Organize Your Car: Action Step for Parents of Children with Special Needs

Well, the school year is officially under way, and along with that comes rides and carpools. What’s your car looking like these days? As parents of children with special needs, we often carry a lot of stuff with us wherever we go. Now is a good time to get your car organized.

Here’s one tried and true method:

1. Take everything out of your car. (Kids will love helping with this!)

2. Put back only the things you need to keep in the car.

3. Take whatever’s left and sort it into: a. trash, b. recycling, c. laundry hamper, and d. put away.

Some additional tips:

* You may want to replace some items, such as spare batteries, spare equipment parts, food kept on hand for children with special diets, glucose tablets for children with diabetes (trust me, they get gross after sitting in a hot car all summer!).

* Do you have an accessible van? This is a good time to take it into the shop and get the lift checked out. Better to fix a little rattle or looseness now, than have to pay for a major repair later on.

* Invest in some nice bins to keep your stuff contained while you drive.

* Put within easy reach anything you want kids to be able to get for themselves.

* Put anything you don’t want the kids to have while you’re driving in the trunk or some other inaccessible spot.

* An alternative to keeping stuff in your car is to have a designated “grab and go” area of your entryway or front hall that’s well organized.

And finally, if you don’t use a car, organize whatever you have that’s transportation-related: diaper bag, stroller pockets, wheelchair pockets, backpacks, briefcase, purse, big bag – anything you can organize to make it easier to pick up and go, and have the things you need at the ready while you’re out!

What are your tips for staying “transportationally organized?”

Joan Celebi originally founded SpecialNeedsParentCoach.com in her capacity as a certified life coach for parents of children with special needs. Her goal is to give you the practical strategies you need for successfully navigating life as a parent of a child with special needs and helps you create a manageable, balanced, and joyful life, for both you and your family. Visit Joan at http://www.specialneedsparentcoach.com.

You’re welcome to reprint this article, as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the contact information at the end), and you send me a copy or link to your reprint at joan {at} specialneedsparentcoach(.)com.

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Tags: Action, Children, Needs, Organize, Parents, Special, Step