Wednesday, November 28, 2012

What to Bring

As I have talked about often, when I have the day to spend with both of my kids, it is imperative that we get out of our house.  As long as there isn't a major weather situation going on, I pack up my two children and myself for the day and we hit the pavement, choosing to either walk the mile to our train station in our neighborhood or to hop on a bus at the end of our street and ride the two miles to the subway station.  From there, we can go anywhere in the city.

But packing a newly-potty-trained preschooler and an infant for the day without relying on the insta-storage a car trunk provides can be daunting if you haven't done it a lot, so I figured I would share my stroller basket with you all (note - clearly these aren't to scale):


1) Diaper bag with baby essentials - extra clothes, diapers, wipes, bottles, formula - the normal load

2) Potty essentials bag - potty seat, extra plastic bag and and extra set of big-kid clothes

3) Fold up blanket - if the ground is wet, I need a place for the baby to get out of the stroller and roll around without getting soaked


4) Lunch - I use a couple of different bento boxes and pack a lunch just like if I were sending the kids to school, however if we're headed to a museum, I may plan to buy lunch there.

and

   Snacks - Typically I pack Barbara's granola bars (which apparently they don't carry anymore.  Boo.), fruit and some crackers and peanut butter or popcorn


5) Small, thin towel and bathing suit - one never knows when you might happen upon a sprinkler park along the way

6) Toys - I have a few, small inflatable balls that squish down very small, but are lots of fun to play with at our destination.  Usually I bring along a truck or train for the older kid to use.  He likes to have something to do when I can't be interacting with him i.e. if I'm feeding his sister


7) Water bottles for me and the big kid

8) Uppababy Vista stroller with Piggyback ride-on attachment - my Vista has been a workhorse from day one of bringing our oldest home from the hospital as both of our children spent a month sleeping in the bassinets in our bedroom at night.  These days, Ladybug rides in the stroller and Little G uses the ride on attachment.  For the most part he walks, but we live in a really hilly area, so if I want to get somewhere quickly, he hops on his "scooter" and we're good to go.  Combined with all of our things in the basket and my kids, the stroller can top over 90lbs (20lb stroller + ride on, 20lb baby, 40lb child, 10+lbs gear!) and I can still steer the stroller on our bumpy, city sidewalks with one hand.  Plus, the basket is HUGE which is essential for being out all day.  There's no way we could do these adventures without our trusty Vista.

So what do you pack to go out for the day with your kids?

To see some of our recent adventures out and about, click here.

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