13 On-The-Go Essentials Seasoned Moms Swear By

Get caught without snacks? Not ‘round here, partner. I kept Puffs in our diaper bag and in my car for emergency hungries or if my baby was bored and just needed something to distract him on the ride. The hard container kept them from getting crushed, and unlike pouches or yogurts, I didn’t have to worry about them heating and cooling in my glove box and going bad.

I know they make spray diaper cream, but that stuff was way too thin to ever do much for my baby’s bum. We needed the thick Desitin straight from the tube, always. These Eli & Ali applicators screw onto the end of a diaper cream tube, allowing you to spread the cream without touching it, and they wipe clean with one baby wipe. Just pop the lid back on and throw it back in your diaper bag. No mess. No fuss. So good.

Babies have blowouts, toddlers have accidents, and even big kids have spills (and God forbid, surprise stomach bugs). I’m not sure when they age out of needing a change of clothes handy at all times, but until then, I highly recommend keeping a spare outfit — shoes and all — inside a wet bag. It keeps those clothes clean and dry, and you can grab it and run for the bathroom together to change and put the messy clothes inside to transport home.

When you’re no longer in the diaper bag days, it’s still helpful to keep some on-the-go essentials in your car. I have mine tossed in a random old duffel bag in my trunk, but I’m eyeing one of these expandable trunk organizers to keep it all in better order. This one has handles, so you can easily carry it in and out of the house when you need a restock.

Kids get hurt a lot (true for my little guy), but some of them also need a bandage for every random bonk or bump to feel like they can carry on living (also true for my little guy). I have a few spare bandages in every purse, in the car, the pool bag, just… everywhere. You truly never know when you’ll need them. This brand actually sticks and stays on when they go back to playing, and they also sell them in little metal tins you can refill, if you want a hard-sided storage container.

The number of splinters my kid gets has recently gone from zero to, somehow, like one a week. And frankly, there’s no way he could cope with having a splinter or even calmly ride home in the car to take it out. Nope, we’re doing field medicine with some tweezers and a Band-Aid right away. Keeping these in my center console has also helped me pluck a rogue eyelash jabbing me in my eyeball in a pinch, so everyone wins.

For babies, an extra blanket is crucial for naps, breastfeeding, and throwing down on the floor if you need to set up a quick little play area. (You never know when you’ll need to use the first blanket as a burp cloth.) Even now — my son is 4 — I keep a spare blanket in the trunk of my car for grocery store runs and chilly restaurants, or anywhere he might get uncomfortably cold. It’s a lot more enjoyable to push a toddler in a blankie burrito through the frozen food section than have them whining the whole way.

I meant what I said because, sometimes, bribery is what it takes to get your kid through an event, a dinner, what have you. Little activity books like this often saved us when our son was younger and getting bored in a restaurant, and they’re so nice to have handy when you need to be able to say, “If you can stay on your best behavior, I have something fun for you when we get back to the car.”

Look, I know previous generations of kids didn’t lug their water bottles everywhere, but my kid does now. And sometimes we forget it at home. I now keep an empty one in my car so that I can dump some of my own water in there if we’re out and about, stop and fill it up at a gas station, whatever it takes so we don’t have to share a straw. Mama doesn’t want your school germs, thanks.

Anytime we drive by a playground, my son asks to stop — and honestly, I’m usually happy to oblige if we don’t have plans. Why not burn some energy outside? But more than once, I’ve had to say no simply because we didn’t have SPF, and having fair skin in Florida kind of necessitates that he wears it. Keeping a bottle in the car or my day bag just keeps my mind at ease that if we’re out longer than expected, he won’t get burnt. I love the Blue Lizard brand because I can swipe it on my face too and not have to worry about my sensitive eyes stinging.

Similarly, if you find you’re staying at the park longer than anticipated, it’s nice to have a bonus sun hat in your bag or trunk to throw on the baby. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just something lightweight with a wide brim to keep the rays off their cherub cheeks.

When you’re out later than expected and didn’t anticipate a run-in with the mosquitoes, you’ll be glad you packed bug spray. I love the idea of a spray that’s safe for kids and parents alike, and one that’s fragrance-free and not greasy-feeling.

Listen, I’ve survived enough stomach bugs and car sickness episodes to know: You need a way to clean your car on the side of the road unless you want to keep smelling what just happened for miles. Car upholstery cleaners work on your vehicle’s seats, obviously, but also do the trick on car seats, strollers, and other baby gear.