Beyond the Diaper Bag.

Nate is 2 now and while he is still in diapers, there’s no need for me to haul a diaper bag around with us every where we go.  He’s not having epic blow outs any more so I don’t need to bring a change of clothes and I have no need to bring snacks, drinks, bottles etc any longer unless I’m actually intending on packing a picnic.

But having a two year old doesn’t mean I can leave everything at home.  I still do need some things for looking after my big boy on outings.  Making sure I have room, and organization for these things is a bit of a challenge now that I’m carrying  a purse instead of a diaper bag.

What’s in my Bag?

• Wallet
• Wipes
• Tissues
• Diaper
• Hand Sanitizer
• Keys
• Lint Roller
• Cheque Book
• Note Book
• Phone
• Pens

There’s also a few random seasonal items – sunglasses, gloves, lip balm – those sorts of things.  The key to housing it all in a way where you can grab what you need quickly are pockets.  Individual pockets so you know what is where and things aren’t just in the bottom of your bag in a big jumble.  I keep things I need to access quickly in the outside pockets, especially hand sanitizer and wipes. And other things are kept inside.  Inside pockets are great for items you don’t use as frequently but still want to keep organized.

This is the Caspia bag from Nella Bella and it has 4 outside zipper pockets.  I love that I can compartmentalize my stuff.  Inside that baggie on the right are my wipes.  I need to get at them quickly when Nate has sticky fingers but I no longer need to carry around a huge supply.  The zipper bag lets me bring a bunch and stuff them into this pocket instead of having a hard case take up space on the inside of my bag.  On the left I keep the hand sanitizer and lint roller.  We had so many colds this winter, sanitizer was a must

Inside – I love the unzippered pocket for my phone – makes it easy to reach in and grab. And because all the little stuff is in it’s own pocket, the main area isn’t a jumbled mess.  There’s really only a few things in there and there’s still room for me to add in a book and my sunglasses.

Another thing that helps me stay sane is a zippered wallet that I can chuck into my gym bag so I don’t have to bring my purse to the gym at all.  It’s big enough to store my phone in too.  I keep one side for my most used items – debit card etc. And one side for my must carry around but hardly ever use things – ID, health cards etc.  Gift cards are in the zipper pouch because I never carry change around.  I find storing things according to how often they are used helps me to find things quickly.

Beyond the Diaper Bag

If you’re in the same stage of momhood as I am and you’re ditching your diaper bag for a purse, here are a few things to look for when shopping for your new handbag:

• Lots of pockets both inside and outside
• Zippered and Unzippered areas for securing items or for ease of use
• A bag that can open up wide to see what’s inside easily
• Handles that are large enough to hold multiple ways or to hang over your stroller (if you’re still using one….we’re only using ours maybe 20% of the time now.)
• A zippered wallet is handy for changing bags on the fly.

Happy Shopping and enjoy the freedom from the heavy, messy and inconvenient diaper bags!

Thanks to Nella Bella for providing the Purse and Wallet – All opinions remain my own.