I know I am a little late to the party but I am crying inside that the groundhog saw his shadow a few weeks ago. Although the midwest is being blessed with beautiful weather this week, I know deep down that we are going to have a terrible March winter storm when it should be spring. It is also a constant reminder that I am thankful that I finally put myself together a perfectly packed emergency winter car kit.
As a first mom there are things that come to me as a gut feeling. However, packing my car for emergencies must not have been one of them. Of course I know that my most used item as a mom is hands down diapers and wipes. I can go through countless boxes of these things and you can never pack enough. And of course, after a chilly ice storm in December, I became that mom that was not prepared for the winter months ahead of me. I found myself trapped at a gas station solo for hours with Ollie with two blown out diapers, one very messy blanket, and no spare clothes for my shivering little one. I felt horrible.
Thankfully, the gas station that I had found home to that evening was more like a truck stop and offered up their washer and dryer for Ollie to have some dry, clean clothes. Once I got home, I gathered myself up an emergency winter car kit. It was a super easy kit to put together, but it ensures that we are always prepared.
Here is what you need ::
Storage
I highly recommend a storage cube, because it folds up easily if it is in the way and lightweight. I keep mine in the trunk of the car. It is out of sight and keeps things organized. I was gifted mine during my baby shower; however, they are super easy to find and fairly cheap.
Diapers
We are currently using Bambo Nature Baby diapers. I'm not picky with many diapers and I honestly haven't found ones that I really love or really hate. These are pretty good. Bambo Baby diapers carry the official environmental Nordic Eco-Label, the Swan and are certified free of harsh and dangerous chemicals. They are certified non-toxic, hypoallergenic, eco-friendly, & they have transparent manufacturing process. They are a bit pricer than some diapers but we have found less skin irritation and nighttime leakage with them.
Wipes
I am loving Aldi's baby wipes! They are hypoallergenic, fragrance and alcohol-free. The Little Journey Soothing Baby Wipes only include ingredients that have been thoroughly tested and proven to be safe. The ingredients used in the wipes are consistent with those used in the national brand wipes, which have been proven to be safe, reliable, and effective. They compared them to the Huggies brand... which I really dislike, but I disagree! We started out with Bambo Nature's baby wipes and I would compare them so much more to these. They are so soft! I keep a pack of these wipes in our cube!
Small Ointment
I also keep a small sample size of diaper ointment in the cube just in case. While we don’t use it as much as we did when Ollie was a newborn, there are still those moments when I find myself needing some extra.
Blanket
After Ollie had a major blow out all over his blanket, I believe having a spare in the trunk is a good practice for any winter month. It's helpful to have just in case you get stuck on the side of the road or need a spare.
Winter Jacket
I hope everybody by now knows not to put their little ones in the car seat with their jackets on. It is unsafe. Because I was not bundling Ollie up in his jacket, when we were stuck during the ice storm, I also did not have it in the car! I typically just wrap him up tightly in a blanket to run in and out of place; however, now his jacket just lives in our emergency winter car kit. If we ever need it while we are at home, the car is always parked in the garage!
Other Items
Over the winter months, I have also transition a few things to our emergency winter car kit including our baby carrier, gloves for myself, and our Binxy Baby shopping cart hammock. I could also see things like a baby ice scraper or a box of Kleenex living in there soon.
Overall, our car kit is starting to become an easy place to storage things that I typically forget to grab with me as a mom in an organized way. With quite a few more weeks until spring, I hope this helps you think simply and grab just what you need for your family this winter in your own emergency winter car kit!
