Moms, What Do You Always Keep in Your Bag?

Magnetic cable ties (I prefer motiloo brand; not affiliated). They’ve come in handy a few times, but mostly they’re just an excellent fidget toy. Same with binder clips.

I like to keep a mini measuring tape with me in my purse. It’s useful for measuring things, obviously, and my toddler also likes to play with it. The pulling and retracting is very enticing to her.

Even reading the headline of this makes me tear up because I can still smell my mom’s purse: kleenex, leather, and dr. pepper chapstick

OMG THE WEEK JR. i work in elementary school front offices, and take my son’s subscription with me. when kids need to sit in the office for whatever reason, they are TOTALLY ENGROSSED if there are copies of the week jr around, and it is my top recommendation for birthday and holiday gift ideas for parents or grandparents (or teachers). i read it myself. it’s just a damn good publication, and such a physical pleasure for a kid to read an actual magazine that’s smart, has a little something for every interest, and doesn’t talk down to them. LOVE IT. kinda wish i worked for them tbh.

Mama to grown ups, Nana, and dog mama. I’ll share my dog “purse”, because that’s a daily thing. It’s a Mountain Hardware hip bag (the absolute best for hiking, padded, wide, very comfy even when loaded), that the main zipper is chewed through, thanks Sunny girl….. For morning and afternoon daily walks: Bandana ties it shut – good for my nose, or first aid in a pinch. Dog treats in little dispenser Phone, loaded with OnX maps Beep beep control for Nora the heeler’s beep beep collar, so she can safely be off leash with runners (if you know herding dogs, you know) Two leashes A ball for Mo the ball obsessed lab puppy Hair ties Wipes Rabies tags Chap stick Keys For longer hikes and trail runs: Bear spray Mama snacks ID Salt tablets Warm hat Ultra light wind breaker And I usually wear a vest with water bladder.

My daughter’s epipens, zyrtec, hand wipes, a handful of lollipops, a wallet with a zipper so I can cram everything in and zip it up, and about 10 thousand pounds of loose change and hair ties.

I have the fondest memories of my dad packing a little bag of Cinnamon Teddy Grahams in his jacket pocket for church. I was usually okay during the hymns and readings, but I got restless during the sermons and out came the Teddy Grahams! Magical!

Fruit strips or fruit bars and Hot Wheels. Having four or five Hot Wheels when you bring kids to a restaurant is essential– after we order food and after they spend a few minutes with crayons and the paper menu, we clear space on the table and roll the Hot Wheels to each other across the tabletop. It’s simple chaotic fun, trying to roll and catch at the same time.

Abbey is doing God’s work! Our daughter (who went to preschool with Abbey’s son until we moved away) is taking a high school engineering class where the boys outnumber the girls 5:1. Many of the boys have PE before, and the fug is real! In NY I always carried stickers and a packet of pipe cleaners, and would give them to crying toddlers on the subway (with their parents’ permission) even after my kids outgrew them.

emergency lollipops, water and playing cards [for long restaurant waits, etc.], and a book for each family member. We enjoy our long subway rides with a book!

Dog poop bags! I don’t even have a dog, but they’re so handy for random trash, anything wet, etc… I feel like I use one or pass to someone in need daily 😂

Poise pads. IYKYK

Tissues!!

Mom of 3 here. I like to live dangerously and just stuff a diaper into my little purse 🫣

Lollipops, fruit snacks, a toy car, and invisible ink pens. The kids will draw all over each other and shine the light to see their hidden messages and cackle. It’s cheered up the grumpiest moments.

Has some artist done one of those item collage photography series of women’s’ bags? That would be beautiful and a fun anthropology study.

As a mom to a teen, tween, and who helps caregive for my mother-in-law with early stage dementia, I always try to have snacks, cough drops, and plan out the easiest ways to a bathroom.

on the advice of my big sister, i have an “oh shit” bag in the back of my car at all times. having it there means it has never had to be used (was never superstitious until i had a kid!) includes diapers, wipes, towel, paper towels, disinfecting wipes and 2 outfits. have yet to use it, but having it t here is mighty helpful, even (if only) as a talisman!

On a good day: sunblock stick, wet wipes, tissues On a bad day: none of the above

Emergency lollipops.

Sunblock is always a necessity! I love the super goop play brand because it goes on so well. I also keep their resetting mineral sunblock in my purse at all times but that’s mostly for me. For my kids there are always little toy they can play with and lately I keep a small pack of wiki sticks in my bag! They’re so fun to create with and perfect for waiting at restaurants or offices. Also, I think I actually got this tip from an old cup of Jo post but I always keep a beach ball in my car! So fun to have on hand.

