Tuesday, February 16, 2010

My Clutch Carrier

There were, and let's face it, still ARE, many mysteries about being a mother that I just couldn't comprehend prior to having Little G. One of those, was how to know what to pack in a diaper bag. I will admit that in those first few weeks, I had no clue what I was doing and usually ended up needing something that I hadn't packed. But we got into a groove and I finally figured out what worked for us.

One thing I HIGHLY recommend is to hold of on purchasing a diaper bag until AFTER you have gone out somewhere with your child. I would even venture to say, wait until you have gone out on multiple trips to multiple events so that you don't end up purchasing a bag prior to having a baby that ends up not serving it's main function which is to make your life easier. No matter how cute the bag is, no matter how trendy, no matter how on-sale it is right. now. Don't get a bag until you have your kid.

That said...here is the bag that I currently have and LOVE.

It is the Skip*Hop City Chic bag in black. Honestly, I don't love the pattern. I would prefer it be just plain black. No pattern. But what it lacks in my personal style, it makes up for in function.


Namely, there is a small clutch that attaches to the *outside* of the bag. This was key for me because I needed a way to have my wallet, keys, cellphone, chap-stick and business cards all in once place so that if I wanted to go out of the house without the diaper bag, I could quickly grab those things without having to fish them out. Prior to finding this bag, I figured I would just toss those things into a small pouch and store them IN the diaper bag. But that took up valuable space. So when I found this bag that had a clutch that attached TO the bag, I knew it was the one for me.



The inside has lots of spacious pockets and the outside has a sleeve for a changing mat and wipes as well as two deep pockets for bottles that I actually use for easy access to my sunglasses and cell phone.

So what do I put in this thing (which isn't as hulking of a bag as it looks...I must be at least twice the size of the model).

Here's a list of what I carry with me in the bag on most days:
  • Bottle with water
  • Container with formula and a snack for mommy (more on this awesome product later)
  • Burp cloth and an extra bib
  • gDiaper outer and three liners
  • Snack ball for Little G
  • Sophie the Giraffe
  • Extra outfit and socks
  • Diaper pouch to put soiled diapers or clothes in
  • Gas drops
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Pacifier wipes (which are great for wiping off everything that has any possibility of ending up in Little G's mouth)
  • His booklet from the Dr with all of his inoculation information
  • Changing pad, wipes, diaper cream and face cream
  • Outer clutch with wallet, chap-stick, business cards, cuticle cream, etc.

Sometimes I add a blanket in depending on where we are headed and maybe another bottle and some solid food if we are headed out for longer than one feeding. But for the most part, that's the diaper bag inventory.

So there you go...my recommendation for 1) waiting to purchase your bag until after you know more about how you will need to use it and 2) a great bag with an awesome solution to the my-purse-takes-up-all-the-space-in-my-diaper-bag problem.

2 comments:

  1. Oh, the jealousy. I love SkipHop bags. But we went the easy route and just carry the freebie the formula companies foisted on us at the hospital. (Yeah, I'm not exactly the fashionista of our local yuppie playground....)

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  2. I've been looking at SkipHop bags - thanks for the rec! I also like your idea of waiting till baby comes... but I'm not sure if I'll be able to hold out! :)

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