The Dreaded Diaper Bag

I think it’s time for me to retire LLC’s diaper bag / baby bag / whatever you want to call it.

Is there a curse women are particularly susceptible to around overloading bags? I must admit I’ve often referred to my work handbag as a Mary Poppins bag as it seems to magically expand to accommodate my wallet, keys, phone, book, makeup pouch, lunch, shoes, etc....but my diaper bag takes the Mary Poppins bag concept to a whole new level!

Since giving birth I’ve been toting around a monstrosity of some sort filled with diapers, wipes, a changing mat, a muslin cloth, a change of clothes, sometimes a bottle, now a cup & LLC snacks, some toys, some diaper cream, plus my own array of most of the bits from my work handbag.

I started with a Bababing bag that we thought would suit Chris too (which I used through last summer but found horribly heavy, even without all of the above in it), then traded that in for a lighter weight, non-baby bag satchel that I retired at Christmas because I was wearing it out by stuffing it full and now I’m back to a Skip Hop diaper bag purchased in NY.

It is very handy having everything in one place and I still obviously need to have diapers and wipes to hand for LLC, but her days of needing outfit changes or frequent muslin wipes are now behind us. Yet still I carry this big bag, which I seem to fill to the brim and that regularly weighs me down!

I’m ready for a cute, lightweight, summery bag that I can pop LLC and my bits into as needed. One that doesn't scream baby bag!  I preferably need something that zips. Can anyone offer suggestions? How long did you haul around a diaper bag? Or did you opt out of one altogether?

For me there was definite benefit to having a roomy and durable bag when LLC was smaller but I’m now asking myself why I haven’t changed bags sooner. Particularly as I have a small food bag and portable changing mat with wipes/diapers that I can easily pop in LLC’s stroller basket or my car. 

Diaper bags are yet another “hot ticket item” for new moms and many cost and arm and a leg. They have lots of intriguing pouches, now often a special one for dirty diapers and are easy to wipe and clean.  But do we really want to encourage ourselves to haul so much crap around?  And isn’t their shelf life relatively short as baby grows to toddler?

What have you found, fellow moms/mums/dads?

Misplaced fantasy…?

No, not THAT kind of fantasy, stay with me…sorry to disappoint. This fantasy was merely one of those stories that you make up in your head about people that you come across in day to day life. You must know what I mean. Someone strikes you and you put them into creative context in your head. You think up a little back story about them. For me, this is particularly fun for people I see day in day out, like fellow commuters. You can really get their vibe, and you can really think of some fun back stories.

There’s this one woman that used to always board the train with me every morning. I see less of her now working part-time, but I still see her. She’s professionally dressed but always with a bulky backpack and fluffy hat in the winter. She’s stern looking, and never cracks a smile. She’s the epitome of the commuter on autopilot who will run you down to get on the train and not give you second glance as she crushes your toes.

To me this woman screams all work, no play. She’s determined but has no softer side in sight. She probably works late hours and eats in the office. I doubt that she’s married, or that she even socializes much because of the strong standoffish air she exudes. I’m certain she’s successful, because she seems determined, but determined in the sense she puts her head down and does her thing, railroading her way to success as she does to get on the train.

But that’s just judgmental me. I know nothing about this woman; this is all just my little fantasy.

Then the other day, I saw said woman leaving a house with three relatively small children. They kind of look like her, in fact, wait a minute, it looks like they might be hers. She looks stern and un-amused as ever, but unless she’s aunt on babysitting patrol, I think this woman is their mum.

And that really surprised me, and brought me back to reality. I’m sure now that I’m in the “mom club” I find myself guessing who else is too. That lady that moved aside to make it easier for me to navigate the corridor with LLC’s pushchair – a mum. The woman that gave me a knowing smile as LLC chattered loudly on the train – likely to be a mum.

It’s like I think I have mom-dar when I don’t really know anything about these people. Is this really strange, or do you find yourself doing this too?

Back to my unlikely mum, my instincts do seem to have been correct in that she doesn’t come off as a jolly mum, even with her brood in tow. Chris and I have discussed her before and I got the following text message from him yesterday:

“Just saw that crone woman who pushes past people. She was with her family. Her poor kids were being moaned at by her!”

And that’s why Chris and I are married.