I remember being around 4 months pregnant, excitedly browsing the nursery section of a department store on the hunt for my very own ‘baby bag’. I was taken aback by the mish-mash of canvas, pink cupcakes and polka-dots. It seemed ‘baby bags’ were, you could say, “cute?”. I wasn’t ready to give up on style that quickly. It was then I decided I would find something that wasn’t built for the sole purpose of lugging around baby gear.
I ended up buying a big Navy designer travel bag. OK, so it was HUGE, but it matched our Parrot Blue Joolz Day so perfectly and was about as far away from the pink polka-dots as I could get.
So along comes Ollie, my tiny sweet little poop-machine. I soon realised, whilst desperately rummaging around in the black hole of handbags, faced with an explosive nappy situation, that I had failed.
I was going to need a proper baby bag after all. It was then that I found Pacapod. GAME CHANGING!
Ollie and I are out and about all the time, and this new bag has helped to make life a lot easier and more organised. I thought I’d share with other mamas why I love it so much and what I carry to make sure we’re ready for anything.
Pacapod is owned and designed by a mum of two, and you can tell. She’s thought of EVERYTHING!
What’s even better is that there is nothing ‘baby’ about the exterior so you’re able to find a bag that matches your shoes not your babe’s PJ’s. I went for the Mirano in Tan (I obviously have some kind of addiction to tan leather).
The Mirano isn’t actually leather, but could pass for it at a glance. This means it’s light and durable but it still looks smart. I think it’s really reasonably priced at £99.
My favourite thing about this bag is that it’s split into two sections. Ollie has his own ‘baby’ compartment with it’s own zip, and I have my ‘handbag’compartment…just like the old days!! :-)
So first, let’s cover what’s in Ollie’s section: The main feature of Pacapod bags is that they come complete with two individual pods. A ‘changer pod’ and a ‘feeding pod’.
The feeding pod is insulated so keeps things hot/cold. As I’m nursing Ollie, I’m not not using this pod yet, so I’ve removed it until weaning time (which I can’t wait for by the way!! :-)).
I love the changer pod as it has loads of compartments so you feel super organised. You just unzip and everything is to hand. Colin will just attach this pod directly to the pram when he’s taking Ollie out as he doesn't need the rest of the bag.
In the changer pod I have:
Nappies and nappy bags
Water Wipes – We’ve used these for outings from birth. They’re really large and wetter than your average wipes. 99.9% water so extremely gentle for babies delicate skin.
Burts Bees Nappy Balm – Ollie has never had nappy rash but if things are looking slightly red, I’ll pop a bit of balm on to keep any rashes away. A friend recommended this one. It smells lovely, is totally natural and small enough to carry around.
Milton hand steriliser – because sometimes you find yourself nappy changing in the middle of a field! :-/
Nursing cover – After about 3/4weeks of wearing nursing-friendly shirts and baggy tops, I was bored. I wanted to wear all my t-shirts and jumpers that I’d missed wearing during pregnancy, but I was nervous about exposing my postnatal tummy or even a little too much boob. Then I found Milkscarfs. They’re made of inconspicuous Jersey fabric in loads of colours. I went for mink to go with anything. They’re really big and cover you well so you feel confident lifting your top to nurse. There’s even a semi-rigid neckline so you can see what you’re doing and keep both hands on your babe. It’s been a life saver on many occasions!
The bag comes with a nice soft changing mat folded into a side pocket.
I then keep a change of clothes for Ollie and a spare top for me in the little draw string bag thats provided.
Then it’s my section. This is basically the usual contents of my handbag…with a few extras!
Make-up – I have a thing for Longchamp and their brown leather details. I stuff my makeup bag with all the essential top-up products.
Bobbi Brown Corrector/concealer
Bobbi Brown Pressed Powder
Bobbi Brown Lipstick in Tulle
Bobbi Brown Gloss in White
Jo Malone Fragrance 30ml – I love them all so this changes all the time!!
Optex Brightening Eye-drops
Mulberry Purse
iPhone/iPad in Mulberry cases
Baby Essentials
Keys
Moleskin Diary – I need to write things down as they pop into my head, particularly these days. I couldn’t be without my little black book to keep me organised.
Camera – I REALLY love my LUMIX Gf6. I have an SLR, that rarely makes it out of the bag to be honest (that’s a New Years resolution for me!) but this little camera is a beauty. It’s not the newest model so you can get a good deal on it, but it’s stood the test of time. There’s loads of great features like the flip screen for selfies, touch focus (like an iPhone), a great zoom and changeable lenses.
My Waitrose Refillable Coffee Cup - I’m not afraid to say I spend way too much time and money wandering around Waitrose. I justify my splurging with a free coffee on my way out of the door! Hey, it’s cheaper than Starbucks!! 😉
While I said this was MY section of the bag, there are two things I inevitably need to keep to hand with my messy little babe in tow…. Muslins and Hand/Face Wipes. Storksak do the most gorgeous organic hand and face wipes that smell of English pear and chamomile.
So thats it! Our everyday essentials all squeezed neatly into one bag. I pretty much leave it packed all the time next to the front door so its one less thing to think about when we’re leaving the house. And less time faffing with baby-bags, means more time to enjoy my little man.