You carry it. You dig in it. It is your lifeline, your purse, your brain. You fear losing it, and hope you remembered to put everything in it. It is The Diaper Bag.
My diaper bag has become very valuable to me. Not because it is cute or trendy. Not because of the cost of the diaper bag or its contents, but because of its security.
On a rare occation that I go into a store without it, I am worrying the entire time about needing something in it. On the rare occation that I go into a store without Penelope, I get excited about not toting the enormous bag around, but then realize that I have to hold my billfold, phone, keys and anything else I need in my hands.
Normally my diaper bag is overflowing, unorganized, and brimming with used diapers, dirty burp rags and mail. Wayne detests the diaper bag when it is unorganized...."You need everything to have it's own compartment." OK, captain, but there are ony four different compartments in the bag. Hard to have everything color-coded and distributed into its's specific 'spot'.
So, what's in the bag? Other than a sometimes disillusioned sense of safety and security for mom? I am going to empty it right now and divulge the classified contents.
The main compartment:
1. 3 diapers
2. wipes
3. burp rag
4. billfold
5. toy
6. small plastic bags to properly dispose diapers
7. extra change of clothes, hat & bib for Penelope
8. enough powdered formula and dust at the bottom to make a few ounces of milk in a fix
The small side compartment:
1. infant tylenol
2. infant gas medicine
3. hand sanitizer
The other small side compartment:
1. nothing (but usually contains my phone & keys)
The large side compartment: ( I consider this my 'personal' compartment. See Wayne, it is organized!)
1. gum
2. granola bar
3. pen
4. hair tie & hair clip
5. a mostly used tube of toothpaste (no toothbrush)
6. 2 cough drops
7. 1 Jolly Rancher
8. multipurpose knife
9. small perfume
The other large side compartment: (This I consider the 'papers' side)
1. coupons! Wayne's favorite thing to hear when we are out shopping is, "Oh, I have a coupon for that!" He generally cringes, rolls his eyes, and soon dissapears. But, some of the coupons havn't even expired yet, and the other day I saved over five dollars!
2. diaper cream
3. nursing pads
OK, that wasn't as bad as I had feared. Other things that routinely find themeselves in the diaper bag:
sunglasses
lotion
chapstick
mail
laptop (it almost fits...)
bottles, breastmilk and formula
pacifier(s)
blanket (s)
used tissues, candy wrappers and other trash
It is nice to have a large bag and an excuse to carry it anywhere. Need to stash snacks & drinks so you don't have to pay for them at an event? Got you covered. Need a jackhammer? No problem.
There may come a day when I carry around a cute little purse with only my things in it. But for now I am content to carry around this huge drab bag and use its contents to take care of my wonderful little girl.
Sounds like perfectly reasonable contents to me! I am transitioning from diaper bag back to purse now, and it's hard! Which is maybe why I bought an enormous "purse"-- it's actually a lunch bag, but it's cute and I can stuff lots of things in there. I do keep a separate bag that's my mini diaper bag-- but I make it small so I'm not tempted to carry a change of clothes for all the kids. Of course, the couple of times we've forgotten the diaper bag has been when Lincoln has decided to have a colossal messy diaper (right before meeting last time). I still want to patent the idea of a purse and a diaper bag that can join together so you're only carrying one bag, but can detach from each other for the (very rare) occasions when you go out without the baby or someone else goes off with baby and you want to keep your wallet with you. Stay tuned.
ReplyDeleteWow Sheena my back was beginning to hurt reading the contents of your diaper bag, it sounds like a survival kit that must weigh 50lbs..ouch! Scott use to leave after mtg while I carried, diaper bag, fat baby, 2 bible cases, Scotts' and mine! Now I walk lopsided.
ReplyDeleteI am going to go ahead and point out that Sheena will smell good while she stabs you with her 'multi-purpose' tool. I love that you carry a small perfume and a multi-purpose tool. Actually those two items are good to have on hand. When you have a baby, who knows when you will shower..viola perfume. And well, you can always use a knife to open stuff.
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