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I have learned the hard way that is oh so important to always have Huggies Wipes in my car, even though I no longer have any kids in diapers. Surely, I must have the messiest kids on the planet. We do more laundry than any person I know, and my kids are ALWAYS dirty. I try to blame it on living in the country, but I have a sneaking suspicion that my kids would be just as messy if we lived in the city.
I’ve tried the no-eating rule in the car, but it just doesn’t work for us. At. All. We’re a busy, on-the-go homeschooling family and my kids often have a granola bar, or sometimes even a drive-through meal, in the car. As much as I don’t want to admit it, it’s true. Invariably, that means a big mess somewhere because my kids can take something as innocent sounding as an organic granola bar and end up with a huge mess!
And seriously. Why do so many places insist on handing out candy through drive-through windows?? I can’t stand it, actually, and try to politely decline before it’s passed out. Sometimes, I’m just not quick enough to say no thanks and the candy is already on the way. And then, the candy ends up stuck in someone’s hair or runs down chins, or somehow that horrible, no good, not-me-person smashes it on the floor {or ceiling!} of my car.
9. Popsicles and ice cream and berries in the summer?
Nah. That never happens, right? You don’t ever end up with summer treats all over your face at the park and neither do I. But my kids do. And I’m sure they’re not alone. If they are, please don’t tell me.
8. Flowers in road ditches.
Are we the only people who stop by the side of the road to pick gorgeous flowers from the ditches? If you haven’t, you should. There’s a simple beauty to ditch flowers and the huge smile on your kid’s face make the hassle of stopping so worth it. But ditch flowers also leave behind messy hands or pollen on faces so having wipes comes in very handy.
7. Because puke happens.
I hope you have never experienced puke in the car. But I have. Multiple times. It’s never fun and always disgusting. Triple clean wipes are oh so needed when puke happens. And let me tell you how awesome it is to have a kid puke at the exact moment you are most unprepared to deal with it. Because that’s when it usually happens to me.
6. Frogs, snakes, and bugs. Oh MY!
Really? What is it about kids and bugs and frogs and snakes??? My kids always manage to find something interesting every single time we’re out and about. Huggies Wipes to the rescue to clean animal snot and germs off my kids’ bodies!
5. Sunscreen. on. the. hands.
Oww yow, that hurts! I got sunscreen in my eyes a few weeks ago. And it was not tear-free – is there even such a thing as tear-free sunscreen?! Oh man did it hurt. I tried to blame my tears on Lee Greenwood at the 4th of July parade, but that was not the real reason I blubbered like a baby. Had I had Huggies Wipes with me, I could have cleaned everything off and remained tear-free. But I didn’t, because I’m mostly unprepared like that.
4. Sometimes, there’s no toilet paper…
This. Just happens. And yuck. I wish I could show you a screen shot of a kid texting me for toilet paper, but they don’t have phones. Yet. I would totally run back to my car for Huggies Wipes if a kid needed me to.
3. Some kids use their shirt sleeves like a tissue.
Of course, MY kids don’t do this…HA!…of course MY kids do this. They’re sometimes some of the grossest humans I know. And you’d think so too if you saw the snot running down their shirts. So. Nasty.
2. Because you spent a lot of your husband’s money on the car and want it to look nice.
{Okay you got me. My husband told me to add that one.} Maybe you spent your own money on the car, but I make it my mission to spend my husband’s since I’m a work-at-home starving homeschool mom and blogger with little income of my own. Regardless of whose money you spent, I’m sure you like your car to look nice. A quick wipe down with a Huggies wipe goes a long way to remove dust and grime from my dashboard, and we won’t even discuss the extra gross drink holders my kids use at the back of the car.
1. When your kid tells you AFTER he’s done it that he peed in a bottle to save you from stopping.
SOOOOOO GROSS! And yes, this is a true story. My kid peed in Klean Kanteen while we were on a road trip, to save me the hassle of stopping, he claimed. I could have killed him and DID NOT happen to have Huggies Wipes in my car that day either. Boy did I regret that I couldn’t at least throw back a wipe and tell him to clean off the bottle and his hands. But he cleaned it over and over after, promise. 😀
Seriously, the truth is stranger than fiction, friends, and all of these 10 things have happened to me, and most of the worst events occurred when I did NOT have Huggies Wipes on hand! By the way, we really love Huggies Triple Clean wipes available at Walmart. They are fragrance-free and hypoallergenic and 99% water. And best of all, they work really well to clean all the bad messes that happen in and around my car. So learn from my hard-knock life lessons, and always keep wipes in your car if you don’t already!
So, what gross things have happened with your kids in YOUR car? Fess up! I did. 😉
Michelle Marine is the author of How to Raise Chickens for Meat, a long-time green-living enthusiast, and rural Iowa mom of four. She empowers families to grow and eat seasonal, local foods; to reduce their ecological footprint; and to come together through impactful travel.
Okay so I totally had to use one of those “chug jugs” when we got stuck on an interstate when they closed it down due to black ice for 2 hours. The tea kicked in and there was no place to “go” as we sat in our cars all lined up waiting for them to clear us all to drive. Sigh. I could have used some of these then, for sure. Oh—and THAT bottle got thrown out!
Okay so I totally had to use one of those “chug jugs” when we got stuck on an interstate when they closed it down due to black ice for 2 hours. The tea kicked in and there was no place to “go” as we sat in our cars all lined up waiting for them to clear us all to drive. Sigh. I could have used some of these then, for sure. Oh—and THAT bottle got thrown out!
I totally keep wipes on hand and I don’t even have kids. This is great!