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How to Make an Oops Box: Traveling with Young Children

By March 8, 2018March 24th, 2019Travel

 

This is my second post in the Traveling with Young Children (And Still Enjoying Life) Series. I also cover Keeping Children Entertained, Air Travel, and Fun Travel Snacks in other posts.

Springtime brings sun-shiny days with refreshing breeze that begs many to get out on the open road. Before children, I could just fill a backpack and head out on the open road. When I started to travel with young children though, I needed so much more. One way to cut down on the amount of space taken up in the car as well as have what you need for emergencies is to make an Oops Box. An Oops Box is to keep you prepared for any minor mishaps that might occur while traveling in the car as well as when you get to your destination. An Oops box can be made by filling a storage tote with materials that will do double duty on the road.

This small tote will hold everything you need.

Toilet Paper

Bathrooms while traveling are not always stocked with toilet paper. It’s a smart idea to pack a roll for this reason as well as for sniffles and runny noses.

Baby Wipes

Wipes can be used for sticky hands, faces, diaper changes. I’ve also used them to wipe down dirty surfaces quickly.

Hand Sanitizer

Traveling often introduces unfamiliar germs to your body. A bottle of hand sanitizer is essential for cleaning hands. Combine hand sanitizer with paper towels to sanitize surfaces.

Paper Towels

Other than just wiping surfaces, paper towels can also be put between pages of a book that gets wet so the pages won’t wrinkle.

Use duct tape to make your hotel room baby-proof.

Band-Aids

Band-Aids will cover real and imaginary boo-boos. They are also useful as emergency tape and outlet covers.

Duct Tape

What can’t duct tape do? Using it to tape cabinets shut and cover outlets are some of the ways to add safety to your hotel room. Using the tape to make roads on the floor to play with cars is a way to add fun to your hotel room.

Diaper Ointment

Other than healing diaper rashes, this ointment will also moisturize itchy or dry skin.

Plastic Grocery Sacks

Sacks can hide all the yuck of traveling by collecting trash, dirty diapers, vomit, wet clothes, as well as serving as a liner in the travel potty until you can make a stop.

Add a plastic bag over travel potty for easy cleanup.

If filled with diaper ointment, it can be kept in a pocket for easy diaper changes during stops.

Lollypops

First, YUM! Second, these are favorable for temper tantrums due to the fact that sucking is a natural soother. In case of any falls or accidents, lollypops will also stop mouth bleeding.

Travel Potty

Potties are appropriate for whichever end has something coming out when you can’t get to a restroom. Make sure you cover the potty with a plastic bag.

Soaked Frozen Kitchen Sponge

Put a frozen sponge in a Ziploc bag to serve as an ice pack for food while you travel. It can also be used to clean highchairs and dishes on your trip.

Contact Cases

Cases will store dollops of diaper ointment, lotion, liquid makeup in addition to holding your contacts.

Time to travel!

With just twelve products, you will have what you need for so much more. What are some of the ways you use products in new ways?