Did you know that there’s an official National Checklist Day? Shoot yeah! It’s October 30th to be exact. Did you miss it? Yeah, me too. I need to make a checklist not to miss the checklist day… #momlife anyone?
The temperatures are starting to actually feel like fall (hallelujah) and it’s time to clean up and clean out that diaper bag.
If you’re anything like me you like to be prepared for any and everything possible when out and about with these babies of ours. This diaper bag checklist is mainly geared to moms with toddlers and older siblings.
First and foremost: the bag itself. Honey, get yourself one that makes you happy. Black is my happy color – it matches my strollers, my car, my nails, most of my clothes, sometimes my hair… I’ve had a hot red one before, a grey one, a blue and white pattern one: the good news is if you love it, you’ll use it to smithereens and it’s worth whatever investment you chose to make. Remember, there’s always options for resale and consignment with excellent shops/events in our area and online sites like eBay. For instance, I snagged my Kate Spade, new with tags on ebay for less than half the retail price. I spoke to the mother-to-be who was selling it and she had been gifted two of them and decided to sell one. It arrived spick and span in a dust bag and all. There’s good deals out there and it’s a perk for being great for the environment as well. I do recommend fabric that wears well and that you can wipe down.
You want to consider what sort of bag you need: a traditional side carry or a backpack style. The traditional side carry bags tend to be a bit more able to camouflage as regular hang bags or briefcases if you need to use it for multiple functions in my experience. On the contrary, the back packs are awesome for even weight distribution when caring for multiple kids. See Marki, sprinting across the mall and trying to stay upright. I do recommend looking for one in either style that has the ability to buckle onto a stroller: stroller straps! It’s not just handy for the stroller but for shopping carts as well. I personally will never own another without this feature: game changer!
Okay, now on to the checklist!
- Wallet: If you carry a wallet (and not some cool trendy new key ring or phone card holder) I highly recommend buying something that matches the inside of your bag. Why? If someone is trolling you watching for your wallet it’s more likely to camouflage to the inside of your bag and less likely to be lifted. I believe in doing even the small things to help maintain my personal security. I know as moms we often entrust others around us to help watch our things while we care for our kids and others’ kids even: removing a wallet from sight helps remove the temptation for someone to take it. If you can’t match the inside of your bag or just don’t want to, please consider taking an extra minute to place it toward the bottom of your bags when you can.
- A pencil case for your needs: Okay, in all seriousness there’s hardly anything in my bag that’s my own and what I do need fits into a clear pencil pouch I found at Target. The great thing about the one I have is that you can see all the way around it. It’s rather sturdy and helps make sure nothing crushes. It was also on clearance for around $1.48 once the school clearance event started. If you’re into makeup, a hairbrush, pens, notepad, pencils, perfume, etc. this is where I would put it. I also keep a small pair of scissors – I can’t tell you how many times I have needed scissors to cut a faulty Crystal Lite single pack or just trim a split end while I’m waiting in car line. I just admitted to that… I also have a little survival tool that has a bottle opener, lighter, little emergency knife and nail file. Honestly, I have whipped that little baby out at more birthday parties than I can count for fellow moms needing to light some birthday candles!
- A sturdy case for snacks: No one likes crushed snacks. Can’t you see the crushed Cheez-Its in your mind? Ugh. Do yourself a favor and get something a little sturdy like these awesome sets from Target that have side snap closures as well: it’s harder to get into by small children. You’ll thank me later for those protected, whole snacks. I keep a little something something for myself in here like a peanut butter pouch, Crystal Lite singles or a protein bar and then of course something the kids will like and lasts a bit. This time of year is awesome for single serving sizes of things like pretzels, Cheez-its, crackers, etc (things that don’t melt or age quickly – you don’t want to accidentally leave something perishable in that nice bag of yours!). I always throw in a handful of ziplock bags in case we are out and about and need to divide something super yummy and spur of the moment – popcorn at Target I’m talking to you!
