The first ten minutes of a drive are fine. Minute eleven is when someone drops a snack, someone else is too hot, and the whole back seat is yelling. I keep a short kit in the car so none of that turns into a pull-over.

What goes in the kit

1. Kids headphones with a volume limiter. Videos and audiobooks on a long drive are a lifesaver. A limiter keeps the sound at a safe level, so he can’t crank it up.
2. A small clip-on fan. The back row gets the least air. A fan on a bendy tripod cools him down before the whining starts.
3. A hip seat carrier. For the stops. When he wants up every ten feet at the gas station or the store, it takes the weight off your back and keeps one hand free.
4. A muslin canopy, if there’s a baby in the mix. It blocks sun and strangers on the way from the car to the building.
5. A convertible car seat that lasts. One seat that goes from rear-facing to forward-facing to booster means you buy fewer seats overall.

Everything on this list is on my Errands & Car Rides list, so you can see it all in one place.

How I pack it

Headphones and fan go in a bag that lives in the car. Nothing comes back inside the house. Restock on Sundays, and charge the fan while you’re at it.

Nurse note: Read your car seat manual before you add anything to it. Nothing should go between your child and the harness, and covers or canopies need to stay clear of his face so air can move. Clip fans away from where small hands can reach the cord. And never leave a child alone in a parked car, even for a minute.

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