For busy moms always on the go, the family car usually becomes the headquarters for all things kid related. A car scavenger hunt would probably yield mismatched socks, 11 pairs of shoes, enough snacks to stock a grocery store aisle and innumerable art projects. What’s a mom to do with a van like this? How can soccer cleats magically materialize at the top of the car pile at the exact time needed? There’s no way anything short of magic can do the trick. Or is there?
Imagine a world full of perfectly organized trunks and believe that you can have one, too! When you follow these simple steps, we know that you’ll have, in no time at all, all the things you and your kids need super accessible.
What You’ll Need:
- Storage Options:
- Plastic storage bins: the see through kind works best
- Over the seat organizer
- Cloth storage bins
- Small laundry hampers
- Shower caddys
- Paper
- Markers
- First Aid kit and all the fixings
- Band Aids, Ibuprofen, Neosporin, bug spray, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, etc.
- Kid Essentials
- Sports gear
- Book bags
- Extra socks, hair ties, headbands, flip flops, towels, etc.
How You’ll Do It:
- Pick up enough storage bins of your choice for each child to have one. This will cut down on the fighting and the cries of “That’s MINE!” from the backseat.
- Label the bins with your child’s name using the markers and paper and affix to the appropriate bin or pocket.
- Fill each bin with the corresponding child’s items.
- Find a special spot for the First Aid kit so everyone knows where it is. Make it easy to access even while the car is in motion.
- Bonus: Buy an extra bin for car time activities. You can fill it with:
- coloring books, crayons, peanut butter crackers, CDs, etc.
With this kind of organization, the bins can be easily removed for a quick cleaning or anytime extras need to be added. You may want to invest in some kind of flat board to place over top of the bins. This way, you can stack groceries or shoes on top and never lose your organization.
Have your kids help you add items to their bins. Together, narrow items down to the essentials. This will help your children value the time it takes to organize and it will help them remember where everything is in your car. Say goodbye to the days of climbing under seats in search of that softball glove! Organizing with your kids helps everybody win!