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Mama's Rescue Pack
Rated by 2 members
"Mama! Look out for that dog!" Grace, 7, yelled from the backseat as we were driving to a doctor's appointment. I swerved, Grace jerked, and her juice cup catapulted from its holder, showering her hair and clothes with bright blue "Mountain Cooler." Thankfully, we safely avoided the dog. But Grace was sticky and uncomfortable as she tearfully hobbled into the doctor's office, while I dabbed at her with wipes and apologized.
As we waited in the exam room, Luke let out a weak, "Uh-oh, Mommy." My lap warmed in tell-tale response to the accident that breeched the constraints of his diaper and permeated his clothing, my pants, and most of my shirt.
As the doctor entered the room, there was no need to ask how we were -- not well, as evidenced by Grace's blue-tinted clothing, Luke clad only in a diaper, and me sporting a full-body stain.
After checking the kids, he apologized profusely before delivering the news that we needed to walk over to the lab in the next building for some tests. A sweet nurse helped me outfit both kids in exam gowns. I declined in favor of my own stained clothing -- the thought of literally being caught with my pants down in public was more than I could bear.
After what felt like a 36-hour ordeal, I finally got us all situated in the car. On the way home, Grace, struck by inspiration, said, "Mama, wouldn't it be cool if you could have been like Diego today and had a bathtub and a bunch of clothes in your rescue pack?"
"Grace, you're so right!" I replied. "We need to have a rescue pack for days like this."
Sick and tired, the kids mercifully conked out as soon as we got home. Inspired by Grace and Diego, I got to work on "Mama's Rescue Pack."
With some ideas I gleaned from www.beprepared.com, I took a medium-sized plastic storage bin that fit neatly in the back of my minivan and stocked it with a simple change of clothes for each child complete with socks, underwear/pull-ups, and a tub of wet wipes. I put in a clean T-shirt for my husband and me and a trash bag for storing wet or soiled clothing. I added a few small bottles of water, some non-perishable snacks like pretzels and granola bars, a flashlight, and a travel-sized first-aid kit. I marked my calendar to update the kit in 6 months for clothing sizes and fresh supplies.
You can't be prepared for everything, but a little rescue pack can make those bumpy spots a little easier to navigate.
Member Comments On…
Mama's Rescue Pack
Thanks for a great idea. We travel alot in the summer and this would be great to have.
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I can't say that I have any additions that haven't already been mentioned. I keep clothes, bottled water, wipes, and hand sanitizer in one of those new big ziploc bags. But I have to say, its so nice hearing other parents describe a normal trip to the doctor for me! Sometimes it feels like all the other moms have it all together...and I'm the odd one scrambling to keep it all together! I had to laugh at the mental image of the lap stain...I can't tell you how many times that's happened to me! I can sympathize that's for sure!
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Mom4Tots has a great idea. With the girls, I am always at a loss for how to have some "privacy" while they change. Love the idea about the beach towels. I will add that one to my bin right away. Thanks for the great comment.
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Oh, the ever loving Rescue Pack!! Since I have handicapped girls (17 & 12), we constantly need rescuing. From seizures to accidents to spilled juice, our emergency bin has come to the rescue more than once. Every weekend I replenish the bin (I do a thorough trash pick up and vacuum job, and also look to see what was used from the bin). It has been a life saver more times than I care to count. Loved the part about not wanting a gown (didn't want to be caught with your pants down in public). Before we got the bin together, that very thing happened to me. I wore a gown home to keep from getting "yuck" all over in the minivan. Your idea is so practical and very useful.
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Wonderful ideas to share! When my 10-year old was a toddler we had a longer commute to/from work and day-care three days each week. Most days the longer afternoon commute, over a very curvy and twisting highway, went well but for the days that it did not (primarily when they had milk at pm snack time / just before I would pick my Daughter up) it was always so helpful to have an extra change of clothes and extra wipes with us to clean up the 'milk that came back again' with. After that, we found it easy to keep an extra change in the car for any longer trips or for other times when a 'dressier outfit' could be changed out of for the return trip home. Most adults keeps a sport-gear bag ready to go at any time so we keep a "wish I had an extra outfit-gear bag" with us still.
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I have been meaning to do this for awhile since I saw it on a television show. The mom on that show used one of those small plastic three drawer storage units. One drawer for clothes, one for cleanup things like wipes and extra diapers and one for snacks. I'm definetly going to get butsy now before we go on vacation this summer!
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I am going to put some disposable sippy cups and bowls in my car. I always seem to have forgotten them when we go to places like the park. Bowls (or small cups) come in handy for snacks in the car.
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I pack a tote also, containing clothing, snacks, flashlight, 1st aide kit, water, sunscreen and bug spray. I also stuck a $20 and change in. Along with my kit I carry a potty chair, pull-ups and two beach towels and clothes pins. I've used the towels the most - (extra blanket if cold or wet, portable screen for person using the potty or changing.) Thanks for sharing your great ideas! I'll add prescriptions, socks and a few others items!
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We learned this lesson a long time ago. Because my daughter has asthma and we have other medical issues, I added two days worth of meds, sealed into packets with notes in them and copies of the prescriptions. We have used that a couple times. The prescrp. copies are good if you are on a road trip and forgot the meds...
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My kids are older now, (10 and 8) but everyone still has accidents now and again. I finally wised up and put a pair of underwear in the glove compartment of my car since my son refused to "go comando" after one such accident. It also helps to keep a pair of socks in there for those time when the kids are wearing sandals and they want to play on the play equipment at McDonalds or something.
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