Snacks. Always, always snacks. Especially since my 5 year old has celiac so we can’t always be sure of having access to something safe for her to eat. I also try to keep wipes, a diaper for my 2 year old, hand sanitizer, cute bandaids, a coloring or sticker book and sunglasses for both girls. They’ve now started packing their own backpacks for every outing, with the most random assortment of toys and stuffies, which is very cute.

Mom of a 2 yo, i try to never leave the house without a big napkin and some sort of snack, but sometimes I throw caution to the wind, take nothing, and we survive ! My husband once had the cheek to express his disappointment that i forgot the diaper bag… well… this is your child as well as mine, you know ? (He usually is very supportive so I say that lovingly but when we got out together he tends to expect me to be the prepared one)

oh and for myself a small book. usually i try to be reading a big book for home/coffeeshop without kids and a small book that fits in the bag for kid playground outings. the current small book is a 1960s edition of lefebvre’s the coming of the french revolution. 1960s paperbacks are SMALL, and many interesting intellectual titles. feel this is missing now…even paperbacks are BIG and nonfiction tends to be giant…

for 3yo, a pencil case full of a rotating cast of small toys: currently a few cars; a small airplane; a broken jewellry chain; a donkey; a single crayon and a scrap of paper. a pack of cards for 9yo.

When my kids were little, we always kept a towel in the car for wiping of the wet slides (florida moms know), a small collapsible potty, and a bag packed with extra clothes and snack bars. We would change out the snack bars every so often but otherwise didnt touch the stuff.

I have a 3 year old and I always carry a rolled up extra pair of leggings. You may never need them until you NEED them.

Three matchbox cars for my 6yo, a tiny pocket bird guide for my 8yo, and a tiny tin with 5 mini crayons and a mini booklet for my 10 yo. And emergency medicine for my insane allergy to spring.

Growing up, I had two chronic health conditions that required frequent doctors’ visits, hospital stays, and so much time in waiting rooms. This post really hit my nostalgia button, as I remembered that my mom’s go-to move to entertain little me was to let me look through the contents of her purse. Endlessly entertaining! Keys! Lipstick! I had a really tough relationship with my mom, but I’d give anything for a trip back in time to just look through her purse.

i love the double dutch jump rope! That is a great idea. I wonder if we could crowd source the best double dutch jump roping rhymes? I used to know so many …..and now I cant remember any of them? I have searched for them in library books but cant seem to find them!

My kindle. I’m the mom of a 2 year old 9 year old. I’m always delighted to find a pocket of time to read to myself, by myself, especially while at the playground, waiting for school pickup, etc. Currently reading “Tiny Beautiful Things” by Cheryl Strayed. Mary Oliver’s “House of Light” was another perfect playground read.

I keep a Hart Day Hike First Aid Kit in my bag. Just enough First Aid to make it through any day out (including bee sting relief wipes, scissors and tape, and ofc band-aids!) and not so big as to weigh down your bag. https://www.rei.com/product/132219/hart-outdoor-day-hike-first-aid-kit

I had a fake gem in my diaper bag for some reason once and it entertained like 6 kids for an hour at a park while they took turns hiding and finding it

I feel like I’m always packing a bag before going out and still never seem to have what I need! This article makes me think how my husband would just walk out with nothing at all and not think twice of it and what a privilege to not carry the mental load… but the reality is my kid would probably be just fine and they’d get on swimmingly without all the things! Hah

In the toddler and preschool years, I always had a few Matchbox cars and a long length of grosgrain ribbon that could be enrolled to make a road. In elementary school a Spaldeen ball for playing catch and a few index cards or a small notebook and a few fun pens for drawing or dots.

I’m so grateful to the prepared moms of the world. I’m more of a holding my keys and phone awkwardly kind of gal and the number of moms who have jumped in with snacks, bandaids, hair bands, even diapers is a testament to the good will of moms everywhere. Thank you all! On a sadder note, when my best friend died I helped her husband go through her stuff. We were both in pieces as we went through her purses. The love for her son was visible in each carefully packed purse–bandaids, a toy or two, chapstick, hand sanitizer and a box of raisins or a chewy bar. She was the most prepared of us all and none of us were prepared to lose her.

Tiny Uno and Travel Tic Tac Toe! We always play uno while we wait at restaurants!

Bandaids. Booboos feel better if you cover them up, even when you don’t call them booboos anymore.

My niece has twin boys….when they were toddlers she always seemed to have pipe cleaners for them to play with in restaurants…it worked!

