There are some items we mamis should never leave home without. Personally, I like to have my diaper bag or purse fully stocked at all times. One never knows when both babes will be simultaneously ready to go and I don’t want to be the one holding up the party! I restock my bag on the weekends, replenishing anything that was eaten, spilled, or used up during the week. Here are the 6 musthaves that I make sure are always in my bag.
Diapering Supplies
This is a given, right? If you have a kid or two in diapers, you need to have diapers, wipes, and a changing pad. If you’re beyond diapering, you may need some potty training supplies like a portable potty seat attachment. Regardless, if you have children of pretty much any age, you always need wipes. Always.
Makeup Bag
In your make-up bag, you’ll need (at a minimum) lip gloss of some kind, sunscreen, a hair tie, and a Band-Aid. If you like to have a compact and mascara on hand, more power to you!
Tiny Toys
You don’t want to bring your daughter’s stuffed animal collection, but you’ll need a variety of toys in your bag to entertain most kids. There’s nothing worse than being stuck at the DMV with nothing for your child to do except run around in circles, screaming. So, I always have a tiny box of crayons (swiped from a restaurant), a notepad, a tiny container of Play-Doh, and a Matchbox car. For an infant, a little rattle will do just fine.
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Simple Snacks
Remember that time you were stuck in traffic for an hour with nothing to entertain your kid? And you were both starving? Yeah, it happens. I always, always have at least two granola bars and two lollipops in my bag. This way, even if I forget to grab snacks before we head out the door, I’m not completely at a loss if we’re stuck somewhere and we’re both getting low blood sugar. If I have a moment, I’ll pack a couple of apples in the morning and, if I have the money, I’ll have some pouch food (like applesauce in a pouch) on hand too.
Plastic Bags
Spills, accidents, and an unexpected trip to the splash park are going to happen when you have kids. You know how the plastic grocery bags aren’t recyclable? Well, I recycle them over and over again. I make sure to always have at least three plastic grocery sacks rolled up small in the bottom of my bag. You never know when you’re going to need one to bag up damp clothes, muddy shoes, or your snack trash.
Hidden Cash
Picture this, I’ve managed to grocery shop with my two little girls in tow (amazing, I know). Then the cashier tells me my total and I reach for my wallet and…it’s not there, or worse, it’s there with nothing in it. It’s happened. Twice. My toddler is a little wallet ninja and I know she’s not alone. Kids want what they’re not supposed to have so sneaking off with mommy’s wallet is just one of the things that my daughter finds amusing. So that I’m not stuck with a cart full of groceries and no way to pay for them, I have a secret stash of cash in my bag! It’s in my glasses case for now since that’s too hard for Emma to open. I know I’ll have to find a new place for it sooner or later. But, for the time being, it works.
So there you have it! Did I miss any essentials? What’s in your bag?
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