I often get asked how long it takes me to get out of the house with all three kids. My short answer; too long. Especially when I am by myself.
I always try to start my day early getting the kids ready hours before we actually have to leave the apartment. This way I am not rushing to get them dressed at the last minute. Once I get them dressed they always have a little bit of down time so that I can get myself ready as well as all of the stuff that they require for a day out.
Living in the city without a car requires me to pack light for our daily adventures. I don’t have much space in our stroller for things for all of the kids, so I have to be smart when I pack. I always bring water for the girls, snacks, diapers for both Avery and Macks, and wipes (lots and lots of wipes.) Most of the time I try to stuff everything in one bag so that I don’t have to carry much, but every once in a while if I know that we are going to be out all day, I bring an extra bag with a bottle and to store the girl’s water.
Although Macks is 99% breastfed, I will bring a bottle for him if for those “just in case moments.” Most of the time it never gets used, but there have been moments that we have been in a car and he gets hungry, so I feed him while he’s in his carseat (I haven’t mastered the standing over the car seat and nursing thing yet.)
You’ve always heard the saying that breastmilk is like liquid gold and I definitely feel that way so I never ever want to waste anything that I pump. When we are out on the go I need to make sure that my milk stays cold so that it won’t go bad. Lately I’ve been carrying his bottle around in the Playtex Insulated Baby Bottle Tote. I love it because it’s small and compact yet has so much room inside to keep his bottle and the girls water.
With the ice packs (which are included,) it keeps the bottle cool for up to 14 hours. I’ve even used it to store my pumped milk bags when I am pumping on-the-go. It can hold so much milk while I am on the go and I never have to worry about it going bag while I am out all day. It love that it has a convenient pouch for extra nipples, or anything else I need to carry with me.
Another great must-have for trips with the kids (especially road trips) is the Playtex Diaper Genie SmartCaddy diaper organizer. On our long car ride from North Carolina a month ago, we had so much stuff in the car for all three kids that it was hard to keep track of everything. With both Avery and Macks in diapers, we had to stop several times so that I could change them. We were pressed on time because we really wanted to make it to Tampa, so I needed to be able to change those diapers quickly. I had no time to dig in my bag to look for the correct size diaper and wipes.
The Diaper Caddy provides a convenient and organized way to store all of baby’s essentials. I use it at home a lot because I change diapers in nearly every room. For our road trip, I just grabbed half of the caddy, filled it with diapers, wipes, and diaper cream and had it sitting in the floor of the car so that I could easily access it when I need to change a diaper. It probably saved me a total of 20 minutes throughout the trip of having to search for all the supplies needed to change their diapers.
The caddy has several pockets on the outside or nearly anything you need for baby during diaper changes. If you need to keep your little one entertained during changes, keep a toy in the pocket to easily access during those changes. It’s an easy and convenient baby product that makes diaper changes go much more smoothly.
Great news! Playtex is giving away a Diaper Genie SmartCaddy and Insulated Bottle Tote for 10 lucky AMITC readers. To enter, fill out the form below:
{Disclosure: I am working with Playtex as a proud member of the Playtex Baby Mom Trust program, a virtual network where moms can find common ground and support each other through sharing stories, tips, product reviews, insights and unique experiences of motherhood. As always, all opinions are my own.}
