Diaper Bag Doldrums

Today happens to be my son's 12th birthday. For days now, I have been frantically running errands in preparation for the big milestone today and the subsequent birthday party on Saturday. Naturally, my running around meant toting baby along with me.

We have been out all day for a couple of days in a row and I gotta say that she did really well, but the diaper bag did not. I must admit that this particular diaper bag has been getting me down. On the upside, it does have several features that I appreciate: I love the colors (grey with pink polka dot interior), sturdy handle so I can hang it on the stroller, lots of pockets with easy access, and, my favorite one, is that it feels like suede. On the down side, the flap was not made long enough, so you can fill the bag but you can't secure the flap over the top, so things spill out all the time. (You can see where this is going.) Considering it is a nicely made Carter's bag, I assumed that I would be able to fill it with the needed amount of items for an outing and be able to close the bag! I was sorely mistaken.

While out and about I made a necessary stop at our local Babies R Us. After the baby and I enjoyed our little detour, and purchased at least one fun toy for her, we headed out. As we made our way through the door a big gust of wind hit us and so I leaned down to check the diaper bag to make sure everything was there. All clear. (After wrestling with the bag I had managed to get one snap shut, which had thankfully held things inside!) Next, I looked a little further to make sure that the diaper changing mat was still in the basket of the stroller. Gone. We had used it at an earlier stop and I had wiped it down. Since it was damp, I did not want to stuff it into the side of the diaper bag until it dried. Later I just left it in the stroller because I wasn't up to battling with the diaper bag to get it into the pocket securely. A decision I'm regretting now. I retraced my steps, checked with customer service, left my number and even slowly combed the parking lot in my car like I was casing the joint just in case it had blown away. Nothing was found...except a lot of trash blowing around!

Fortunately, I have an old diaper changing mat that must be, oh, about 12 years old now, so I'll give that a try. It doesn't quite fit in the pocket, so it hangs out a little precariously, but it is much heavier so it may not blow away, fall out of the diaper bag or easily jump out of the stroller basket. It's blue and white, so it's clashing color statement reminds me that it doesn't belong with my diaper bag. If only the flap would close, then the side pocket would hold the mat better and I would still have my cute pink and grey polka dotted mat.

You're probably wondering why I don't just go out, find something that will properly carry all the baby gear and replace this diaper bag. It's the only one I could find that felt like suede. . .sigh. I can't handle the feel of certain materials, so I shop for a diaper bag like a do for a purse. I only buy it if I can stick my hand inside or scratch the exterior without my blood running cold, akin to how others feel with fingernails on a chalkboard (if you're my age you might actually know what a chalkboard is - I don't think white boards drive anyone crazy!)

So I will continue to pet any diaper bag I find to see if it will meet my standards and of course, I'll be sure to check if it will keep all the necessities safe inside with room to spare! If you have any suggestions of bags that may meet my crazy criteria, please let me know so I can get out of these diaper bag doldrums!