I have always been a “bag lady” and tried my best to be prepared for most situations. It gives me a sense of comfort before embarking on trying to watch my older boys while chasing around my 3-year-old that I am somewhat prepared.
I have three boys, the youngest of which is 3. My older two are in sports and my youngest is still potty training. So this bag is somewhere between minimal diaper bag meets sports mom stuff. When he is fully potty trained, I doubt that the bag will go away; some of the items that I carry in it may simply change. In most scenarios, when I am at a practice or a game, I often have at least one other kid with me in addition to the one practicing/playing.
In the front section, I keep the items that I reach for most frequently. A refill for my hand sanitizer, masks (in the black pouch), tissues, gum, Chapstick, and hand sanitizing wipes.
In the second section, I do not have a lot. I try my best not to stuff every section. In this section, I have a sports first aid kit, lotion, a pen, and a toy. If I brought sunglasses and was not wearing them, this is where I would keep them as well. For the first aid kit, I opted to buy a pre-made kit. Although the unit price is usually cheaper to make your own first aid kit, you first have to invest in a lot of excess supplies to put together a first aid kid. I figure that as I go through these items, I will gradually replace them.
Here is what I keep (from top to bottom):
- A compact blanket (in red)
- Suckers and Jolly Ranchers in the bag (they come in handy more than you would think)
- A hard pencil box to store granola bars and other breakable snacks
- A disposable bottle just in case someone forgets a water bottle
- A changing pad
- Assorted emergency items such as a Tide to Go pen, ginger chews, a manicure kit, and Tums.
- I throw my wallet in somewhere in the bag because I am not about to carry a purse and a fairly stuffed bag
- Not pictured, I carry a wet bag, about the size of the pouch pictured, with a few diapers and wipes for my 3-year-old.
If there is a possibility of rain, I carry an umbrella. I always carry a water bottle for myself and all of the kids going with me to the sporting event. I also have some backup headbands and hair ties for myself. I keep them in the pouch pictured at the bottom of my bag where shoes usually go.
I like to keep a lot of my items in pouches so that if I do not need them that day, I can easily take them out. I recommend that if you know that you aren’t going to use an item for that day, you take the item out to make your bag lighter and give you more space. I take the diapers and wipes out anytime my 3-year-old is not with me.
I know that I soon will need to add sunscreen to my bag. What else would you add? When my kids get older, it will be nice to add magazines and books to the bag that I can read during halftime, before games, etc. In addition to this bag, I always bring a foldable wagon to carry enough chairs for my family, our water bottles, and often my bag.
