May 10

hard to believe we are already on day 4 of my car organization series – this week is flying! today it’s all about the trunk of your car.
welcome to the trunk of our family car…
my car is really my home away from home. it’s sad, but true! actually, i am ready for summer so that we can spend much less time inside this car. since i spend so much of my day driving, with kids, it’s important to have everything i need. that way i am never stuck in a pinch. curious to know what a busy stay-at-home-mom has in her trunk?
since i have a child in diapers, the most important item is a diaper bag…

our trunk makes a great make-shift changing table if we have an incident and aren’t near a restroom. inside my diaper bag i keep wipes, diapers, a changing pad, a plastic bag for dirty diapers, and hand sanitizer. not shown, but tucked away inside the bag, is a clean shirt in case she spills a drink or food.

if you have a child, there may be additional needs for a bag like this. items like diaper ointment, pacifiers, a receiving blanket, a clean onesie or change of clothing, and if you are a nursing mother – maybe a light cover up. i nursed all 3 of our children and with each child i found a need to nurse on the go. it was great having a little cover-up on hand for those unexpected moments.

i also keep this emergency roll of arm & hammer plastic bags

these have a fresh baby powder scent and have come in really handy when there isn’t a trash can nearby to toss a dirty diaper. these bags are great at containing the awful smell. i found these bags at target in the baby section – they come in a pack of 6 rolls. these are also helpful if you travel with pets and need a bag for cleaning up after them.

other things i find handy in the trunk?

an umbrella, a grocery cart cover (if you have small children)…

and we never leave home without our stash of re-useable shopping bags…

how many times have you arrived at the grocery store only to realize you left your bags at home? i’ve done it! finally, my mommy brain thought to put them in the trunk of the car – that way i am never without them. i not only use these at the market, i use them when i do any shopping. and i also use one to quickly go through the car to collect trash or other items at the end of a long day/week.

recently, i went though our ever-growing collection of bags. there were a few that had small tears or worn straps, so those were donated. the remaining bags are all contained within one of our large freezer bags that has a zipper…

when we arrive at the market/store, it’s easy enough to grab one bag and know the rest of the bags are inside…

another product i keep in the trunk are these great shopping bag holders

these holders work well for the items that tend to roll around in the back. things like apples, cans, and 2 liter bottles of soda. it will also keep eggs safe. the holders are great for other uses besides groceries. over the years i have used these for toys, dirty cleats, extra towels for a recently rained on slide at the park – there are many, many uses!

when you aren’t using them, they collapse and velcro together…

 

this is usually how the trunk of our family car looks…
everything essential is on-hand should the need arise.
of course, these items can change from season to season. that goes for both items in the trunk and items up front with me. sometimes, in the trunk, i keep extra jackets for the kids or tennis shoes if we find a new park to check out. occasionally you will find an umbrella stroller back here if i plan on an event with a lot of walking – which our 2 year old isn’t always up for. in the summer you will find floaties back here. we are about 1/2 mile from our community swimming pool. i find it’s better to just keep the floaties in the trunk instead of loading and unloading each time. on occasion, clean pool towels and our swim bag full of goggles and pool toys, too.
now that i’ve shared what is inside my trunk and the products i have found useful, are there other items that would be handy back here?
sure!
here is a quick list of items that come to mind…
*jumper cables
*bungee cords
*a small tool kit
*first-aid kit
*ice scraper
*flashlight
*battery powered radio
*water bottles (make sure to change out drinking water bottles frequently. water that gets too hot can release chemicals from the plastic into the water. so bring a fresh one out to the car for drinking. if you are going to keep water for emergencies and non-drinking, it’s fine to keep that in the trunk.)
*high-energy snacks
*flat tire repair kit
*tire air gauge
*road flares
*a change of clothes
*towels
*tissues
*sunblock/bug spray
*rain poncho
feel free to leave a comment and share the items you find useful for keeping in the trunk!
i’ll be back tomorrow for our final day of the car organization series! we’ll talk about the cleaning products i use in our car as well as a fun tip for keeping your purse at-hand but still off the front seat – where it can slide around.
have a great day!

comments +

  1. Carol says:

    I'm a bit late viewing this series, Samantha, but I've only been following for a short time now & missed this series. I no longer have children at home, but a lot of your ideas would work for our car anyway, and we do occasionally have grandchildren in our vehicle. I've really enjoyed reading each and everyone of this week's posts. I truly appreciate your very informative posts.

    Carol

  2. MommaG says:

    Hi Samantha…I am catching up on the great stuff from before I found your blg. I have a Suburban…it appears your truck is something very similar. Here is my issue with the trunk. I always keep at least 2 chairs in the trunk. And from Sept thru May I keep a large fleece blanket. I have 2 kids in soccer, 1 in softball, 2 in baseball and we live in Wisconsin. The chairs are obviously for sitting at soccer, baseball, softball games. The blanket is primarily for soccer season, but the beginning of baseball/softball season also.

    How do I keep my trunk organized when I always have this stuff? Now after this weekend, I will be taking my chairs out until March when soccer starts again. Taking the chairs out and putting them back in fr each soccer / ball game isn't practical as they are most days of the week. Any advice would be great!!

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