How does a mom...

Ever take a shower?! Especially when her baby is so tiny that she's afraid to leave her alone (even when the babe is asleep)...

Try putting baby in a swing, vibrating chair, or cradle, and pull it into the bathroom. Then shower away, and know that you CAN'T be the only mom that pops her head out of the shower to check on the baby mid-shampoo, mid-conditioner, and mid-shaving...right?!?

(If your bathroom, like mine, is too small to fit the baby, the doorway works just fine:-)

 

You might find that, even once your baby is older, you still use this trick.  ;-)

Diaper bag?

The above picture showcases two things. 

1. A bag my mom sneakily bought me for Christmas!  It's not officially a diaper bag...The Body Shop was selling it as a Black Friday deal full of lotion and stuff...but it's so big, roomy, and cute that I thought it would work for this mama when I need something fashionable to carry all the diapers, wipes, bibs, extra clothes, toys, pacifier, etc.

2. My version of this diaper wallet...made with fabric from my stash and an old hand towel.  It unfolds and acts as a changing pad too!

Now, I know that this "diaper bag" (even with the pretty diaper wallet) just won't do if my husband is on the go with the baby...or if I ever want him to carry it!  So I'm also on the lookout for a "real" diaper bag.  In fact, I've been scouring Target and Babies R Us websites trying to find something that is reasonably priced, gender neutral (AKA Daddy will carry it), and has good reviews from people that have used it for at least a few months.  So far I've come up empty handed.

(In case you're wondering, I chose those two websites because we have a baby registry at each store.  I thought it made sense to start my search somewhere we could...ahem...give someone else the opportunity to buy it for us!  But at this point I'm thinking that I won't register for one, and I'll wait to buy a bag until Emerson is born and we know exactly what we need.)

I need your help.  Am I over thinking this?  A diaper bag seems like a very important piece of baby gear to me!  I mean, it needs to hold everything we might need for the baby when we're not at home!  And they're not cheap, so I want something that will not fall apart the first time I stuff it with way more stuff than I actually need!  If you have experience, speak up!  What kind of diaper bag do/did you have?  How much thought did you put into it?  How much money did you spend on it?

Please, help a mama out!