I have in case of emergency, but I really hope I don’t need – change of clothes, wet bag, all the necessary things for several diaper changes, a back-up baby carrier, roll of paper towels. The nice part about it being soft-sided is that if it’s not completely full, I can squish it down and I don’t lose any more space than I need to in my trunk! I have a waterproof picnic blanket under the passenger seat, a small zippered bag of toys next to LO’s car seat, and a throw blanket and neck pillow for adult passengers in the back seat.