If You're A Parent, These 30 Walmart Products Should Never Leave Your Car
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1.A portable car vacuum to keep your seats as Goldfish-free as humanly possible. This vacuum plugs right into your car's adapter and has three attachments, ensuring that those pesky fish have nothing on you.
2.A removable and retractable window shade for any kid who hates the bright sunlight. These things are so helpful for blocking the sun and can move from car to car easily — making them a valuable addition to your road trip bag of tricks.
3.A small, portable trash can to save you the embarrassment of snack wrappers blowing out of the car when you open the door and go chasing it down the parking lot trying to save Mother Earth at the expense of your dignity. I choose not to comment on the specificity of this scenario.
4.A seat-back organizer that helps keep your car organized and kid-friendly. It even includes a pouch to keep a tablet for those long car rides! Toys and snacks not rolling under the seat and into the abyss? Sign me up.
5.An LCD writing tablet and doodle pad that gives your kid something to do without having to keep track of 47 crayons, 12 markers, and tons of wasted paper. This thing will make reaching for a crayon on a turn, only to see it roll into the depths of your car, a thing of the past.
6.A compact potty that comes in SO handy for on-the-go emergencies. Keeping a potty and some bags in your trunk can help avoid Porta-Potties, gross bathrooms, or roadtrip gotta-go emergencies when there is no rest stop in sight. This one even includes bags!
7.A sturdy car seat that will stay with your kiddo as they grow. This seat can start rear-facing then transition to forward facing with a harness and into a high back booster — making it an investment that will really last.
8.And a car seat buckle release tool that will protect your nails *and* your sanity from how surprisingly difficult unbuckling is.
9.An adorable, interactive mirror to help keep your baby safe and entertained while rear facing. Keep baby distracted with remote controlled lights, music, and sounds when they're getting fussy and you still have 10 minutes until home.
10.AND a musical baby toy that's a perfect on-the-go toy. My own kids had this, and I loved that it kept them occupied while out and about without the music grating on my nerves as I was trying to drive.
11.A versatile travel activity tray that not only works for long drives, but can easily be moved when you might have a long wait somewhere — making it keep-in-the-car gold. It has a cup strap, pockets for crayons and markers, and can even fit a tablet. Just click and go!
12.A pair of motion sickness bands that can help alleviate motion sickness without medicine by using acupressure.
13.And — sorry y'all — a pack of vomit bags for when an emergency hits unexpectedly. It's gross, but not as gross as NOT having bags in a vomit situation, and these are much cheaper than getting your car detailed.
14.A high-quality set of jumper cables in case of emergency — because it's just good sense. Sure, it may seem like an obvious addition, but I admittedly didn't have jumper cables in my car for far too long. Save yourself from being broken down at a gas station while your exhausted kid decides they've had enough and will no longer comply with anything.
15.And a small emergency blanket to help control shock in case an accident happens. It's not fun to think about those situations, but it's so important to have a plan and be prepared in case the worst happens.
16.A portable air compressor that will be a total lifesaver if you find yourself with a flat tire *and* a flat spare. Having a portable compressor that can plug into the car can also be a great tool to pump up balls at the park or bike tires that have gone flat!
17.A travel-friendly first aid kit for taking care of minor scrapes and cuts while out and about — because we all know that Band-Aids are the magical cure-all for the toddler crowd.
18.A small organizer that will easily fit between car seats and is great for keeping toys and activities for older kids. Keeping some drawing pads, dolls, fidget toys, and other small toys handy can keep your kids occupied and perhaps distract them from another "are we there yet?" — at least for a few minutes.
19.A compact, under-the-seat organizer to keep the essentials you don't use often, but are good to have just in case. This organizer fits under your seat and can help you utilize the space you might already be limited on.
20.A small beach towel that takes up hardly any space, but allows you to stop and enjoy activities spur-of-the-moment. These towels fold up small enough to double as a backpack, meaning opportunities for fun won't also mean opportunities to take up too much trunk space.
21.A small storage container to keep snacks at the ready no matter where your day takes you. Being prepared for the unexpected is always helpful, and keeping a container with packaged snacks means if the day takes an unexpected turn, your kiddos can remain fed and happy.
22.A waterproof picnic blanket that's great for spontaneous outings without any need to check if the grass is dry.
23.A tray that fits into a cup holder for ultimate snack and drink access during a long car ride. While it's great for your kids to use, don't be surprised if you find yourself using it when you're starving, but your kids are sleeping and you won't dare risk a stop on a roadtrip.
24.A toddler-sized backpack filled with small toys to help keep your kid occupied in waiting rooms and at appointments. These are small enough to just keep in the car, and they really come in handy in places you know you'll have to wait. Plus, your toddler can carry it themselves, freeing your much-needed hands up.
25.A diaper bag filled with coloring books, crayons or markers, placemats, and anything else that will keep your kiddo occupied at a restaurant. The insulation from the diaper bag helps keep things cool when you're not using it, too.
26.A pack of antibacterial hand wipes for those moments where your kiddo just HAS to touch whatever that sticky stuff was at the park. Sure, hand sanitizer is great, but it won't take away the ick quite like hand wipes will.
27.A fan for the back seat because car seats get notoriously hot, and the car vents just don't cut it sometimes. Blow a little extra cool air back there to hopefully prevent your kid from getting drenched in sweat in warm months, or just having some extra airflow in the cooler months.
28.A phone mount to keep you safely hands-free, but to also let you use your GPS to get to that one kid from class's birthday party safely.
29.A trivia game that fits right in the glove box which you can pull out during long waits, long drives, or any time there's someone in the passenger seat who can read!
30.A reacher tool that gives your arm an extra 32 inches of reach. Does it seem like overkill? Absolutely — until the beloved stuffy has fallen between the seat and the door, and you can't pull over and grab it, and your toddler is full of unadulterated rage, and if I could just reach six inches further, maybe I could just...
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