PARENTING ARTICLES & TIPS

Diaper Bags

If you have a newborn baby in the household, rest assured that the days of diaper bags and car seats will pass soon enough ...

My daughter just gave birth to twins. She had a boy and a girl and they are both healthy and big enough to come home without a prolonged stay in the hospital. She also has an eighteen month old at home. She has her work cut out for her. Luckily we live within a half hour drive from her so we can help out. I have cut my work schedule down to part time so I have the afternoons free. My work place is a fifteen minute drive to my daughter’s house. She asked me if I could come and stay with them for a few days to help her get into a routine and to also allow her to have some time to rest. She is quite overwhelmed. She needs to take so much with her when she leaves the house with the children that she feels confined. She needs two diaper bags, two infant seats and a toddler seat.

Luckily her eighteen month old has been walking since he was ten months old. He is very bright and quite independent. He has never been the kind of child that clings to his mother, which is going to help since he now has to share mommy with two infants. I stayed with my daughter and helped her with the feedings and bathing. When her husband came home from work I would go home. He is great with the children and I felt it was important that they had time alone as a family. My daughter asked if I would help her take the children to their first doctor’s appointment. Her husband had to be out of town on the day of the appointment. I went over after work and helped her pack the diaper bags and get the children dressed for out of doors. I needed to include formula for the babies, diapers in two sizes, pacifiers and also some toys to occupy the eighteen month old. When my daughter saw me carrying the diaper bags and my purse she started to panic thinking about having to deal with all of this by herself. I tried to calm her and reassure her that the days of diaper bags and car seats would pass soon enough. I had to admit to myself that it was quite overwhelming.

My daughter and her husband had to purchase a minivan when they found out she was pregnant with twins. It took us fifteen minutes to get everyone strapped into the van and the diaper bags stored and be on our way. We each carried a baby in their infant car seats and the eighteen month old walked beside us. I took the diaper bags and my daughter took our purses. By time we finished at the clinic and repeated the procedure to get home I was exhausted. I teased my daughter that she would not be making many quick trips for a while.

For more information about caring for newborns, babies and toddlers, see the "resources" section of this website, or go to articles about baby.