What To Pack?

When I went into premature labor I hadn't gotten as far as a diaper bag yet. I still had two and a half months left to sort that out, and besides, we had a home to rebuild! But when I found myself walking back and forth to our local NICU, I found myself needing certain baby-gear, ASAP. Once Tee was out in the wild, though, it was out with the old supplies and in with the new. Here is what we've come up with.

This was the key to my success in walking two miles every day. The Pack-It Robot Freezer Bag. I had precious cargo that needed to arrive crisp and cold at my child's bedside and the days had been growing warm. I would bring an average of fifteen 80 ml Medela bottles with me every day, then the box collapsed and was easily tucked away. No muss, no fuss. I found it when I was searching Amazon for regular ol' freezer ice packs. Each nurse said they wished every parent had heard of these.

The Daddy Back-up Bag was easy - I skimmed off the top of the Major Bag. This Catini was donated to us after the fire, but can be found here. See? Basic. It sits in the hall & awaits a crisis. I have to remember to rotate clothing/diapers/wipes for the correct size(s) & freshness.

Bib, burp cloth, receiving blankets, Soothie pacifier, wipes, hand sanitizer, tissues, changing pad, diapers, change of clothing.

Now, here, here. Here, we have The Major Bag - the mommy luggage. I picked this out at Babies R Us for function & quality. There were other [cuter!] bags that caught my eye, but once you're knee deep in NICU it's all about function, form if there's time. Later, much later. The JJ Cole fit the profile, so again, that was that.

Madness! ipod (for times when I'm out alone), phone, keys, sunglasses, Fafi cosmetic bag, point & shoot camera, LeSportSac's tissue holder (out of production), wallet, changing pad, wipes, diapers, diaper cream (re-potted into a small travel container), receiving blankets, extra clothing, burp cloth, bib, baggie for wet messes, reusable shopping bag, his own card-case for insurance cards (that way can quickly transfer to daddy), hand sanitizer, pencil/Sharpies case, sunhat for baby, sunglasses for mommy, and! a Soothie pacifier.

Topped off with a nursing cover & hairbrush. Really, it all fits!

The only thing left is him, wrapped snuggly inside his custom BabyHawk.

Vroom, vroom!