What's in Your Bag?

The Search for the Perfect carryall

My search for the perfect bag started prior to my daughter's birth. Armed with a list of should haves for every new mother's diaper carryall, I went shopping.

In the end I chose cute. One trip to Babies R Us and I came home with a stroller, infant carrier and diaper bag all made of matching fabric. Each piece was not as practical as it was aesthetically pleasing.

Reality hit not long after Barcelona entered the world. Hauling an infant carrier and a diaper bag the size of a large piece of carry-on luggage is not very realistic for a woman with only two arms and hands. True, I needed all the spares – diapers, onesies, outfits, wipes, diaper cream, binkies – but did the bag need to be so dang BIG?

With a baby already in tow I decided it would be easier to embrace my initial selection and not spend any more time looking for or money buying a different diaper bag. After all, it wouldn't need to carry it forever!

But for our first trip with Barcelona, my husband and I dug out the backpack we bought in Europe. It was roomy and hung comfortably over one shoulder, or both, leaving two hands free to push a stroller, change a diaper, or put our baby in her car seat.

For several months we bounced back and forth from the gigantic diaper bag to the not-so-small yet versatile backpack. This worked for us until Barcelona was about 18 months old and our family went to New Orleans together. I knew the city was a lot more urban than what we were used to and I wanted something that could hold everything we needed, but be small enough for easy maneuvering and sightseeing in a crowd.

I found the perfect bag at an Eddie Bauer store. It had just enough room for my wallet, a couple diapers and wipes, as well as built-in compartments for a bottle and my mobile phone. It was worn across the chest, making it also a perfect shelf for my daughter's little bottom when I carried her on my hip.

My Eddie Bauer bag was a mainstay until the arrival of my son more than a year later. My diaper needs quadrupled overnight when Berkeley was born and once again I needed more space for all the newborn paraphernalia. I searched online and found the Un-Diaper bag on sale and bought one. I nearly fainted when it arrived; it was beautiful but cavernous compared to its predecessor – “too much of a good thing,” I thought to myself. The Un-Diaper Baby was returned and a nice mid-size brown with pink trim model, bought at Target, took its place.

There came a time when Barcelona was potty trained and Berkeley no longer went through 10 diapers in a day. I yearned for a purse, a real purse, with little nooks and crannies just right for my lipstick and keys. I found one, but I also found it was not possible to be trendy and still have room for kid essentials like diapers so I graduated to two bags. Like many of my mommy friends there was now the one I carried with me and the one left stocked in the car.

Being a two-bag lady quickly grew tiresome, especially after absolutely no one acknowledge my new, cute Liz Claiborne leather number. I was in a quandary until I decided to hijack a handbag some friends had given my daughter. It was big enough for all the necessities, yet small enough to throw over my shoulder. Barcelona wasn't using it – so why shouldn't I?

For a few months now I have been carrying the beaded Minnie Mouse bag and its capacity to carry all I need never ceases to amaze me. Just the other day I was at a meeting and in need of a pen. I turned to my bag and pulled out a pair of pink leather dance slippers, four large unsharpened kindergarten pencils, a package of sunscreen wipes, a diaper, my husband's mail, my journal, a small bottle of extra-strength Tylenol, and digital camera before finding my check book with a pen tucked inside.

Would you believe this little bag still had enough room for an asthma inhaler, school supply list, hand sanitizer, package of Kleenex, a Pull Up diaper, wipes, a handful of shopping receipts, my wallet, pad of paper, favor bag from a child's birthday party, cellular telephone, eye drops, lipstick, lotion, small emery board and one pair of children's sunglasses? Even more important? The tons of compliments I have gotten since I started carrying it!

Parent Tales Column ~ September 2006