Does anyone use a big purse instead of a diaper bag?

[DrSally]

I use my LL bean touring bag as a purse/diaper bag. It has a side pocket for a water bottle and tons of pockets. They sell the exact same bag with a changing pad for more $$, so technically it is a diaper bag I guess. It's pretty big for a purse, and I've been trying to change over to a nicer purse for myself, but it's hard to let go of the big LL bean bag for running out of the house with everything in it. My compromise has been to put a few things in a nicer purse when I go out by myself.

[vonfirmath]

i've never needed full diaper bag in store anyway. when we go for long outings we just dump the diaper bag backpack in the basket of the vista, and i carry my own purse.

You are way lucky. It seemed that every time I decided I no longer needed to take my diaper bag into the stre, my son would have a blowout. And I'd be stuck in a bathroom with no paper towels trying to clean him up, with no diapers, no extra clothes, etc.

[Beth24]

You are way lucky. It seemed that every time I decided I no longer needed to take my diaper bag into the stre, my son would have a blowout. And I'd be stuck in a bathroom with no paper towels trying to clean him up, with no diapers, no extra clothes, etc.

LOL. I had the same experience...the only time we had blow outs was when I didn't have my diaper bag!

[salsah]

You are way lucky. It seemed that every time I decided I no longer needed to take my diaper bag into the stre, my son would have a blowout. And I'd be stuck in a bathroom with no paper towels trying to clean him up, with no diapers, no extra clothes, etc.

why not go out to the car?

[abh5e8]

good ques salsah! i just use a purse. sometimes its a bigger vera bag, but right now its just a vera tote. plenty of room for my phone, wallet, keys, pens, gum, etc plus a couple of diapers, wipes and an extra onsie or two. if its a big all day trip to the zoo or something i pack a bigger bag but for daily stuff i've never needed one. with every baby i keep thinking, this time i will get an awesome, beautiful diaper bag...but i just never do. and i havn't missed it.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

why not go out to the car?

this is my backup-plan. if ds ever poops or whatnot while i'm out shopping with him, i figure i can just go out to the van, where i have my diaper bag that contains changing pad, diapers, wipes, change of clothes, etc. imo much easier than trying to deal with changing my DS in a random public restroom.

[mnosky1]

I do - I just sized up a little in my coach purse. I have a 2 and 7 year old. For a day at the children's museum with DD2 (no stroller), I add a dipes and wipes and throw-a-away bib and maybe point and shoot camera to my purse. We never went the sippy cup route (we did straws) so I never carry a sippy, if we're thirsty we just stop and get a drink form the cafe. I try and carry a straw in my purse so she can drink from a water bottle without a mess.

Anyway, I was really liking not taking a diaper bag and then she got potty trained so I am sometimes back to taking a bag for the change of clothes -but sometimes I leave it in the car and go with nothing. I do take a diaper bag to church just so she has her own bag of books and stuff and isn't getting into my purse.

For a longer trip, like the zoo, we usually take a crocs sling shoulder bag (DH can carry or it can go in stroller) and this has my purse stuff plus everyone's little items, camera, wipes, wallets, sunblock etc. - it's mostly my purse stuff

Michelle

[indigo99]

I do about half the time. I was never into carrying a purse so it's mostly just full of DS's things. I have a funtainer that I just throw in with everything else so I don't need a bottle pocket.

[TwinFoxes]

I stopped carrying the diaper bag before the girls turned one. It was too cumbersome. I just put diapers and wipes in the stroller pockets or my regular purse. I'm not one of those "I'd better take everything just in case" sorts of people though. Also agree w/PP, I kept extra stuff in my car.

[ang79]

I picked up one of these Pish Posh Carryalls from a daily deal site a last week, just got it in the mail and am eager to test it out in some of my larger purses. It is lightweight and not very structured (doesn't stand up on its own), but has a ton of pockets inside and out to hold all sorts of things. I also like how the inside material is water resistant if I carry sippies in the two elastic pockets inside the bag (as I'm fearful of carrying water sippies in my nice leather bags!). My plan is to keep all kid related stuff (dipes/wipes, snacks, spare clothes, tissues, hand sanitizer, wet ones wipes, crayons and paper, etc.) in this organizer bag, and that will make it easier to transfer from one bag to another (I like to switch out my bags frequently depending on my outfit, mood, or the activity), and all the pockets will also make it much easier to organize my big purses (that usually only have a small zip pocket and two small slip pockets).

I'm frugal and would not pay $45 for one of these, but ecobabybuys had them for half price so I thought it was worth a shot!

http://pishposhmommy.com/carry-alls/pull-string.html