- A (smaller) sturdy case for emergency items. I can’t count the number of times I have had a need for something medicinal for my kids including Neosporin, band-aids, Children’s Benadryl, children’s pain and fever reliever, something for tummy aches and/or motion sickness, (a way to administer those medicines if you need a measured dropper and you’re children are not old enough for chewables), adult pain/fever reliever, sanitary wipes, an adult something for nausea and/or motion sickness, an adult something for allergic reactions if necessary, and I personally keep a spare of anything prescription I may need. (Example: I take a beta blocker for a medical condition and I have a spare in my purse in case I was unexpectedly away from home.) I also keep a post-it list of any current medications I may be taking in case of a medical emergency in here and in my wallet. I also throw a hair tie for me and a few for my girls in here. Clearly you want this container to be as child-proof as possible given the contents.
- A soft pencil case or pouch for diapers and wipes. Some bags may come with one and a matching changing pad (like mine!). My rule of thumb is to have at least two diapers per child applicable. Crap happens. Literally. Seriously, do yourself a favor when you use your wipes and set yourself a reminder when you get home to add extra wipes – “hey Siri!” – do we ever really have enough? I also throw in a used grocery bag to use as a garbage bag. I had one of those nice rolls of garbage bags once upon a time. But now, I’m living the Wal-Mart pickup life and I have grocery bags for days and this is a small part of how I recycle those bags.
- A change of clothes for the little ones. I have multiple children, one of who is consistently car sick. I keep a change of clothes for him in my bag that’s seasonally appropriate and either in the current size or size up just in case. Rather it be too big than too small! See below to see what I do for my older kiddos!
- I keep a safety pin on the inside zipper of my bag in case of emergencies. I have pulled that sucker out more times than I can count! Inside that zippered pouch I have a spare pair of stud earrings (it’s my thing!) and some personal items… if you’re a lady you get my humble drift!
- I throw a hand sanitizer and my car keys in the side pocket and I am good to go! That’s it! When I am at work, I have separate coordinating, easy to grab pouches and portfolios I can grab in a jiffy as needed. I’ll share those another time as well!
If we’re going out for the day, I throw in some juice cups that don’t leak or sweat. I love reusing the Good2Grow juice cups – they fit in the top rack of the dishwasher amazingly and if you lose one it’s no big deal. Not to mention, they’re pretty cute and something I use as a treat for my kids of all ages for a trip through Target with good behavior.
If I’m traveling, I throw in an extra phone cable and a portable charger for good measure. If you’re a mom to younger children you do need to consider things like bottles, bibs and other things of course!
In my car, I keep a small basket that holds just a few items I may need… a few diapers, wipes, a change of clothes for each child, even the older ones! I feel as if I had an emergency that my older children needed new clothes for, we could make it to my car. I hope. These are usually just play clothes that will get us home comfortably. In the basket I also keep a few ziplock bags for snacks or things we need to divide and a used grocery bag or two for collecting garbage. A towel. Someone is going to puke in your car at some point. Sorry. They are. Just having an extra towel has been so great. It can be the ugly towel you got hair dye on or something fun with cats and dogs – up to you! I toss in a bottle of water or two. That’s it unless we are traveling and I add to this for the cooler weather – which I plan to update you on then!
For good measure: I keep a tire gauge in each car in the glove compartment. Totally separate I know, but make sure you have one! And monitor that tire pressure when the temperature changes! I know your car may monitor it for you… but it’s never a bad idea to double check in case your settings are such that it only alerts you if there’s a difference in PSI of 10 of greater and not as a whole set being below recommended PSI. Need to find that information? Look on the inside of your driver’s door.
I know every mom has a different set of needs and items to keep on hand at all times: these are just a few mom hacks that have helped me along away the way and I hope they may help you too!
And a little bit of old wives tale for fun: did you know it’s “bad luck” to put your hand bag on the floor? The tale says you’ll lose all your money. And it’s good luck to always gift a bag or wallet with a dollar bill or coin in it – my grandmother always did that for me! (Bad luck to gift an empty hand bag or wallet.) And for the record, I can’t willingly put my bag on the floor and have been that way for years… like since I read it on AskJeeves in 8th grade. Haha! It also keeps your bag nice and clean so there’s that…
Let me know what other things you like to keep in your bag and any travel tips you have!
Happy Fall Y’all.
Marki
