Now that I officially have a momobile, there a few items that are always in the car:

• Diapers and baby wipes– I use my car like a giant diaper bag.
• Complete change of clothes for each kid– This might be a pie-in-the-sky goal, but it sure is nice if they get wet in sprinkler (or wet for another reason).
• Anti-bacterial handwash
• tissues
• ziploc or plastic bags– For all those new-found treasures!
• blanket– Use it for picnics in warm weather, warmth in cold months.
• water bottle for each kiddo

And the most important….  ACTIVITY BAG!  Between the two car seats, I store activities that are easily reachable.  I change out the activities every time I clean my car (so not often!)  The activities are ideally small (to fit in the bag) with no removable parts (nothing gets lost).  Bonus points if I can get two of them so both girls can do it at the same time.  Our activity bag contains:

• paper and writing tool– The girls like pens, but be careful because you might find your kiddos with some new body art…..not that it has ever happened to us (wink, wink).  Crayons woudl be good in the winter months when they won’t melt.
• Magna Doodle– This is a Kerr girl favorite.  We have one for each girl.
• Reading books– Throw in some familiar books so they can practice reading.
• Flip charts or books–  These books usually have three sections that can be flipped to create different drawings.  Something like this: Flip-o-saurus.  I found ours at a used bookstore.
• “Look and find” books– Think Where’s Waldo?  This will keep them entertained for awhile!
• kaleidoscope
• Movable toys– These are my favorite!  They can be wood, plastic, or wire.  They should be all one piece, but easily movable into different shapes.  Great to stimulate creative thinking!
• plastic, light-up, talking toys–  I wouldn’t recommend these (for your own sanity), but we have a few.  Hopefully they are relatively quiet or have a volume control.
• phone or tablet– On long car trips, we give the girls turns on the iPad (with a timer so no one can complain).  As much as I prefer non-electronic toys, the iPad is a great learning tool and the kids LOVE it.  And if the kids are happy, quiet, and learning….then Mama is happy!