I’ve always preferred to carry a small purse. In fact, for many years I didn’t carry a purse at all. I figure if I’ve got a purse, let alone a big one, I’ll just fill it with crap I don’t really need. So I like to keep it to the essentials.
Well as you know momhood is around the corner for me, and my friends have been teasing me about my purse. “You’ll never get away with that tiny thing as a mom – you’re going to need a big mom purse!” My husband loves to tease me about this as well. He knows how I loathe big purses.
They are probably right, though. My love of small purses isn’t going to cut it. I know mom’s have to carry all kinds of random things in their purse. I remember that my mom sure did. I’m going to need to carry a bigger purse. But here’s the problem – I have no idea what to put in it!
There are endless books and websites out there telling new mom’s how to prepare for an infant’s arrival, including what to put in the all-important diaper bag. But where are the resources for new mom’s of older kids? I don’t even know if there are any. I am going to be a first time mom and there’s no manual for me. Yikes! And to make things worse, at this point I don’t even know for sure how old our child will be. It makes it hard to prepare.
I was visiting my family in California recently and decided this would be a good question to ask my sister Nancy while we were out for dinner. She’s got two kids – 11 and 14 – and I know we’re not going to adopt a child any older than that. So she knows what kids need at different ages. So I told her my dilemma about what to put in a mom purse.
“Well snacks are always important,” she started. “But don’t carry crackers because they crumble and make a mess. I carry things like Luna bars.”
“Cheerios” her husband chimed in. “Little kids like Cheerios.”
“Oh, this is good stuff!” I said, pulling a small pad and pen out of my small purse. “I’d better write this down.”
Before I knew it the whole table was chiming in. Her kids had lots of opinions about it too. I listened with interest and jotted everything down. I was so glad I asked! Who needs a manual when you have sisters with kids? The kids and hubbies have great ideas too!
So do you want to know what they said I should carry in my mom purse? Here’s the list we came up with:
• Snacks (granola bars, Cheerios, fruit snacks)
• Tissues
• Hand sanitizer
• Wet wipes
• Something for the kids to do (small toys like stuffed animals, matchbox cars; crayons & paper)
• Mints (make sure they are sugar-free)
• Comb
• Medications
So let me ask the experts – what do you carry in your mighty mom purse? Do tell!
This entry also posted with the Seattle PI. Copyright © 2008 Susan Metters. All rights reserved.
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In addition to being a writer and aspiring mom, Susan Metters also carries the distinguished title of Cancer Survivor Extraordinaire. Some of her secret ambitions include meeting Dr. Phil, hosting Saturday Night Live, and rising to the top as a rock star. You can read more about Susan’s life adventures by visiting her blog with the Seattle P.I., Lemon Margaritas. If you have ideas, questions, rants, or ramblings feel free to email Susan at susan [at] seattlemomblogs [dot] com.
14 responses so far ↓
1 Carrie // Feb 21, 2008 at 10:55 pm
I carry most of that with a few changes.. I don’t always have wet wipes but I DO always carry water, and I use handkerchiefs instead of tissues, so if you need a wet wipe, a handkerchief dipped in water works
I know your child will be older so I don’t how relevant this will be, but mine is 3 and I still carry a blanket that can double as a sling (or maybe it’s a sling that can double as a blanket) and a cloth diaper, one of the flat kind, which has come in handy for a variety of emergencies. And I keep extra clothes in the car.
2 Moses Lake mom // Feb 22, 2008 at 9:28 am
My daughter is almost 4, and I make sure to always carry a pair of underwear for her in my purse. She rarely has an accident, but when she does, it’s almost always small enough to keep her pants dry.
Instead of crayons, I carry an extra pen around. Drawing with a pen is a treat for some kids. It also takes up less room.
3 Nancy // Feb 22, 2008 at 11:33 am
Wow, I feel famous being mentioned in your blog! I think we mentioned the extra clothes but said you can keep those in each car. I too used to carry the underwear in my purse, put them in a ziploc so they dont get dirty in your purse. Then, the ziploc can hold the soiled undies too! And, when you get your kids you will add to the list yourself based on your own kids needs. The pen is very true and make SURE you have a pen for EACH kid, thats important! Love you, ~N
4 Kathy // Feb 22, 2008 at 11:46 am
Band-Aids are a good item to have.
