7 Things to Carry in Your Purse After You’ve Ditched the Diaper Bag

You’ve made it past diapers. Woohoo! Now you can carry a purse again. Just don’t forget to pack some mom essentials you’ll need when on the go. Here are seven things to carry in your purse that’ll come in handy nearly every outing.

Hand Sanitizer

It not only works for cleaning hands, but you can use hand sanitizer in other ways, too! If your child gets gummy from stickers or glue, the alcohol in sanitizer helps the adhesive rub right off. Also use it to wipe off marker stains from wherever your kid has them, like elbows and ankles.

Adhesive Bandages

This seems obvious, but if you don’t carry bandages, you’re bound to need one! Don’t rely on a first aid kit at a play place or restaurant as it may be picked over and missing the size bandage you need. It wouldn’t hurt to carry a tiny pump of antibiotic ointment to go with them, too.

Water Bottle

Many public water fountains now have bottle fillers. It’s much more sanitary to use your own drinking bottle than to sip from the spout. Plus, think of all the money you’ll save by not buying bottled water each time your kid says, “I’m thirsty!” Some bottles are made of lightweight material and are even foldable when empty!

Snacks

Of course, they just ate, but they’re hungry again! Kids need lots of fuel and you might not find suitable choices when you’re out and about. Stock a few non-refrigerable items in your purse and you’ll be able to keep on keepin’ on. Think pre-packaged items like real fruit gummies or peanut butter crackers. Or, bag your own snack-sized portions of items you have in the pantry, like whole grain cereal, veggie chips or yogurt-covered raisins.

Hand/Face Wipes

All hail the wipe. What did we do without them? Of course, you don’t need them for wiping bottoms post-diapers. But they’re great for cleaning off a dirty restaurant table or chair, swiping a suspect toilet seat and, especially, wiping little hands and faces after messy meals or pet kisses.

Stain Stick

This clever invention lets you stress less when your kid splatters themselves with spaghetti sauce or mud when they still must look presentable later. They’re great for mom, too, if your clothes become dirty from kid fun while you’re on the go. Shout wipes are great, too.

Sunscreen

Atlanta weather is so unpredictable. It may be cloudy all morning, and then the sun will pop out unexpectedly in full force. Keeping a small sunscreen tube or stick on hand is a smart way to roll with the day’s weather changes.

Pro tip: Keep these items in a smaller pouch or cosmetic bag. That way, when you change purses, the entire set of items can easily travel to your new bag.