How many moms find it stressful to step out of the house with their tiny tots especially for long hours. The fear of packing those heavy, oversized baby bags or diaper bags as they’re rightly called is a turning point for me where I actually feel I’m better off at home where I have access to anything and everything that my baby might need as opposed to bringing my whole house with me wherever I go.
Not only do these heavy bags lead to painful shoulders, arms and back – I feel that the bag is a maze in itself as it’s loaded with so many unnecessary items that sometimes it’s a task to find or remove one important item from the bag. Alternatively I’m always wasting more time trying to find items – ultimately feeling overwhelmed and irritated because I’m constantly packing and unpacking. Like most of us I’m also learning on the job, however I’m still trying to master the art of a perfectly packed diaper bag filled with just the essentials or the items which are truly the need of the hour.
Here are some tips that will help you all to travel light and enjoy outings with your babies as opposed to being harrowed with those oversized bags.
1) Diapers & wet wipes – Carry a min of 2 diapers and no more. One diaper lasts for 4 hours so you won’t need more than 2 even if you’re out for more than 8 hours. Additionally if your child poops then you have 1 extra so max 3 diapers are enough and you don’t need more than that. Also, carry tiny or mini packs of wet wipes as you can use and throw so you have 1 item less to unpack when you return.
2) Meals – Many mommies stress about food and land up carrying 4 to 5 portions plus milk thinking their baby is only going to eat and drink when outdoors. Pack wisely – ensure you feed them just before leaving the house so that’s automatically one meal less to carry. I think 1 meal plus 1 snack or Milk is ideal for babies when outdoors and you don’t need 1,000 tiny meals in that big baby bag.
3) Change of clothes – 1 pair is more than enough if you’re stepping out for a few hours. Unless your child has a vomiting problem or is feeling unwell then maybe 2 pairs of clothes. Onesies are the best to carry when travelling – lightweight and easy.
4) Bibs and napkins – Disposables are the way to go when stepping out with tiny tots. It’s best to carry pocket tissues (not more than 1 packet) and a disposable bib if possible. You’ll see the items magically disappear from your bag when you’re done using them 🙂
5) Toys– After 2 kids I’ve realised it’s useless to carry toys when you’re heading out as babies seldom play with it. They’re more interested rather than curious to play and touch the other items around (cutlery, napkins or water bottles in restaurants for eg) or enjoy the view / scenery when you’re doing long walks with the stroller. Toys get messy and dirty when you take them out as the baby enjoys throwing them around, so that’s added work for you when you get home as you’ve now also got to clean the toys before your baby starts playing with it again.
Travel light when stepping outdoors and ensure you pack only the essentials. Analyse and look at each item and say to yourself (yes or no) and then pack, don’t pack any item if you think your baby may need it, just pack what you know your baby needs and the bags won’t be heavy anymore 🙂