Getting It Together In 2018

When I was a new mother, I was ready for anything. I spent my pregnancy reading books, watching movies, and talking to friends who had just had babies. I took my vitamins and washed all of the little onesies and sleepers, folding them perfectly into drawers. I even prepared all of the fun (and ultimately useless) shower gifts that we had gotten, absolutely sure that a wipe warmer and tub kneeler were vital to the new life of a parent. I was ready at all times for the little one who had not yet completely entered our lives.

All of this said, the main thing I focused on was my diaper bag. I treated myself to an awesome new purse that would serve as a diaper bag and filled it with everything I thought I would need. I had an extra onesie and sleeper, a travel pack of wipes, a blanket, a few diapers, and an extra pacifier. I knew nothing, but I was ready. Then I had the baby. What I learned very quickly was what I actually needed. Out went the pacifier that my son never used (he preferred to suck on my finger (properly cleaned!) and would take nothing else) and in went some diaper rash cream. A little while after that, I added bandages, puff cereal, Pampers Cruisers diapers (which worked the best for us), and colorful toys. I was sure that it would always stay this way, but was I wrong.

I sit here, twelve years later, and I have become the mom who shoves things into the glovebox of her car. Napkins from a drive-thru? Perfect for a skinned knee or runny nose. An unopened bag of pretzels got left in the car? Excellent for an emergency snack. Somehow, over the years, I have gone from the mom who had everything that she could possibly need in a cute little diaper bag to the woman who has napkins, bandages, a tampon, and $2 in singles in my glovebox. Why do I have $2 in singles? I’m not really sure, but maybe there will be a candy bar emergency one day.

So this year, since it’s January of 2018 and a good time to start anew, I’ve decided that I’m going to get it together a little bit more. I am going to put together a “diaper bag” for my older kids. It won’t actually be a diaper bag (it will still be the glovebox), but I’m going to get organized. My intention (and it’s already in motion!) is to put together a first aid kit, a few fruit leathers, a $20 bill (that seems more like an emergency amount, right?), an extra phone charger, some hand sanitizing gel, and baby wipes so that we are now prepared for 9 and 12-year-old problems. Things change over the years and if you aren’t changing with them, you’ll end up like me with my glovebox!

To help you start getting things together, Sam’s Club is offering an instant $10 off when you purchase two Pampers products. This can include diapers and/or wipes, so it’s a great way to save on the necessities that we all need when our little ones are still little. And just in case you don’t already use them, wipes are fantastic for all stages. I still have packs all over my house! We use them for sticky hands, sticky tables, dry and runny noses, to wipe off the masterpieces of makeup that my daughter creates with her friends – all kinds of things. They’re a universal solution for lots of issues that come up!