5 car hacks for parents

Posted 14 November, 2024 Jeremy Rochow

“Can we listen to Frozen? Can we have a drink? I’m hungry! I’m bored!” Sound familiar? These are some of the phrases most parents hear when driving with their children.

There’s no doubt, driving with kids can be a challenge. So, how can you keep them entertained, content and also ensure the back seat doesn’t turn into a garbage tip?

We’ve come up with five ways you can keep the littlies happy and safe while you’re on the road.

1. Be organised

Having a well-organised car can be the difference between a peaceful, calm drive and a chaotic one. Hands up if you’ve had to pull over the side of the road just to scrounge through the back seat for your toddler’s toy?

Whether your kids have small toys they play with in the car, or Textas and coloured pencils for longer road trips, a shower caddy will help keep all the items contained. No more reaching under the seat for the red pencil your child dropped halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne.

You can now also buy a range of seat-back organisers which have pockets for everything from your child’s teddy to their drink bottle. Some even come with a foldout tray table like you’d find on an aeroplane.

2. Keep it clean

Nobody likes half-eaten biscuits or crumbs scattered around the backseat. And the smell that permeates around the car’s cabin after a rotten banana peel has been sitting in the centre console on a hot day is enough to make you sell your pride and joy.

This car hack will mean you always have somewhere to put your rubbish when you’re driving.

Line a plastic cereal container with a compostable bag and place the lid on. It fits nicely on the floor of the passenger seat, or in the back seat. Not only will you and your children have a place to put your rubbish, the lid shuts and contains all the smelly odours and prevents spills – genius.

3. Be prepared for an emergency

Whether your child has a splinter stuck in their finger or has grazed their knee while climbing on a playground, it’s good to be prepared when you’re out and about. You can buy a basic first aid-kit for about $25. At the other end of the scale, there are extensive first-aid kits for people going off-road into remote areas of the country. These cost anywhere between $100 and $150.

Depending on the size of the first-aid kit, they can be stored in either your glove box or car boot, ready for when a child has their next “ouchie”.

4. Keep your kids entertained

Gone are the days of kids staring out the window and counting sheep or playing Punch Buggy. Nowadays, each child is likely to have their own entertainment system.

If you don’t want your little one staring at a screen for the entire road trip, you may need to get creative. I Spy and other car games will likely get boring after a short time, so it’s time to get organised.

Fill those back-seat pouches or shower caddies with plenty of activities, including colouring and activity books. Want to save some money? You’ll find lots of colouring and activity pages online you can print out.

Lonely Planet has also created its very own Create Your Own Holiday Games book full of games the kids can play in the back seat. They can create travel-related snap cards, travel spotting bingo and make their very own board game.

5. Get snack happy

‘Hangry’ children in the car can be a recipe for disaster, so it’s important they’re well fed, particularly on longer trips. There isn’t a tidy or safe way to feed kids in the car, so firstly make sure you’re giving age-appropriate snacks to you children and nothing that can easily become a choking hazard.

Giving children snacks in bags might seem convenient, but they can be ripped, rifled through, and dropped on the floor, which will make a mess.

Instead, buy a monthly pill box (the large variety) and fill it with healthy snacks and treats. Kids will love mixing and matching their foods, and because the compartments open individually, less will likely be spilled if they’re thrown in the air.