Now that my youngest is 3 years old, the bag I carry when I am out with my kiddos looks very different than it did when my first baby was born almost 8 years ago. As babies age and new ones are added, it makes sense to select items for your mom bag differently. Some things that I carried back then I now find redundant (I’m looking at you, “boogie wipes”) and some things I didn’t have then I now wouldn’t leave home without (tweezers). Here is a list of the things I believe belong in the perfect mom bag for kids of all ages.
- Hand Sanitizer – I prefer the kind from Whole Foods that doesn’t contain alcohol since kids are always digging in my bag and eating inappropriate things. Or is that just my kids?
- Baby wipes, individual hand wipes, kleenex – Now that my kids are bigger, I keep the case of wipes in my car and a few individually packaged wipes in my bag. A travel pack of tissues is a light and often necessary addition as well. When my first was born I vowed never to be more than a 5 minute walk from baby wipes — feel free to hold me to that.
- Grooming kit – a Mini comb, hair ties for me and my girls, nail clippers with attached nail file, chapstick, and listick are must haves in a mom bag.
- A Clutch for your money, phone, and keys – If you keep it all together in one clutch you can grab it out for date night or for running into a store quickly. Sidenote on a product I love, the CM4 Credit Card phone case has been an amazing life saver for a girl who used to professionally leave her wallet at home. Sidenote to the sidenote: if you are a girl who professionally leaves her wallet at home, the Paypal app is amazing and is made for you. Gift cards (starbucks, northpark gold, etc) are also great to throw in just in case!
- First Aid kit – tweezers (cannot count the times these have been used for splinters), band aids, and my essential oils travel kit are all used every week at a minimum.
- Backups or Baby Stuff – Snacks, clothes, undies, a muslin blanket, diapers.
- Pens – colorful pens for taking notes or quieting anxious kiddos in a doctor’s office, tide to go pens for stains, and epi pens; pack the ones you need!
- Entertainment – Headphones for you so that when you get stuck in carpool line you can sneak in a few chapters of that new book on Audible, a small toy for the little(s) for when you get stuck waiting in the doctor’s office. As soon as I empty out the toys, then I inevitably wish I had one. Now I leave them.
- “Behavior modification” tools (read: bribes) – stickers, hot wheels, lollipops, or whatever floats your little one’s boat. Keep these on hand to motivate that good behavior!
- Water, for everyone.
No matter how well you prepare, inevitably you will get stuck somewhere wishing you’d remembered something you’ve forgotten. What have you gotten caught without? What is a waste of space (and weight)? Let me know in the comments below.
