The Mom Stash III

They say a man’s home is his castle.

We moms command a different palace—the family car. And since we spend so much time there, we might as well fortify it with all things we need to do battle. Here’s the latest in our irregular Mom Stash series—tried and tested ideas to equip your car for any encounter. (We keep a plastic dollar-store basket stocked up and handy for a variety of battles.)

For the Snack Battle
For many kids, the click of that carseat harness evokes a Pavlovian response and the ‘Can I have a snaaaaaack?’ cry ensues. Keep a stash of non-perishable food such as fruit leather and crackers in the car at all times, replenishing as necessary. Add a box of paper coffee filters (the cone-shaped ones work better than the flat-bottomed ones) to divvy the snacks out into, and you’ve got disposable snack holders and napkins all in one.

For the Ensuing Garbage Battle
Where there are snacks, there must be garbage. Keep your old facial tissue boxes and bring them into the car to use as a garbage receptacle. The plastic on the top keeps the garbage in and when it gets full you just throw the whole thing out.

For the ‘It Fell Down!’ Battle
We’ve been having lots of fun with our Gopher pick up and reaching tool. Keep one in the passenger seat (not for use while driving!) and you can be a hero when Jack’s teddy bear falls down in the back of the van without anyone having to undo their seatbelt. (Also invaluable for those with bad lower backs due to pregnancy, child birth, child rearing, schlepping, lugging and parenting in general.)