Tell Erika that those formula dispensers are great for toddler snacks too when you’re done with formula!

My bag is like a piñata stuffed with receipts and loose mints. The week, I accidentally carried around a garlic knot for days. Then, we came upon some ducks and I felt like a mom magician because we could feed the ducks that old garlic knot.

What a fun post! I love whenever Cup of Jo shines a light on these small glimpses into others’ lives. Such lovely habits, traditions, and wisdom in these bags of ours! I was especially taken with Jo’s response about “acorns, dead flower bouquets, and sea glass” being “non-negotiables.” My husband and sons were just listening to the NPR “Way with Words” program and were delighted to tell me a new descriptor for me: I am a mirabiliary and love to surround myself with small little treasures. I always keep a pocket nutmeg in my coats. The smell is so reassuring, and it’s just a nice weight and size. In my home, I have countless rocks collected on walks with family, acorns given to me by my sons, dried fall foliage leafs, etc. I come by this habit honestly—my dad was also a mirabiliary, and I love having his little treasures (quartz found in his childhood backyard, a painted jade egg, a starfish) to remember him by.

Love reading these lists, I’m a mom too but sometimes don’t have a purse on me and hardly ever carry anything specific for my 3 year old. Maybe some tissues/wipes if he has a cold. We just roll with it honestly.

Hot wheels in my pockets for my two year old. Other than that, you’re on your own, kids! I like to pack light, potty train early, and allow my kids to feel slight pangs of hunger/thirst/boredom. It’s the human condition, and generally speaking this is the most bountiful country to live, in the most comfortable time period to be alive.

One of the best things about having a teen daughter is that she mostly can be in charge of her own stuff and she proudly tells me that she’s the “mom” of her friend group because she learned from me to always be prepared–she always has sunscreen, stain wipes (Shout makes good ones), tinted lip balm, feminine hygiene products, a phone battery pack and Tums in her backpack! I’m proud I’ve taught her well!

Quarters. If we ever pass one of those bubble toy machines (which is rare but has happened!) We’ll be ready.

For my two tween/teen girls who are going through it, Advil and Jolly Ranchers!

As a mom of 3, I always have bandaids, ketchup packets, hot sauce packets, a couple lolly pops, a bouncy ball, and a race car. One quirk though, my dad gave me a pocket knife when I was 12, and while I wish I still had that one, I do still always have a pocket knife in my purse. It comes in handy we need to cut kite string or open an amazon gift at a park birthday. It’s also kind of funny when my kids say, oh don’t worry, we can get my mom’s knife . . . . Oh and a keychain bottle opener, I’m ready for danger and a good time :)

I’m not a mom, but i DO keep a ziplock bag with a game of Yahtzee in the glove compartment in our car. It’s super handy if we find ourselves at a pub on a Sunday afternoon. Also in my glove box: a first aid kit, a ziplock bag with assorted tea bags & sugar packets (because the drive through often gets it wrong), a swiss army knife, a small flashlight, extra sunglasses, matches, candies, lip balm & hand lotion.

Recently I was on a trip to another city with my husband and five-year-old daughter. We were getting ready to go out for the day (art gallery, cafe, playground stops etc) and my husband kindly offered to put everything in his backpack so I didn’t have to take a bag. He was so surprised when I refused! I mean, that’s my BAG! I need my lip balm, glasses wipe, phone, tissues, mints, snack, water bottle, etc… on hand, at all times. Plus the bag is part of the outfit. Can’t not bag! Naked without bag!

My kids are all grown up but we went to NYC with our 23 year old daughter and I told her up front-no I won’t carry your water bottle and you can’t borrow my jacket if you are cold! I held the water bottle briefly but did not give in on the jacket. Some things I don’t miss.

I never have ALL these games in my bag, but I thought I’d share our favourite small, single- or two-player games that can fit in your purse and save the day when having to sit and/or wait for a while (my kids range from 8-15 years old): Kanoodle, Spot It!, Rush Hour, and Flexi Puzzle. Our family has also played a LOT of charades while waiting in lines at amusement parks (and we don’t often go to amusement parks!) – also while waiting to go up the Eiffel tower – other kids even joined in! Sticker-by-number books from dollarama have also entertained my children for long periods of time.

Now that I have kiddos who are 11 and 14, I have dropped down to a small crossbody bag, but I never go anywhere without a golf pencil and one of those tiny notebooks they give out as favors at birthday parties. I have a collection of them from various party favor bags. They only contain about 5 pages each, but they are perfect for an emergency game of hang-man, Pictionary, finish the doodle, etc. Last time I got it out when my colleagues and I were stuck in an airport delay on a business trip. We didn’t want to burn down our phone charge since we didn’t know how long we’d be stuck. Mini-Transfomers notepad to the rescue!

