You’d think a mom of a 21 year old wouldn’t have a diaper bag wouldn’t you? And I probably wouldn’t except I ordered what I THOUGHT was a tote bag and it turned out to be a diaper bag. Vera Bradley natch, so you KNOW I couldn’t just hide it. No, being bright yellow with little flowers and a plastic liner just screamed “This is a DIAPER bag! USE me!”
So I did. And it’s kind of funny how useful it became. I could carry everything we could, should or would need, everything we might IMAGINE we would need and all those weird things (“Honey, do you have a lighter in there?”) you can’t even imagine you’d ever need.
Kind of like your basic “Let’s Make a Deal” bag, you know?
I mean, how many people actually HAVE a Sackajaweewa quarter and how many actually have it ON them at the precise moment their boyfriend’s mother wants it to complete her state quarter collection?
You guessed it…ME!
So here is a list of what I carry in the diaper bag for my 21 year old son who, while very high functioning, has less regard for his personal hygiene or the memory to remember to bring his batting gloves to baseball practice.
- antiperspirant – and not just ANY kind. No I go for the rad, Right Guard, kills anything germy or gross smelling on contact, gel variety. Believe me, this is a 21 year old’s diaper bag essential. I should mention I also carry same in the glove box and in my purse. Call it self defense. Some people carry pepper spray? I carry Right Guard. Don’t judge me.
- baby wipes – I mean, duh. You know someone is going to spill something on the seat of the car and believe it or not, baby wipes are REALLY good at getting that and other unidentifiable substances out of car upholstery, clothing AND neckties.
- hand sanitizer. This is double or even triple duty. Not only can it make me feel less icky about the possibility that my kid used a public toilet, touched everything in there and didn’t see the sinks on the way out…but, should be come near me and reek of ripe burrito to high heavens, this on a baby wipe will KILL anything and refresh the pits. Then a fresh application of the Right Guard, waiting until it dries, followed by ANOTHER backup application has the back of ANY lengthy cartrip. I also occasionally wonder if it could save ME if I started licking it off my hands but I decided that wasn’t the best idea I ever had. Bring on the baby bottles of wine!
- Clean t-shirt. I found this to be essential after we were on the Ocean City Boardwalk and the scream echoed “I have BIRD POOP on my SHOULDER!!!!!!” Now I am prepared with everything listed above AND a clean t-shirt.
- plastic zip bags. These are extremely useful to organize the diaper bag and to contain those items that might pollute the other things if they get opened – like the Right Guard and hand sanitizer. If you store your baby wipes in one, it can also keep them from turning to paper towels on your trip. They are also good to keep books, snacks, well, just about everything you can think of , in. I also like to keep them arranged by “grab a bag for all your needs” – Right Guard, small zip bag of wipes, small hand sanitizer grouped together. That way I grab for one bag to neutralize a situation (pun fully intended!) instead of scrounging for each item and then shaking the wipes out of their original pack.
- Pens, styluses (styli?), small screwdrivers, nosepads for glasses, screws for glasses, a microfiber glass wipe and crayons (because you never know) all packed into their own bag.
- Contact lens case, glasses, sunglasses, contact solution and drops all in THEIR own bag.
- Sock yarn and knitting needles in a yarn bag – I love these. They are little nylon bags you can store your little project in and even carry around your neck to knit while you walk if you are so coordinated. I’m not but hey, I am a knitting fashionista so while I can’t do it myself…I can look like I can!
- For some reason I carry coins and cash from other countries. Weird but I do. Usually it’s because they are in my other things (like bookmarks in books or just stuck in my wristlet) and I have been too lazy to take them out. But…as you can see from the example above…a Sackajaweewha quarter can make an old lady’s week complete!
- Nail polish and nail polish remover wipes. (Boredom…take that!)
- Nintendo DS and games. Yeah sure, we all have our iPhones and iPods now but occasionally while battery charging or just for a change, someone wants to go old skool and I AM READY!
- Snack crackers, mints and chewing gum. While we don’t eat this stuff every day…wouldn’t you know someone in the car cannot live without it at that VERY MOMENT???
- Eos lip balm. I’ve said it before…I love these. They are cute. That is all.
- Sunscreen. Do I need to say anything else when I have a child with white skin and blond hair? No. But even if you don’t have a child with white skin and blond hair, take it anyway. I get at least 60 SPF. Your mileage may vary.
- Band aids, spray neosporin, and methialate (evil, evil laugh). I thought of all of this this past weekend at the baseball game. The little girl in front of me in the stands fell and scraped her knee. Had I had my SUPER MOMMY diaper bag with me, I could have flown to the rescue with soothing neosporin spray and dapper Hello Kitty bandaids.
Of course there’s a lot more in there. My Buddhist prayer beads, extra earrings that might strike my fancy, tylenol, advil, tissues, packets of paper towels, books I am might be will never be reading, Neutrogena hand lotion and zit lotion, hair brushes, makeup bag (I mean come on…I AM a girl), maybe some essential oil that I smell to keep me from committing some kind of Mommy Homicide – you know, Life on the Streets? But whatever, I make my diaper bag my own and have plenty in there not only to protect but to also serve. I can handle anything from a boy in need of extreme deodorizing all the way to bird poop accidents.
Now tell me, WHAT’S IN YOUR DIAPER BAG???
Look At The Flowers Lizzie 