This is a Guest Post
A toddler is a cars’ worst nightmare. If your friends have toddlers, look inside their cars. It’ll probably look like it was hit by a category F5 hurricane, or The Hulk just had a party in it. Toys, crayons, crumbs, candy wrappers, stains, socks, you name it! But how do busy moms like us keep our cars clean and organized?
Here are a few tips on how to do just that, while keeping your sanity intact:
Take me to the car wash, baby
This is a no brainer. If you can’t stand being inside your car anymore or you have pet ants roaming around, it’s high time you had your car cleaned and detailed. Go to any professional detailer and they can do wonders for your cars’ interior and exterior. Your car will smell so nice and freshafter, you’d want to sleep in it!
The Boxer
I got two words for you: transparent boxes with locks. OK, so that’s four words, but you get the idea! Go to your local supermarket and grab some. The boxes should be big enough to hold your toddlers’ favorite in-car stuff. Let your child decide what toys and other stuff he or she wants to be “a car exclusive” and put them all in the box. You can tell them they can change it up every month or so, to keep the variety fresh. Train them to put their toys back in the box once they’re done. If you have more than one toddler, provide a box for them too.
One Toy Policy
Or, if you don’t want to go and take the box route, you can always strike a deal with your toddler. I did this with my boys and it worked like a charm! What I did was allowed them to take along one, and only one item from their room. It could be anything, as long as it wasn’t too big and bulky and won’t leave a mess (like clay or the aquarium). The trick here is that they can bring a new toy or whatnot every single day, so every day is a new adventure for them!
“Bin” there, done that
Provide bins or even medium sized garbage bags for your toddlers. Teach them to throw away food wrappers, broken crayons, paper, and everything else they wouldn’t be using anymore. If you have more than one toddler, provide one for each of them. Try investing in a backseat organizer you can hang on the back of the front seat.
Oversized Bibs
I absolutely love these! Oversized bibs are great if your toddlers love to eat. It catches most everything that falls from their mouth, liquid or solid. They’re easy to clean and most are water proof.
Stain Resistant Seat Covers
These are cool if you have toddlers and kids. As the name suggests, it’s pretty hard to put a stain on these so you won’t have to worry if your toddler spilled some juice, ketchup, or even ink. I just wrote a review on the Hyundai Sta Fe, and I believe these bad boys come with stain resistant seat covers as standard equipment. Ask your local dealer about it.
Snack Trap and Sprout Sprouts
Invented by a busy mom, the Snack Trap is like a Venus flycatcher; when kids reach through soft plastic slits to get a piece or a handful, the slits close so the snack stays contained if the cup is accidentally dropped or even thrown. The Sprout Sprouts on the other hand, take care of juices and other liquids. These specialized lids screw onto wide-mouthed bottles of juice and other drinks so they won’t spill. Check these out at Babies-R-US and other big retails chains.
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