Ted, Kate, Coach – It’s time we put our relationship on pause. I’ve started seeing another and they’ve really opened up my eyes to how inconvenient it can be to carry too much baggage around.

Okay, I’ll tone down the dramatics.

I’ve never been purse crazy, but investing in good purses that last for a few years has been a habit of mine that I’m proud of. Now with a baby on my hip (or back, or chest) it’s felt a little redundant to carry both a purse and diaper bag. Which is why I am making the switch – I’m committing to my diaper bag full time because I’m a firm believer in working smarter and not harder. 

What about when we go out without the baby?

If Chris and I go on date, I throw my necessities in a little clutch and call it an evening. This is something I would occasionally do pre-baby depending on the date because keeping up with a bag is the last thing I want to do!

Is only carrying a diaper bag convenient? What about my things? 

My past couple of purses have been medium-sized handbags and they’ve been perfect because I don’t carry much around with me. As long as I have my wallet, phone, spare tampon, and sometimes a tube of chapstick – I’m golden. The diaper bag I’m using is a tote (see it here) that has so many pockets, my few personal items fit no problem. Chris even has his own diaper bag (this one here) that’s a little more basic (and manly, of course). This frees me up to carry Layla-bug or anything else I may need when all of us are out together.

Carrying around a big tote seems like it would be heavy – Is it? 

Nope! With Layla being so small, it’s not loaded down – just stocked with the baby basics. While it does weigh a little more than my typical handbag, I cannot imagine it being considered any heavier than a regular tote. If you’re interested in what those baby basics are, I’ve put together my personal diaper bag checklist and left it for you to download!

I love my Ted Baker, Kate Spade, and Coach accessories so I certainly don’t plan on giving up on ever carrying a purse again, but I do believe this is what is the most convenient for me right now. I’m happy with my cute diaper tote and I’m confident I can pull it off as well as any other fashion label!

New to mom life and wondering what in the heck you actually need in your diaper bag without loading it down? Trust me – I’ve been there, done that, overwhelmed myself with the zillion articles out there about packing a diaper bag. To cut down the wants from the needs, I took it to the mommas of social media (Side note – A BIG thank you to all of you who responded to my Instagram and Facebook diaper bag question!).

With a mix of their valuable input and taking our own needs into consideration, I created the Basic Diaper Bag Checklist below, free for you to download!

Happy packing, momma bear!