5 Daring One // Feb 22, 2008 at 1:34 pm
My bag is stuffed with junk. One of the best things I keep with me is a small flashlight. It’s come in handy when the power’s gone out in unexpected places and the kids love playing with it. I carry a small camera EVERYWHERE and use it often. Hand sanatizer, baggies for dirty clothes and childhood goo to go in, bandaids, flip video camera, tissues, fruit leather for a snack because it’s small and flat.
As a mom, you become a master Mary Poppins, fitting the entire contents of your house into a bag no bigger than a small compact car.
6 funambulator // Feb 23, 2008 at 9:34 am
I keep a rubber-banded stack of trivia cards in my purse. It’s good to find some with questions that will challenge adults *and* kids - right now mine are from the Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader board game.
So now, when we’re waiting for a table or our food at a restaurant, waiting to meet someone, waiting at the doctor, etc. I pull out the trivia cards and we have a good time, learn things, and engage each other, instead of him being bored or sticking his head in the Nintendo DS.
7 Carrie // Feb 23, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I don’t know how I’d survive (or my kids) without granola bars.
Those little hand held electronic games come in handy too — juts make sure they aren’t too loud or annoying!
8 twinmommy12345 // Feb 24, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Fingernail clippers and chapstick! Can’t ever not have those two things because the moment you take them out of your purse, that’s when you need them.
9 Susan // Feb 24, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Ladies, you are fabulous! I’m so glad I asked. What great ideas! I will be the most prepared mom on the block.
10 Stacie // Feb 24, 2008 at 9:55 pm
No kids, only cats, but I try and have a very small knife or cutting blade, because if you buy something in the store with that horrible plastic wrap and can’t open it–well, just imagine the frustration, the tears…maybe a very small puzzle (Uncle’s games has some tiny ones that are 100 pieces or less) for entertainment, you could just pop it in a ziploc.
11 Erica (Mom's Journal) // Feb 25, 2008 at 5:32 pm
oh I’m going to be terrible at this…I don’t carry a purse at all. Right now my kid is only five months old so everything kid related goes into the diaper bag. For wet/soiled things I use a Wahmies wet bag. I love trivia card idea. I’ll have to remember that one.
12 Mackenzie's Momma // Feb 25, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Oh, wow, the mom purse. I used to not be a purse carrier either. I have since graduated to a small purse stuffed with all kinds of things. Whatever doesn’t fit in the purse goes in the car. Its much simpler that way.
Way back in january I cleaned out(and than proceeded to refill) my mom purse for the whole blog-o-sphere to see.
13 melissa d. // Feb 29, 2008 at 12:52 pm
my mom purse/ diaper bag #2:
the usual sundry of things plus {most of the time}-diapers, tshirt size 4t, a gameboy advance, ‘be good and i’ll…’ treats, a camera{or two}, wipes, hand sanitizer!, blockbuster on-line dvds, at least 1,000 picture people and huggies coupons, a sippy cup, and a bunch of other MUCH needed clutter
however, with my first-i learned a valuable lesson: NEVER put a bottle in your purse. lid or no lid
someone shoudl do a meme for this topic!
14 Becky // Mar 6, 2008 at 3:55 am
My kids are 9 and 6 and I still keep a “diaper bag” in the car. It has a shirt, pants or shorts, socks (for playplaces), and underwear for each kid. (I keep clothes I don’t love in there because most of the time I’m “lending” them to friends and usually don’t see them again.) Then I also have sunscreen, hand sanitizer, wipes, a stain stick, and snacks (granola bars, peanut butter crackers, juice boxes, and small bottles of water). I also keep a roll of small trash bags in there (the ones that are supposed to go in a dispenser for your diaper bag). They come in handy for everything: wet clothes, party loot, sandy shoes, seat covers, etc. And albuterol for my daughter’s asthma.
Definitely have a first aid kit accessible. I keep children’s tylenol and band-aids in my purse in addition to the kit in my car. In my mom purse, I carry gum. I also carried a toothbrush and paste when my daughter had braces. In busy restaurants we play I spy and I’m going on a trip. When we shop I give them their own list of things to find.
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