Car Emergency Sick Kid Kit

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Doesn’t sickness always seem to hit at the most inconvenient times? A few months ago, we were on our way to Alabama to see my nephew play in a baseball tournament when Sawyer came down with the flu. He had been totally fine when we left, but by the time we got there he was red and burning up. I didn’t have any supplies for his fever or anything to keep him happy.

Lucky for me, my sister had some Children’s Advil in a little bag full of emergency sick kid supplies. I realized I needed to keep some stuff in my truck in case my kids got sick away from home or there was an emergency. I tend to be a go with the flow kind of person, but when it comes to my kids, I have to be prepared, and so here’s what I keep in my car in case of sick emergencies; it’s really simple and only takes a minute to put together. I also gave some ideas for some surprising ways you can use the items to entertain your kids in case you get stuck far away from home like we did. Here’s what I keep in my car:

1. Water- It’s so important to keep kids hydrated, especially if they’re not feeding well. I always always have bottles of water in my car and am constantly putting new ones in, but I do try not to use the ones in my emergency kit unless I really need them and then I always make sure to replace them as soon as possible. If you have a child with a fever, you can pour water over their head to help lower the fever. My mom used to do that, and if nothing else, it always made me laugh. If your kids are old enough for medicine in tablet form, you might need it for swallowing too.

2. Undies- Sometimes getting sick means clothes get gross, and at the very least, I keep some underwear in case they need to change. It’s a good thing for any young kid to have an extra pair anyways.

3. Children’s Advil- Sick kids are no joke. That day we went to my nephews baseball tournament, Sawyer was fine when we left home, but an hour later, he was burning up and miserable, just crying and upset. He felt horrible and we were in the middle of nowhere. I was lucky my sister had Children’s Advil in her car because once I gave it to him and it started working I was able to keep him happy, and it even made him comfortable enough to fall asleep on the way home instead of crying. I use Advil instead of Tylenol because it works faster and keeps the fever down longer and with less medicine. Children’s Advil comes in six different flavors, my favorite are the dye-free ones in case we spill any, but since it taste good, it’s easy to get Sawyer to take it. It also comes in Grape chewable and small tablet forms. They carry all of the different kinds at Walgreens, where I got mine, so you can get exactly what your kids need.

4. Bandages- Obviously these are important for cuts, but I’ve given them to my kids even when they need cheering up, we use it like a sticker on their shirt. I try to get fun looking ones (these ones have cars on them) to make them cool. It’s a good way to make them feel special or distract them if something is going on or your stuck in traffic and it’s also a good way to entertain a sick kid when you are in the car. I’ve given them to my sick toddler before and told him to try and get the wrappers open; it gave him something quiet to do that kept his mind off feeling crummy.

5. Candy/Snacks- Nothing distracts kids like snacks, which is why mom vans all smell they way they do. I keep a box of granola bars in the back of my car too, and apple sauce pouchies in my purse. I’ve grabbed snacks from my car supply tons of times when we’ve gotten stuck in traffic or errands ran long and I need something to hold my kids over until we get home. Just make sure to replace anything you use and if you don’t use it regularly, check the expiration dates.

6. Diapers- If you have kids in diapers, always have extras in the car.

7. Wipes- When kids get sick, things tend to get gross. Baby wipes are great for cleaning yucky hands, throw-up, etc.

8. Books/Coloring Supplies- The only reason ours aren’t pictured is because my kids just used the last ones but I usually keep some coloring pages and crayons in case we need something to do. Entertaining kids can be hard, and it’s even harder when they don’t feel good. I just grab some of the free coloring pages that our grocery store has when I’m in there, and they fit perfect in my kit. My kids love when I pull them out and if they’re bored with coloring, we make paper airplanes.

I always like having books in the car for emergencies too. If one of my kids is sick and we end up in the E.R. or an hour away from home like when we were at the soccer game, reading them a book can usually keep them calm at a time where they might not be content.

9. Scissors- My scissors stay out of the kit in my center console (which my kids can’t open) so they don’t stab other things in the kit. I added these after reading a couple stories about children almost strangling themselves on seat belts on accident when playing in the car/trying to escape their car seats. In all of those stories they were frantically searching for something to cut the seat belt and recommended keeping scissors in your car. So scary, and I want to know exactly where they are if I ever needed them. When my kids are sick, I can use scissors to opening medicines in the car or cut paper into fun shapes to entertain them.

10. Grocery bags- they can hold dirty clothes, throw-up, dirty diapers and more and you don’t have to think twice about throwing them away, plus they’re free. I keep a nice wad of them under the seat.

My emergency sick supplies stay right in my center console so I can always reach them and so if a kid were to throw up, they would still be clean. I do keep some extra snacks in the back, and I have a more elaborate first aid kit under the seat, but this is my easy to grab emergency sick kit for our family. I’d love to hear what you keep in your car or how you taper your emergency kit to your family, do you keep snacks and Children’s Advil, or maybe you keep it somewhere else in your car? Let me know in the comments because I’m sure mine isn’t complete, and if you don’t have one, make one! It’s so easy and you’ll be glad you did.