My mom says I’m the most carefree in our family. Not in a bad way though, I agree. Of the five of us, I have taken the highest number of risks and I am the last to complain if something doesn’t work out right. Since I lived this way all my life, I never thought anything would change me. I was wrong. Motherhood changed me. A lot!
I travel light; I still believe I do consider all circumstances surrounding being a mother to a very playful toddler but there’s one thing I had to yield to; a baby diaper bag. I fought this idea for a long time even after becoming a mother.
Then, there were two instances I nearly pulled through with my handbag but one day changed everything I felt about choosing a diaper bag over a normal carrier bag.
On a bright summer day, I packed my bag, prepared my baby and took a two-hour road trip with my friends. Every necessity seemed checked before departure and my bag looked quite full but well organized and so we left after a few rounds back and forth checking for anything missing.
Somehow, I needed to unpack every time I thought of an item that I couldn’t trace at a glance, I kept digging to the bottomless pit of my bag and to be honest, it started becoming frustrating even before we left but I maintained my cool.
But! Here’s what made me go shopping for a diaper bag before the next travel.
1. The ability to trace something at a glance: did I mention my baby is very active, with her, things happen very fast. You have to be super quick or you will find her gone, crawling away or rolling amusingly. If I have to dig to the bottom to look for a bib or a sock; spare me the agony, let me use the diaper bag. Those compartments in a diaper bag are such a huge plus because even with the forgetful mothers, somehow you know where to trace an item because the diaper bag pockets are designed with all that detail. And they seem to have remembered every mother’s need when they made them.
2. The best diaper bag has sufficient space: I no longer travel light but I don’t carry the whole wardrobe either. This diaper bag has so much space; you can trust yourself to have enough clothes when you use a diaper bag. It allows you to carry every single item your baby needs. If you tend to forget items, I would advise you to make a list. There’s nothing as frustrating as carrying a full bag only to get to your destination and realize you have too many items you do not need and at the same time lacking essentials.
3. A diaper bag has insulated pockets: to help you keep baby’s puree or milk warm, you need these insulated pockets. I have not seen them in normal carrier bags yet they are very necessary for a mother with young children. You don’t want to feed your baby cold milk. Do you?
4. Spillage protector is a must for me: I found myself wiping milk and wet cereal out of my $365 purse. It was frustrating, to say the least, and I would never want you to take a messy journey with a young one. Everybody deserves a restful journey, so do yourself a favor, get a diaper bag. Diaper bags have a lining to prevent the wet items from damaging your bag or other items, if not, use ziplock bags to carry wet items. They also have a diaper changing pad (very important), outer mesh – elastic pockets; these come in handy for carrying wipes and other frequently used items.
5. You need not worry about comfort: because diaper bags are likely to be heavy, considering all those baby items you need; they are made with an adjustable and comfortable strap, mostly with a shoulder pad. Choose a diaper bag that is so comfortable and trendy, that you can proudly take a walk with.
Now you know why I spared my designer bag the agony. Mothers have hilarious experiences, some have fun and some don’t. It all depends on the choices you make. If you need to choose between your designer handbag and a trendy diaper bag, what would you choose?