Baby on Board: Vehicle Emergency Kit
On a chilly day in January, four sets of moms and babes headed out to Kananaskis Country to hike up to Rawson Lake. The winter had been quite mild up to that point, and I must admit I had become a bit complacent! My daughter, Juniper, and I were dressed in warm layers but I hadn’t packed much extra. When we parked, the outside temperature gauge read -18°C, colder than I had been expecting. After a brief discussion, we decided to walk along Upper Kananaskis Lake and stay in the sun. In hindsight, that was a good choice.
We had a lovely walk but we were all quite cold by the time we got back to our cars. Of course, a couple of the babies needed a diaper change so we had to take them out of their snow suits, making them even colder. I hurried to get Juniper cleaned up and into her car seat so we could get on the road and warm up in the car. When I turned the key, nothing happened. Literally NOTHING. My car was dead and we were 95 kilometres from home.
My best piece of advice: ALWAYS wait until everyone in your group has started their car before you drive away, especially if you don’t have cell service. This ensures no one gets left alone with a problem! I was lucky that 2 friends were still getting their babies buckled up in this instance. Rather than trying to deal with my car and risking being out there with Juniper for a long time in the cold, we transferred the car seat over and hitched a ride back to Canmore with Yoli and Teix.
Thankfully, this story has a happy ending: We got a ride home and the tow truck company was able to get my car back to me later that day. But WHOA!… Having your car die in winter with a baby seriously gets your blood pumping! Once Juniper was settled for the night, I poured myself a big glass of wine and wrote out a list of things I needed in the car if this was to ever happen again.
A couple months later, Juniper transitioned to 100% formula and having a back-up kit in the car became even more imperative. I was super anxious that something would happen and I wouldn’t be able to feed her. Having an emergency car kit gave me peace of mind. I knew that if we got stuck on the highway, or stranded at a trailhead, I would have the supplies to keep us safe and comfortable. I made a kit for each of our vehicles and this is what I included:
Specifically, for baby:
2 bottles of filtered water
Unopened package of formula* (make sure to replace it once it expires!)
Clean bottle
Extra soother
Non-perishable baby food pouches and snacks
Fleece onesie **
Extra socks **
4 diapers **
Wipes (never a bad idea to have extra wipes on hand!)
Toilet paper (since wipes do freeze)
*Alternatively you could have a pre-mixed formula, but I am not sure how that holds up if it freezes and/or heats up, which could both be an issue depending on the time of year!
** Make sure to size up when needed!
Generally:
First aid kit
Booster cables
Shovel
Snow scraper
Road flares
Windshield wiper fluid
Warm blanket or sleeping bag
Drinking water
Non-perishable snacks (like granola bars, dried fruit or chocolate)
Gloves or mittens
Warm hat
Headlamp or flashlight (keep the batteries out until needed)
Hand warmers
As someone who loves to explore and adventure with my little one in tow, this allows me to travel with a little more ease. Maybe you’ll never have to use your emergency kit… But in the event that you do, I hope it helps make things a little less stressful. You’ve got this mama!