The practical bits

Most people will use a car kit for a flat battery, a closed road or a long wait in traffic rather than anything dramatic.

High-visibility vests and a warning triangle come first: being seen matters more than anything else on a dark road.

A blanket, a torch, water and a few snacks cover the waiting. A charged power bank and a car charger cover the phone you will be relying on.

In winter add an ice scraper, de-icer and screen wash: the items you will actually use most weeks.

Children cope well when the adults around them are calm and the routine is roughly familiar, so plan for comfort as much as supplies.

Pack a duplicate comfort item if you can. A familiar toy or dummy is worth more at 2am than almost anything else in the bag.

Keep a written note of weight, any prescribed medicines and doses, the feeding routine and your GP or health visitor number. This is a note for whoever is caring for them, not a substitute for medical advice.

If you use formula, keep a sealed spare of your usual brand. Ready-to-feed cartons avoid needing clean water and sterilising equipment.

Involve older children in building the kit. Knowing where the torch lives makes a power cut an adventure rather than a fright.

Tie the review to the clocks changing, alongside testing your smoke alarms: one reminder, two useful jobs.

Check use-by dates on water and food, top up batteries, and charge the power bank fully.

Update the printed contact sheet and any medication notes, since numbers and doses change more often than the kit does.

Put anything you borrowed back. A kit that has quietly been raided for batteries is the most common failure of all.