Summer is here! The kids are out of school and, whether for longer family road trips or driving to and from day camps, parks and soccer games, you’ll likely be spending a lot more time in your car. Jennifer Newman, Cars.com senior editor, recently shared some useful items to help make sure your car is ready for family summer fun.
First-aid kit: Scrapes, cuts and plenty of tears are marks of summer. A well-stocked first-aid kit ensures that a boo-boo won't bring an early end to a day at the beach or playground.
Towels: Throw a couple old bath or beach towels into your car's cargo area for cleaning up messy kids or keeping little ones and their wet bathing suits from getting your car's interior soaking wet.
Blanket: Keep a blanket on hand for impromptu picnics or those seemingly never-ending kids' sports games. Several of my colleagues are big fans of blankets that have a waterproof side.
Baby powder: A few sprinkles of this magical dust onto skin covered in sand will make clean up quick and your car's interior will be less sandy.
Cash stash, aka ice-cream slush fund: You can hear the ice-cream truck coming from blocks away, but with your cash stash you won't be scrambling for money to get your kids' favorite treats. Instead, you'll be the mom or dad of the year. OK, maybe just of the moment, but relish the glory while it lasts.
Beach-ready bag: Fill it with a collapsible bucket, small shovels and inexpensive flip-flops for the whole family and then just grab your beach bag from the trunk when you make a last-minute stop at the beach or park sandbox. Again, mom or dad of the year, ahem.
Additionally Jennifer suggests, now is a good time to clean out your car, making sure there aren't any lingering crayons in the seat crevices or half-empty cartons of chocolate milk lurking under the seats. Nothing ruins the fun of summer like the stench of curdled milk!
Jennifer Newman is Cars.com senior editor and mother of two. She offers more family car tips at Cars.com/News
