At the beginning of a 3 hour road trip, my 7 year old cried out, and I turned to see his nose gushing blood. It was the nosebleed of the century, and it caught me totally unprepared. I leapt from my seat (while my husband maneuvered to the side of the road) and tried to stop the bleeding with the only things I could find; a couple of fast food napkins and a plastic grocery bag. Considering my husband had just deep cleaned the car, I was lucky I even had those meager supplies.
It was a good reminder for me to update our car emergency/first aid kit. I don’t bother buying those ready-made kits available at stores because the truth is they don’t have half the stuff one really needs for those minor emergencies that arise when we least expect them.
I use a lidded plastic tub about the size of a shoebox that can easily be stored in the trunk or even under the passenger seat of the car. These are the items I have found to be indispensable:
- Bandaids (in various sizes for all kinds of scrapes and cuts)
- Spray pain reliever/antiseptic
- Gauze pads and elastic tape (for wounds not easily covered with bandaids)
- Underwear (one for each child in the family)
- Sunscreen (for times of unexpected outside play)
- Safety Pins (a quick fix for loose clothing)
- Paper towels or an old rag (for nosebleeds!)
- Plastic bag (use as a barf bag or for soiled clothing)
- Wet Wipes (I prefer individually sealed because they don’t dry out as quickly)
- Small package of tissues
- Flashlight
It’s important to check and update the first aid kit every 6 months or so, and to always replace items when they are used.
One more item I recommend everyone carry in the car is an old towel. It can be helpful in so many different ways. An old towel can protect the seat from a wet child, cover a cold toddler, clean up a spill, wrap up wet/soiled clothing, clean off muddy feet, block the sun in a window, be thrown up on, dry off a dew-covered slide at the park, or even take the place of a forgotten swim towel.
Whether driving across the country on summer vacation, or just running errands around town, an emergency kit in the car can save the day. I can’t even begin to list all the times I’ve been bailed out just by having these few extra supplies on hand!
Here’s a printable version of this DIY Emergency Kit List.
Keep it in your car with your kit in case you ever need to restock.
Why stop at making a DIY emergency kit for the car when you can also make DIY travel games to keep those kids busy on longer road trips? Check out Heather’s post on Travel Activities and you’ll really be prepared for time in the car.
