How do you keep stuff in your car organized?

JKM416

I drive a minivan and have all three car seats across the middle row.  So the third row is folded down, giving me lots of trunk space.  However, that means that everything back there gets tossed around as I drive, and I have to crawl into the car sometimes to reach what I need.  Does anyone use back-of-the-seat organizers, trunk organizers, etc. to corral all the car junk and kid items you haul around?  It's a mess that drives me nuts, but nothing I've come across in my research seems like the perfect answer.

Ideally I'd find something that didn't restrict my kids' movement in the second row (like some seatback ones seem to be really deep) and would still be usable if we put up the third row.  I've thought about just tossing stuff into various cardboard boxes, but they'd slide around and tip and make my trunk always look like I was in the midst of moving.

kastle

My husband has something like this in his trunk:

https://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10004522&N=&Ntt=car

it's to corral biking stuff.  his has a kind of no-skid bottom that means it doesn't move around much.

Container store has a lot of options.

Hey Jellisy

We have these two compartment black bins from the Container Store for organizing our minivan trunk.  Like you our rear third seat is mostly folded down and they do move but it keeps the toys, emergency diaper supplies, snacks, unmatched gloves etc. all corralled together.  The Container Store also has seat back of the seat organizers, but I haven't tried them. 

vtkgirl77

We have this organizer from BBB. It's only $8 with a coupon and been very happy with it. It has handles on the sides so that if you need to move it (like when you change the 3rd row seating) you can easily lift it up.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=12067135

I actually have pictures of my trunk because I submitted them to a blog about organization. I never got chosen for the blog but I guess this would be a good opportunity to share the photos.

Here's a list of what I keep in the trunk at all times. When we leave for an outing, all I have to pack up is food/bottles since I have everything else in the trunk. When I get to our location, I open up the back, grab the "diaper backpack" and just add the particular items we'll need for that outing.

2 beach towels for times we may have an impromptu picnic or when the kids may get wet somewhere and need to dry off
2 hand towels for spills or to wipe off playground equipment
Diaper changing pad with wipes and a few diapers

A ziplock of diapers for the baby
A ziplock of pull-ups and swim diapers for the 2 year old
A ziplock with an extra set of clothes for each kid
A ziplock with a clean empty bottle and a few travel packets of formula for the baby
A first aid kit I got from Target for around $5
A box of diaper disposal bags from the Dollar Store
A Baby Bjorn baby carrier
A diaper backpack
A box of paper towels
A bag of wipes
A clear bag with travel sized bug spray, sunscreen, and hand sanitizer
A hat for each kid (in summer, a sun hat and in winter a warm hat)

Here's what it looks like when it's all laid out.

And here's what it looks like in the container. Since I took this picture, I actually added another single cube (the ones that fit into those block shelving units which you can buy at Target, etc.) I needed another cube for storing all of my fabric shopping bags. So, there's third cube in there as well now.

MrsNJSwimmer

vtkendra:

We have this organizer from BBB. It's only $8 with a coupon and been very happy with it. It has handles on the sides so that if you need to move it (like when you change the 3rd row seating) you can easily lift it up.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=12067135

I actually have pictures of my trunk because I submitted them to a blog about organization. I never got chosen for the blog but I guess this would be a good opportunity to share the photos.

Here's a list of what I keep in the trunk at all times. When we leave for an outing, all I have to pack up is food/bottles since I have everything else in the trunk. When I get to our location, I open up the back, grab the "diaper backpack" and just add the particular items we'll need for that outing.

2 beach towels for times we may have an impromptu picnic or when the kids may get wet somewhere and need to dry off
2 hand towels for spills or to wipe off playground equipment
Diaper changing pad with wipes and a few diapers

A ziplock of diapers for the baby
A ziplock of pull-ups and swim diapers for the 2 year old
A ziplock with an extra set of clothes for each kid
A ziplock with a clean empty bottle and a few travel packets of formula for the baby
A first aid kit I got from Target for around $5
A box of diaper disposal bags from the Dollar Store
A Baby Bjorn baby carrier
A diaper backpack
A box of paper towels
A bag of wipes
A clear bag with travel sized bug spray, sunscreen, and hand sanitizer
A hat for each kid (in summer, a sun hat and in winter a warm hat)

Here's what it looks like when it's all laid out.

And here's what it looks like in the container. Since I took this picture, I actually added another single cube (the ones that fit into those block shelving units which you can buy at Target, etc.) I needed another cube for storing all of my fabric shopping bags. So, there's third cube in there as well now.

You never cease to amaze me with how organized you are!

victoria1212

hmmm....I don't store anything in my car and nothing rolls around. Does this mean I am more OCD than I would like to admit?