Hellobee

After a year of using a diaper bag as a purse when I was with Liam, a separate bag (along with a pump bag) for work, and a small purse for when I went somewhere alone, I have finally streamlined my bag situation now that Liam is a bit older and not in need of so much stuff all the time. You can see my diaper bag post from when Liam was a newborn here.

After Liam turned one and I stopped pumping, I realized that I didn’t need such a big bag to take to work anymore. I also started to notice that I would lug around his big diaper bag every time we went out, but rarely use anything in it. Then, when I went somewhere alone, I would have to take my personal items out of whatever bag they were in (work or diaper) and put them in a smaller purse. I decided it was time to get a new purse that was big enough to carry my work essentials and the few items I needed when running short errands with Liam, but was also stylish enough not to feel like a mom bag for when I was out alone or with my husband or friends.

I bought this bag in black, which is honestly a splurge for me as I usually buy most of my clothing and accessories from Target or Old Navy, but I knew it would get a lot of use, so I justified the price tag. I love how it has smaller handles and a long strap so I can wear it cross body and have my hands free if I need them. It has lots of pockets to store things, but way too many tassles for my taste, so I just removed the unnecessary ones easily by untying them. I keep my personal items in it all the time now, and just add the extra things I need for work or Liam when I need to.

The things I always carry are: zippered wallet, iphone 5 with this cute case, hand sanitizer, tide pen, red (for grading) and black ink pens, travel tissue, advil, mints, chapstick, hand lotion, toothpicks with floss, tampons, and extra hair elastics.

When I go to work, I just need: my personal items, two water bottles (I have a nalgene and a camelbak), my lunch (I use this zippered lunch bag), and any papers I’m grading at the time.

When I go somewhere with Liam and I know I’ll be home in an hour or two, I bring: a disposable diaper, wipes, mini camelbak water bottle, sunblock (we have this one, but there was a post on the boards about sunblock and someone suggested this one, which I just ordered), hat, and a snack.

If I take him somewhere for longer or farther from home, I take his big diaper bag (I started with this one, but the clasp broke and the company generously offered to replace it with a different style when I realized I wanted to be able to use it as a backpack or messenger bag) which is always stocked with: 2-3 cloth diapers, a wet bag, wipes, snacks, a bib, sticky placemats, mini board books, diaper cream, sunblock, hat, sippy cup, shot records (for doctor visits or travel, as it can act as identification), changing mat, nursing cover, onesie (as a change of clothes, just in case), and anything else I might need for that particular trip, like his bathing suit, a blanket, etc.

It has been nice to feel a little more stylish on the go lately and to not have to keep switching bags all the time. I love my new purse and feel like it will hold up to daily use quite well. Of course, things change with each new stage of childhood, so I’m sure the contents of my bag will be much different a year from now!