That's where you come in. Another thing that is weighing on me is the trivial and yet oh so important issue of a bag. I have struggled with this complex dilemma since the birth of my first son 7 years ago. Before he entered the world requiring more accessories than Paris Hilton, I was a committed "small handbag" kind of girl. I rarely carried a purse bigger than a clutch and the very idea of toting around a bag the size of Santa's was just not appealing. Ever since then I've been living in a world of denial, believing that I don't really have to carry a piece of luggage around just because I have a baby but I'm beginning to break. This is where you come in. I am at the end. I just can't bring myself to transition to an official diaper bag because they all end up being so big. I'm short and the idea of lugging around such a large bag is very uninviting. So I desperately need to know, "what do you do?" What bag have you found to be the ideal mix of style, economy, and size and still able to carry everything a baby and mommy might need?
6 comments:
Ha! I had a diaper bag with the first two, but on #3 I just have a purse that is the size of a regular shoe box. I carry 1-2 diapers and some wipes! Oh, and I carried a burp cloth, too. I figured if I'm going some place for an extended period of time where I need more gear, I can pack another bag, but generally, I only need diapers and wipes! I could fit an extra sleeper in the purse, too, when I carried one in his first couple months.
I couldn't keep up with 2 bags, so I had a diaper bag with a cosmetic bag inside for my stuff, so that if I was going somewhere without the baby, I could just grab the small bag and drop it in a purse. Now that she is bigger and doesn't require much, I carry a purse with a cosmetic bag that now contains a few diapers and wipes. I leave a backpack in the car with a change of clothes, more diapers, and snacks/books but it usually stays in the car and doesn't go in with us. Given the amount of things that I carried around for 1 child, I can imagine I would need a grocery cart for the things I would find necessary to take for 4. (I'm a little obsessive about that sort of thing) ;-)
I keep a box of dipes and wipes and a change of undies and clothes (for any diapered or recently potty trained child) in the car so that I don't have to carry a bag. I have a sleek looking tote/purse thing into which I can fit my Bible, the kids' paraphernalia, and my wallet/phone/keys into for going to church or store. If I am going out without the kiddos, I grab the wallet out of the purse and use it as a clutch while carrying my phone and keys in my pocket.
Less is more! Forego the Santa Sack!
Oh, and I've discovered that in emergencies, older kids can get away with diapers that are too small and younger kids can get away with dipes that are too big. So, I carry only one between sized disposable diaper with me to consolidate and streamline. I use cloth dipes at home, but when I'm out and in a rush, it's easier to grab for a sposie.
Hey Mary,your friends are on the right track.In the military you carry a large rucksack with essentials for the mission and then have a smaller one with emergency rations,sleep gear and ammo.Of course you might not have to use the ammo in your case!leave a backpack in the car with all thats needed for a full day out with the kids and only carry a small bag with travel pack sizes of everything else.Then once a week you update the large bag with anything you might have used and always do it on the same day like a Sat morn or Sat afternoon while the kids nap!If you continue to do so you will soon find you need less and less for entertaiment and cleanup as well as making it a chore that is in your normal schedule of things to do.Good luck from a military organizer!!!
Even a small enough bag to fit your Bible, diapers, wipes, a small make-up bag for yourself, your wallet, sunglasses, a pen, gum, bandaids, etc. is going to be less than small. My sister carries around a beautiful big leather purse, and she always looks trendy. She's taller though...I know what you mean about being shorter. I do the whole "carry the extra clothes, etc." in a separate bag that stays in the car thing, but I still can't find that a small bag works for me. A lot of it is probably personality and preference. Nothing I carry around with me goes unused, which makes me think for our family, we are stuck with a bigger bag. But you might be able to get away with less. You are also in the hardest stage as far as stuff goes...baby almost always needs another change of clothes, and do you really want to go back out to the car for that?
Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I love your suggestion Kelly and would love to see a picture of the bag you carry. My sister just gave me one of her old bags and I LOVE it! It has pockets and lots of space but does not look like a big bag at all. Perfect! I keep reminding myself that this stage goes by pretty quickly.
Post a Comment