[twitter]Last weekend I ignored the most important of the Ziploc Hacks known to parents. It’s a parent hack I know well, those zip open and close bags have saved me in the past, but this weekend? I didn’t heed my own wisdom, and paid the price.
We all know Ziploc® bags are vital to surviving summer with kids.
We use them to keep the tickets and passports dry, store road trip snacks and busy bags for the kids.
We use them camping to have ready made pancake mix on hand, store laundry soap and matches, keep the wet bathing suits away from the rest of the suitcase, and marinate bbq meat.
If you get really awesome, you can use Ziploc® bags for all your packing, vacuum sealing your underwear tightly in one bag, your shirts, and shorts in another and now, suddenly, everything fits in that tiny carry-on bag.
I like to use Ziploc® bags to keep all my random chargers, SD cards, and cables together for my cameras, iPods, iPhones, and iPads on the road, making them easy to grab when I need a boost.they also keep all the sunscreen bottles from leaking in the beach bag.
Those are all awesome parent hacks for Ziploc® bags to make life easier in the summer. If you’re not doing that you’re missing out. But those are only 10 ways to use Ziploc® bags, I promised 11. The 11th is the most important of the Ziploc Hacks, and I ignored it.
Barf bags.
You know that tight little pocked in front of your kids in the back seat? It’s there for a reason, to hold a Ziploc® bag that can be quickly and easily grabbed, ripped open, and barfed into without any of the barf going anywhere. We’ve experienced half a dozen random car sickness incidents and back seat barf bags have saved our seats.
This weekend, I was out in a loaner car for our camping trip, and while I had two boxes of Ziploc® bags in the trunk for all the reasons listed above, I neglected to remove a bag from the box and put one in the seat pockets for the boys.
About 3 hrs and 40 minutes into our 3 hr 50 minute drive came the cry from the backseat: “Daddy, I’m going to be sick.”
All I had time for was to open Charlie’s window (yay power windows!) while I cruised from 100kph to a stop. I didn’t stop in time.
Charlie leaned for the window, but his 5 yr old neck wasn’t long enough to get anything outside, instead, his back seat road trip snacks hit the door.
Awesome.
While the interior damage was done, it was a good thing I had the Ziploc® bags in the trunk, because I needed one for my son’s blankie. Splashed with shrapnel, he needed to be sealed up for the rest of our trip before we could get home for a proper laundering.
Lesson learned. Never again. Now that Ziploc® bags have Easy Open tabs, they’re more valuable than ever in the backseat as the tiniest of hands can get them open in a sudden emergency.
CONTEST TIME!
What are your best #ZiplocHacks? Share them and win a huge Ziploc Prize Pack valued at $150!
Contest only open to Canadian residents. Prize must be accepted as awarded. Void where prohibited. One (1) winner will be chosen at random to win:
Ziploc® brand bags now with Easy Open Tabs:
Ziploc® Large and small sized freezer bags (blue tabs)
Ziploc® Large and small storage bags (pink tabs)
Ziploc® Produce bags (green tab)
A selection of complementing products such as:
Salad spinner
Wood cutting board with colour coded mats
Blank recipe cards
Vegetable steamer
Chip clips
Colourful Sharpies
Cooking for the Rushed Cookbook by Sandi Richard
About Ziploc Bags
Two things are true for today’s parent; time is of the essence and life seems to be full of “stuff”. From food preparation at home and snacks on the go to extra Lego bits and broken crayons; more than just laundry can pile up and fast!
NEW this year are Ziploc® brand bags now with Easy Open Tabs that are designed to help triumph over life’s daily chaos quickly and easily. The bags feature new colour coded easy open tabs that help to immediately distinguish the bag’s contents. Available in a wide variety of sizes and purposes home organization is a breeze be it frozen dinners, fresh cut fruits and veggies or the final decision to make sense of the junk drawer.
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I use Ziploc bags to keep dry things dry or wet things wet. I take extra in my suitcase when travelling for bring a wet swimsuit home or sandy sneakers.
I use ziplock bags for freezer packs. Fill em up and freeze them and they are reusable.
Ziploc bags are great for marinating all your meats and veggies this summer! No mess!
I use Ziplock bags to ice a cake. Put the icing in, cut off a corner and you have a piping bag.
I throw all of our batteries from Costco into ziploc bags. I also use them to store bagels and leftover food. I use them a lot.
I always carry a ziplock in my purse for “stuff” i might want to pick up–rocks, seeds from plants I like (I am a gardener). When my son finds shells he likes I give him the ziploc, or if he can’t finish his fries and I want to toss out the wrapper which has ketchup on it, or whenever i want to put something squishy into my purse! That way it is contained so if I forget it for a while, it won’t be a big mess!
#ziplochacks make sure no air is in it
at the beach or when you are fishing put cell phones (or any other electronic device) in a ziploc bag to keep them dry and safe
Use your Ziploc bag to keep game pieces organized for your cottage board games. #ZiplocHacks
i keep a ziplock bag with a wet washcloth in it for easy clean up..keeps the wash cloth wet #ZiplockHacks
Cut the tip to use as an icing bag #ZiplockHacks