My On-the-Go Car Kit for Toddlers

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Your use of these links is greatly appreciated!

Last updated on January 12th, 2023 at 05:06 pm

When you live with little people, you have to be prepared for anything. Ahem, meaning, if we decide to take an impromptu trip to the coast, it’s easier if half our stuff is already in the car. So, today I’m sharing our on-the-go car kit for life with a toddler.

Our family is pretty much always without a plan when it comes to going somewhere on a random weekend. We decide the day of that we’re going somewhere, grab a few extra things in case we decide to do this thing or that thing, then go.

Back in December we had one of those days where we needed to go somewhere. We had a general idea …somewhere in San Diego …maybe the zoo …maybe the beach …maybe Coronado …

Our day ended up going like this:

• Lunch at a coastal hole-in-the-wall taco shop (mmmm …tacos)
• A beach hike at Torrey Pines
• Dinner at PF Chang’s (thanks to a couple gift cards from my bestie)
• Mass at the UCSD Newman Center
• An accident right as we were going to head up for Communion

There’s nothing wrong with exploring as long as you have a plan for those little emergencies like accidents, hunger, weather, or boo boos.

My kit is pretty minimal by most standards. I’ve always liked to pack light, but more so now after my experience of lugging around a diaper bag. I only pack the things that we will need for sure on any mini-trip.

So here’s what I carry around in my car to prepare for the unexpected, and it all fits in a nice utility tote to keep it organized.

My On-the-Go Car Kit

• Blanket
• Wet-Dry Bag
• Extra outfit
  • Short sleeve T-shirt
  • Long sleeve T-shirt
  • Sweatpants
  • 2 pairs of undies
  • Sweatshirt
• Thick jacket
• Hat (beanie or sunhat)
• Mittens
• First Aid Kit
• Baby Wipes
• Disposable diaper bags
• Feminine products
• Pull-ups
• Car Piddlepad
• Sunscreen
• Chapstick
• Water
• Table Topper Disposable Placemats
• Snacks
• Jackets for mommy and daddy

It may seem like some things are missing, but we keep the toddler diaper bag that supplements everything that’s not in the car kit. 

Here’s what’s in the toddler diaper bag:

(You can check out what I carried pre-potty training here.)

• Clean up kit (goes in the pouch)
  • Wet Ones Wipes
  • Flushable Wipes
  • Lysol Disinfectant Travel Spray
  • Hand Sanitizer 
  • Lotion
• Mini first aid kit
• Tissue
• Napkins
• Chapstick
• Mini doodle board
• Crayons (note: I need to get her a little notepad for coloring on)
• Sweatshirt
• Extra outfit + pull up
• Sunglasses

My favorite hack in this kit is keeping the extra outfit in a ziplock bag. It keeps everything together and there’s a place to put those icky soiled clothes when there is an accident.

Who says you need all kinds of fancy stuff? Just use what you got.

So go out and live without a plan. Keep an on-the-go kit in the car so you can live life to the fullest and not have to be foiled by the fact that someone is hungry, someone got a boo boo, or someone is in need of some clean underwear.