The toddler bag vs the work bag – Mummascribbles

I have a bit of a problem. I over-pack. For everything.

If I am off out with the toddler, I tend to pack everything but the kitchen sink. I think it stems from the fact that he was a very sicky baby and I had to have all manner of spares with me to get through a quick trip somewhere. The amount of times I found myself without a muslin only to have him spew everywhere…not good. So from that, I always over pack. You should have seen how full the car was on our recent holiday. We are away again in three weeks and I can guarantee it’ll be just as full. It’s a good job we only have the one child right now, if we have another, I really need to re-think my over-packing problem!

I over-pack my handbag as well. Being a working mum, I get to have two sets of bags to use on a regular basis (I blinking love bags!). My work bag is already heavy without having anything in it, so once I start adding diaries, brushes, spare shoes, lunch, it weighs an absolute ton and I start getting a numb arm. Again, not good!

There is always a lot of stuff in my bags that I don’t need. I mean I barely ever wear the lip gloss that has been sitting in there for at least a year, I barely ever write in my diary (I really should because I’m terribly forgetful) and really, Zach does not need two bottles of suntan lotion!

So, what do us mum’s really need in our bags? What are the things that we just cannot live without? I am here to tell you!

Baby wipes
These are a must. Everywhere you will go, you will need wipes. There is not one day in Zach’s two years and nine months on this planet that he has not required a baby wipe (or ten). Whether it’s for snotty noses, food smeared lips, exploding bums or muddy hands, you will forever be reaching into your bag for the wipes. There have been occasions where I have completely failed in packing wipes and they have always been the times when I have needed them most. He once spewed in the car on the way home from my mum’s after my day at work. I had no wipes. I had no tissues. I had nothing. The poor mite had to sit in his car seat covered in vomit for the remainder of the journey and I had to phone ahead to warn the other half to put the bath on as he was going straight in for a dunk! There have been times when I’ve had to pinch wipes from other mummies because I’ve forgotten mine and there was a time when he puked in the supermarket and the other half had to go dashing off to the baby aisle to buy some! Never ever leave the house without wipes!

Spare clothes
Once, in the middle of the woodland burial park that my dad is buried in, Zach fell bum first into a muddy puddle that he’d been splashing in. I didn’t have spare clothes (and the wipes were in the car!).

Safe to say, once we got back to the car he was stripped of his trousers and driven home in his nappy. Thankfully it was a warm day. To play it safe I would suggest packing a pair of joggers, socks, t-shirt and vest if it’s on the chilly side! Although if you have a sicky baby like Zach was, I’d triple that if you are out for the day – and maybe pack spares for yourself too

A dummy
Ok, this is not based on now as Zach hasn’t had a dummy since he turned 2, however there were numerous occasions when I stupidly left the house without one. Bad move people, bad move. If your child has a dummy, do not leave it at home. In fact, just keep a couple in your bag permanently (remembering to sterilise them every now and then!). There was one time that I was made to buy an emergency pack in the supermarket when my wailing baby would not stop wailing and wanted his dummy to help him go to sleep. There was a time when I had to borrow a dummy from a fellow mummy friend. Life is much easier if you simply just have one in your bag!

Nappy bags
Another must. I can guarantee that you will need them and we take them everywhere. There will be times when you are out and there is no bin, no baby change area, nowhere to throw the poo covered nappy that is in your hands. The joy of the nappy bag is that you open it up, pop it in, tie it up and throw it in your bag until a bin has been located. That said, DO NOT FORGET that you have put a poo encrusted nappy in your bag. The daily use of my beautiful Pink Lining Yummy Mummy bag came to an end when I did just this. With two poo filled nappies. The stench was incredible. It has aired out though I think – I refuse to not have that bag in my life, even if it’s just to look at! I mean, once upon a time it looked like this! How could I ever get rid of it?!

Water
I always have a bottle of water packed for Zach. I like to try and get plenty of it down him throughout the day so it’s a must pack. Of course, as with everything else, I have forgotten this on occasion (just not as often as the other stuff!)

Snacks
Always pack food for your hungry growing toddler. We usually have a banana or Satsuma – or less so a Satsuma now since he’s decided he can only eat them like he would an apple, (i.e. an absolutely juicy mess), and I tend to have some kind of crispy business too. Some Organix carrot sticks or bar. I still try and keep him on the healthy straight and narrow where I can!

Keys
I know…a really simple thing that can be so easily forgotten when you are rushing out of the house with a gazillion things and a whinging toddler who doesn’t want to go to nursery! Keys also have a tendency to slip to the bottom of your bag and you will spend 5 minutes in a complete an utter panic thinking you’ve dropped them somewhere (because you remember locking the front door behind you so you must have lost them), before feeling that metal and feeling complete relief. Especially on Tuesday nights when your other half doesn’t come home until 11pm.

Purse
I actually hardly ever use my purse because my debit card is in my phone case to make tapping in and tapping out at tube stations easier. I rarely have cash on me but my purse is beautiful so I get it out to look at (and to get comments on hehe!).

Phone
I’m a blogger. I can’t live without my phone. I genuinely feel like I’ve lost an arm if I leave it at home. Luckily, I have a Bluetooth speaker system in my car which connects automatically. Basically, if I’ve left my phone at home, my car tells me before I’ve made it to the end of the road!

Phone charger
My phone is coming up to the end of the contract which means it is nearly two years old. This means the battery is rubbish and as I abuse it so much on the journey to work, I need to be able to charge it before I leave for home. I realised this when I didn’t have it on me once. My battery drained, I went to go home and the trains were completely messed up and I couldn’t get to nursery in time to pick Zach up. I had to get the other half to call my mum to get her to pick him up for me! All because my phone was nearly dead and I couldn’t do it myself! I always have my charger with me now.

Diary
As mentioned earlier, I hardly write in it but it is gorgeous and I like to think that by having it, I’m organised. Also, if I get it out to actually pop something into it, it makes me feel like I have a busy life! Which I do, it’s just usually mundane busy! Nursery, work, nursery, home etc etc!

Deodorant
I always take this to work. On a warm day, the tubes get hot and sweaty and I need a top up of sweet smell when I get to work! Nothing like feeling fresh and not stinky!

Book
I love to read on the train. It’s the only time I get to do it so I generally always have a book in my bag. The only benefit of commuting is getting to read!

Sunglasses/umbrella
Different times of the year, different things are required in a work bag. At the moment, it’s both of these things because the weather is unpredictable. I have been known to forget my umbrella, the weather changes and I have gotten soaked on the way home. Just a couple of months ago, it rained all the way home. I got soaked between the office and the train station, dried on the train, then got soaked in the few seconds from tube station to overground station, dried again and then got soaked between the train station and car. I looked awful by the time I’d got to nursery!

Wipes
I have learnt over the past couple of years that having wipes to hand is of the utmost importance even when there isn’t a baby or toddler around. Sometimes us mummies fall in puddles and get food round our mouths too. Especially when we sit at our desks chomping on a breakfast of champions!

And there you have it. That is my guide to the absolute essentials that are in both the toddler bag and the work bag. What essentials can you not leave the house without? I’d love to know.

This post has been written as my entry into the Pink Lining Ambassador Search.