{My diaper bag}

Ahhh… the infamous diaper bag. I don’t know about you, but I feel like I’m constantly struggling to get this right. I had just perfected “What’s in my bag” … and then Mini Michelangelo grew up enough for me not to need to lug one around. So I started carrying a camera bag instead, with a few supplies for Mini thrown in. Then, Pint-Sized Picasso joined our family… and flipped it all upside down again! So now I find myself carrying a bag that acts as purse, diaper bag, and camera bag. It’s taken a couple of months of tweaking… but I think I’ve finally got everything I need, and then some.

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I started researching bags well before we had a referral. I’d pay more attention to those mentioned here, and would always ask about ones that I noticed while out and about. Prior to Pint-Sized joining us, I’d been carrying a Ketti bag for years. I adored them. But I knew that it wasn’t big enough for me, my camera and all the stuff a five-year-old and almost two-year-old need. So, I kept my eyes and ears open for potential bag options. And then, Mrs. Wagon posted here about the Danzo Hobo bag. I wasn’t ready to commit. But when the Danzo San Ysidro Hobo bag popped up on a flash sale site… I was a goner. It looked like a purse, but would definitely have all the space I needed. It came in a gorgeous green color. (It also came in a pretty orange… but I felt that it might clash with my orange jacket.) It was on a deep discount, I had a site promo code for extra savings, and I could use ebates. My search was over. I honestly had some buyer’s remorse initially. I thought, “it’s too big!” I thought, “it’s too heavy!” I even thought, “it’s too much for me!” But… I’m over all that now. It’s literally just the right size to house everything I need comfortably. It’s not all that heavy when you use the cross body strap. And, it’s definitely not too much for me to manage on a daily basis. While I definitely look forward to the days where I don’t need a huge bag anymore, I don’t think I’ll need any other bag besides this until then.

{A peek inside}

I had the bag taken care of. Then it came time to figure out what I needed to carry in the bag. This was a lot more trial and error than I’d like to admit… but here’s what a mama-razzi to two, who freelances, has in her bag:

{Yes! It fits all that! And has oodles of room to spare.}

The best part about this bag, which Mrs. Wagon highlights beautifully, is that the inside has plastic pockets that you can customize. So the majority of “my stuff” is locked up in those easy to identify, and easy to access pockets. The larger items go into the main cavity, and the high-use items such as sunglasses, wallet, and cell phone all go into one of the outer pockets. So what’s in there?

1. My “big girl” camera, with a 50mm lens attached. I also always seem to have  spare lens on hand… I use the bottle holder as its “case.” Sometimes I want to have even more lenses and they fit with ease… even in their carrying cases.

2. Camera supplies. I was a photographer before I was a mama, so I’m sure that these are not in every mama’s bag, but they are so useful when you’ve got kids in tow! (Who may have sticky fingers, or who may ask you to take them to that sandy playground.) Shown above are my “musts” of Giotto’s Rocket Air Blaster, Nikon Lens Pen, Promaster Lens cleaning cloth (I’m a little bit obsessive about a clean lens/camera. We go to a lot of “not camera” friendly places, so I like to be prepared.), Nikon remote shutter release,  spare SD cards, as well as a few USB drives.

3. Emergency supplies. You’ll see that I have a “boo boo bag” as well a mini toiletry kit that holds feminine supplies, eye drops, nail file, and tweezers. I also have a plethora of lip balms as well as my lip gloss that I’ve talked about in this post.

4. Gum & Candy. For me, not them. Although… the two lollipops are for them, not me. (Lollipops work miracles in this house.) You’ll also see a bunch of cough drops and ginger chews. I probably don’t need that many in there, but I throw a handful in when I’m thinking about it and don’t worry about it again for months. And I always need a pack of gum with me. Or three.

5. Pens and a Notebook. Maybe it’s the creative in me, or the organizer. But I get twitchy if I don’t have writing/sketching supplies. I need to have one spot to jot down “to-do” items, or an idea on a work project.

6. The essentials… My wallet, and my sunglasses, tissues, and a nail file. These live on the outside pocket as I mentioned above, but can fit on the inside as well. That’s helpful when we are somewhere that requires a map or passes to be in the outside pocket. (Hiking trail, museum, whatever.)

7. Pint-Sized Picasso’s supplies. These include a changing mat, diapers, wipes, aquaphor for all those little boo-boos that don’t require the boo-boo kit above, and boogie wipes. I also have a packet of wipes in there for Mini-Michelangelo, who needs them more for dirt remediation than anything else. You’ll also see I always have a couple of plastic grocery store bags in there. (lower left corner) They are great for wet clothes, dirty diapers, or even just cleaning up wrappers from snacks if there is no garbage in sight.

8. Keys. I think one of my all-time favorite features of this bag is the pocket devoted to keys. I’m always misplacing my keys (usually by putting them somewhere really “smart”) so this has been such a game-changer for me. The downside is that Mini also knows exactly where to find my keys too. There’s enough room in the pocket for me to also store my ring of royalty cards and an extra bottle of hand sanitizer.

9. My phone. The one thing every friend has asked upon seeing my bag is, “Where is the pocket for the phone?!” Which is funny to me since my phone is usually in my pants pocket… or the counter. But if it’s not, it’s in the outside pocket where I can grab it easily. (Full disclosure: That is Mr. Paintbrush’s phone. I was using mine to take the pictures!)

{Not pictured, but usually in there… a change of clothes for Pint-Sized, and usually a spare shirt for Mini. I also have several snack options tucked in one of the outer pockets or on top in the main compartment.}

{Just for giggles… Pint-Sized woke up while I was doing this, and was overjoyed to find the candy on the floor.}

What are your “must-have” items in your bag? Do you carry a behemoth like I do, or do you have a small and streamlined bag? I’m already on the hunt for what’s next (after we no longer need diapers), so please share let me know of anything you love that can hold all of the above!