Simple, Really? My bag weighs as much as a newborn
Tara Burghart Monday, September 20, 2010 at 1:00PM If I were a superheroine, I would likely be Captain Overprepared. Or maybe Superbag-Woman. In the portion of the movie or the comic book where my powers are disclosed, I would open up my magical diaper bag to reveal enough clothing, diapers, wipes, band-aids and sunscreen to care for 10 toddlers for a week. Peek inside the Tara-Mobile, and far from it being a boring, 4-year-old silver sedan, you’d find that it hid enough snacks, sippy cups, umbrellas, toys, books and winter gear to take care of those toddlers – plus their mamas – in a monsoon or a blizzard, or just an expectedly long wait at their favorite restaurant.
Photo by Chiot's Run on Flickr.In real life, however, I’m just the woman with the 7.5-pound diaper bag. Seriously. I just weighed it.
When I joke about this with my friends, they assure me it’s great to be prepared, especially when you’re caring for another small human being.
And yes, I have to admit a wee bit of pride when I can help out a mom whose toddler has just sneezed all over herself by quickly handing her a nice gentle saline wipe (that was at Aurora’s Phillips Park) or lend a friend an extra sunhat for her preschooler on an unexpectedly hot, sunny day. (That was at Morton Arboretum, less than two weeks ago.) And when my daughter got her shoes and socks soaking wet on that same visit to Morton Arboretum, I had another pair of shoes stashed in the car for her to wear to the circus we went to next.
But my tendency to want to be prepared for any situation weighs me down, and not just literally. The red, messenger-style diaper bag certainly isn’t the least bit stylish or feminine, and it makes me feel ungainly with it swinging from my shoulder. When we’re out on an outing, I’ll often leave it clipped to the stroller – and then have to keep looking back to make sure no one is trying to steal my wallet. (As if they could find it under the mound of extra clothes and diapers!) And it means that when my husband and 2-year-old daughter are ready to head out of the house, I’m often rushing upstairs to grab one more backup outfit – maybe one that is more appropriate for the weather or the place we’re going than the one that’s constantly in my diaper bag. (Complete sentences are still enough of a novelty that we get excited when Johanna uses one. That is until she said impatiently, “Let’s go, Mommy!” the other day.)
Just so you know, this habit of being overprepared didn’t just come about once I became a mother. I know much of it has roots in being a journalist – you honestly never knew when news was going to happen, so even when I was off the clock, I always carried a reporter’s notebook, pen and tape recorder in my purse.
And when I was on the clock, I carried a black nylon messenger bag that certainly rivaled my diaper bag – in addition to the aforementioned notebook, pens and tape recorder, it had extra batteries (for the tape recorder), a cereal bar and often some nuts or another snack (in case I got sent to a scene and didn’t get to eat for a long time), a book or magazine, my cell phone, often the office cell phone (in case one of them died), and usually an extra pair of underwear. Yes, just in case I had to unexpectedly stay overnight someplace. You never know, right?
My journalism bag was so packed that my husband would just laugh and shake his head as, every few nights, I would sit on the couch with him and watch TV while “getting my bag ready” – cleaning out the old stuff, restocking it with new stuff.
I do the same with my diaper bag now, although our boring sedan would look a whole lot better if I had a similar routine for “getting the car ready.” Instead, whenever I feel low on sippy cups, I just head to the car and retrieve them from the floor to bring inside to wash. (Luckily my daughter usually drinks water, and not juice or milk, when she’s in her carseat.)
It will be interesting to see what kind of bag or purse I transition to when I don’t need the diaper bag anymore. I went to the Sandwich Antique Fair last summer with my friend and her 6-year-old daughter, and I remember being amazed that all my friend brought was a red wagon for her daughter to ride in and her own purse. No change of clothes? No diapers? No snacks? Wow!
As Johanna gets older, I will assure you that I am getting better. When we take the stroller out for walks in our neighborhood, I often just grab my keys, wallet and a sippy cup for her. OK. The other night, I ran back inside quickly to get sweaters for both of us, too, and yes, they went unused but … I’m working on it, people!
But I wouldn’t be surprised if, even as I’m dropping Johanna off at college 16 years down the line, you’ll find in my purse an extra travel pack of tissues to share with her roomie’s mother.
Reader Comments (7)
GREAT article, Tara!!! I am in the same "bag" as you! I actually got a smaller bag to put in my giant bag for "quick trips". THAT bag can hold a diap, a small package of wipes and my wallet. Ridiculous!
This was amusing! I have a huge bag, too, and I don't even have any kids currently in diapers! I should go find it and weigh it. I carry a big backpack...with tons of compartments. I've always got changes of clothes along for both kids (and still do this for my 5 y.o.; he hasn't had an "accident" in years, but you never know when the weather will change or we'll get rained on or whatever!!). I wasn't a journalist, but I think my overpreparedness is routed in being a firstborn (with four siblings) and helping out with them. Or at least that's what I tell myself! I was the one who would bring extra hats and mittens to football games in high school in case people would forget (and my extras always got used). You are not alone! :)
Tara! It's so good to hear your voice in my head as I read this! Though I'm alarmed to find out there might be a time (ie, motherhood) when I carry even more stuff than I do now. My chiropractor once picked up my purse and, with dismay, warned me not to carry more than 5 pounds around. But the office cell phone weighs at *least* that...
I switched to a backpack-style purse at one point, which helped. It's so liberating when you can finally just carry your purse, with maybe a snack inside! My car always looked like a mobile home when my kids were little with all the extra gear. Now, with baseball, etc, we still carry extra jackets, sometimes socks/shoes, water bottles, sunscreen, snacks, etc. It never ends!
Wonderful post Tara! I can relate to the overpacking. However I sometimes find myself leaning on moms like you. If I know I'm going to be at a playgroup with my nearest and dearest, I often don't bother to check if I have "enough" wipes and such because I know the uberprepared have my back. That might be shameful, but it's true. So thanks!
yeah see I'm the mom that's always under prepared! i need a diaper... oh that's right, it's sitting on the counter at home.
That's the problem with me though. 8 million diapers for D, 0 for G or 8 changes of clothes. No wipes. 5 things of chapstick. No Desitin. Not cool. 20lb bag o' nuthin.