Thanks to Nourish Snacks for sponsoring today’s post.

I’ve decided that having a baby is paramount to becoming a doomsday prepper. You realize that pretty quickly when your husband wants to simply go out for a walk around the neighborhood and it takes you 15 minutes to pack a bag for the stroller because OMG what if the baby gets hungry? Or what if you stop to talk to a neighbor and it’s 30 minutes later and the baby explodes in poop? Or what if you’ve got a screaming baby on a changing table who has pooped all over his clothes and himself, not to mention you, and you don’t have any spare clothes (for you OR him) and you are sweating bullets? The scenarios go on and on, which makes you sound like an absolute crazy person to Anyone Who Doesn’t Have Children, but this is actually all totally feasible. In fact, you can bet it on it. Poop will happen.

With Jude, I used to say that I was prepared for World War III at any given moment, and now with Archer seven years later, I’m having to  rethink my disaster readiness kit diaper bag for anything life — or baby — throws at me. Getting out the door with everything we might possibly need requires a ton of mental energy and my goal is to simplify the process so our system runs as smoothly as possible. Here’s a few things that have worked for me.

3-TIER DIAPER BAG SYSTEM

The whole point of being a doomsday prepper is having a system in place so that if the first system fails, you’ve got a backup. I absolutely cannot stand being a pack mule when it comes to lugging around baby stuff, so I’ve created my own 3-bag system, all which fit into the big diaper bag. Which sounds overly complicated, but actually simplifies things for the long run.

I pack my big diaper bag as The Ultimate Emergency Kit with spare white onesies, wipes, diapers, a pacifier, a muslin blanket that doubles as a carseat cover or swaddle, individual packets of formula, and a bottle of water. This is the bag that’s always in the car (as that’s our primary mode of transportation). I really don’t ever carry it anywhere other than church and it’s really more for peace of mind. It’s *always* ready and I don’t ever have to really think about it. At my sister’s house last week, it came in handy when I realized I’d forgotten enough formula for an evening out. I restock it about once a week.

The workhorse is this lightweight Baggu bag that can be folded up into a pocket. I carry this bag everywhere because it’s lightweight, and can expand to hold everything I need for a quick trip into the mall, to a friend’s house, or on a grocery run. I restock it every single day. In this bag, I carry a zipper pouch with diapers and wipes, a premeasured formula container (love this one – no leaks!), and a bottle filled with water from home. Sometimes there’s also a water bottle for me, and since Nourish Snacks sent me a box full of their treats I’ve been tossing a couple of those pouches in there too, which is particularly handy when I’m sitting in carpool and hit with the mid-afternoon slump.

My favorites are the Coco’nilla Crunch, Cashew Colada, Honey Bee Good (chickpeas!), and Miss Popular (dark chocolate!) and they really are the perfect size to take on the go. I kind of wish I’d had these when I was pregnant and starving all the time. 

And finally, I picked up this cute Kate Spade clutch with a Nordstrom gift card I’d been hoarding (thanks, Nonnie!). It’s the perfect size for a lip gloss and my wallet. I can toss it in either of the other bags if need be, or if I’m dropping off the baby with Grandmother, I don’t have to scramble for just my stuff.

ONE STROLLER TO GROW WITH

The one piece of baby gear I put a lot of money towards was a Bugaboo Bee stroller. I get a ton of use out of it and we used the same system with Jude. I’m a huge believer in Strapping Those Kids DOWN (haha), if not for your sanity then for everyone else’s sanity, especially once little ones start to get mobile and want to toddle around everywhere and run off.

Since we spend a lot of time at the lake (where we walk everywhere and frequently spend evenings at friends’ houses), it’s also doing double (or triple!) duty as a changing station and bed with the bassinet attachment (and Nickels loves it too hahaha). I can also remove the bassinet and carry it around like a Moses basket. Handy dandy. Once he outgrows that, I’ll snap in the seat attachment that also can lay flat for naps-on-the-go.

I picked up these hooks so I can hang the Baggu diaper bag from the handlebar and keep everything close by. It’s also good for keeping keychains handy when you’re ready to hop in the car and don’t want to go digging for them in the bottom of the bag.

I’d love to hear what your mom hacks are – isn’t it interesting to hear how other people have their own systems?  And thanks to my friends at Nourish for sponsoring this post. They’d like to offer my readers 10% off your order with code PENCILSHAVINGS. Yippee!