As I read an article one day about habits of tidy people, I snickered when I got to the habit that said, “Never eat in the car.” Oh, it sounds like a lovely idea. No trash wrappers on the floor. No graham crackers smashed into the car seats. No drinks spilled. And NO MORE DRIED ON KETCHUP. (If you can’t tell, I really hate cleaning dried on ketchup off anything.
But in all practicality, having a rule that we can’t eat in the car doesn’t work for me. There are simply times we need to eat our meal or snack on the go.
Since it happens so frequently, I needed a way to manage our mess and still eat on the go.
Enter Calamus Mom Hack #4 and the back to school sales last year.
I found these classroom caddies on sale.
Now when we need to eat in the car, I just grab these and fill them up. If we’ve hit up fast food, I divvy it all up before we ever leave the parking lot. Use the wrapper off the sandwich to line the bottom of the big hole and even the ketchup doesn’t make much of a mess.
Drop a drink in one small hole and the applesauce or fries in the other small hole. Hand the caddy to the child and lunch is served.
No more juggling a Kid’s Meal bag. No more handing stuff to the backseat while driving.
When they are done, I have them set the caddy on the seat next to their seat or hold it until we stop next.
Cleanup is super easy too. Just grab the trash out, wipe the caddy with a wet-wipe, and store until next time. If by chance the ketchup dries before I get it wiped out, I just toss the whole caddy in the dishwasher when I get home.
If eating in the car is a regular occurrence for you, I’d highly suggest hitting up the back to school aisles at your favorite store or click on some of the caddies below from Amazon (affiliate links) to have them arrive on your doorstep.