This probably shows my age,but this question always reminds me of the scene in One Fine Day where Michelle Pfeiffer pulls out everything that her child (and George Clooney’s child) could possibly need for a day out from her bag – including a dinosaur costume.

When my son was three, my sister married at the city registry. Her best friend (one of four girls and a mom of three) came alone to the wedding for the weekend and took her rightful place as an additional sister/aunt in our family. She sat next to us during the ceremony while the official droned on for far too long. My fidgeting son asked loudly when he was going to be done talking. Our friend pulled out her rosary and handed it to him, and he happily spent the rest of the ceremony enjoying the sparkliness of the beads!

Epi pens! Non negotiable. Any other allergy moms here?

For my elementary age kid, I keep nothing in my bag! But we always have games in our car truck for an impromptu game moment wherever life takes us.

A travel set of Dominos! Little kids make them into cars, towers, houses, etc. Bigger kids / adults will play for hours. My partner and I will regularily play alone over a glass of wine at a bar. They are the size of a deck of cards but you can sanitize them and they can get wet. It’s my big parenting hack: https://levalet.com/fr/domino-double-6-points-noirs-taille-club.html

Buy a couple of eggs of Silly Putty. Keeps kids entertained for a surprisingly long time, not messy (like slime), doesn’t dry out (like Play-Doh), perfect for hands that need to fidget. I’ve had mine since my oldest kid was 3, and she’s now 11, still asks for the Silly Putty when we’re at a restaurant. Also makes a great bday party favor.

My kids are 7 and 13 so not much anymore aside from the never-ending snacks and maybe some bandaids, but let me tell you, my friend Katie (my good friend who also had young kids when I did, so we were always together) was the GOAT when it came to carrying stuff and just being prepared. She had wipes, kleenex, bug spray, sunscreen, you name it. And all neatly packed in a tiny sensible bag. She made it look easy when I could never seem to remember any of that stuff.

I normally have a few toy cars with me either in my bag or in the car for my daughter. She’s a car girl. I also have a zip pouch that I grab for longer errands that has a little drawing board, a few small books, a few fidget toys, and a tiny container of play doh. I try to keep snack and some water around though reliably the one rare time I forget water is when my daughter NEEDS it. My daughter does get really excited when I switch to my “summer bag” because that means I’ll usually have a picnic blanket, bubbles, and chalk for our many trips to the park.

Bubbles! The tiny bottles that you always get at birthday parties. It keeps toddlers busy when you’re waiting outside and brings instant joy.

I recommend the game Spot It! Small enough to fit in any purse and perfect to distract hungry tummies at restaurants while you wait for your food. My teens are still into it and I will forever be amazed at how the math works that there’s always ONE match on every pair, but never more than that.

I have a small selection of random little toys in my bag – a small jumping frog, a mini bubble wand etc – that have saved us many times in restaurants when the meal is taking just a little bit too long. Also crayons!

My son is two, and I’ve found that I’m SO bad at remembering to pack even the basics—diapers and wipes. So I just stashed some in the car and the stroller, so whether we’re on a walk or out and about, we have diapers for emergencies. I am forever forgetting to bring snacks, water, sunscreen, etc. but I also feel like it’s fine? Usually we’re in places where, if my son were to get REALLY hungry, we could buy a small snack or find a water fountain if he was thirsty. At restaurants, he just likes to sit and chat with us. Most restaurants have crayons/coloring paper for kids, or we might play I Spy and just point out things we see. I know I’m really lucky to have a pretty easy, go-with-the-flow type of kid, so that definitely helps! But I’m forever impressed by the parents who don’t mind packing all the things.

A roll of multi flavored Lifesavers! Boredom busters, hurt feelings comforters, injury menders, good behavior rewards! So many uses and there is always the anticipation factor-you might get lucky and get a red one!

I think another great follow up post would be what parents keep in their cars! I usually just carry a small fanny pack or purse these days (but I do always have a sun bum stick, lip balm, a foldable usable bag, and binoculars in there), but keep all sorts of things in my truck at all times: a big bag of snacks, filled water bottles, extra rain jackets, first aid kit, a kite, beach blanket, etc. Would love to know what other people keep in their cars at all times!

Let me preface this by saying my kids are older now (8 and 10). For day to day, I love to just carry my phone and some chapstick in my pockets. My phone has one of those wallet cases that holds 3 cards. I LOVE traveling light and having free hands, although occasionally I wish I had brought something I don’t have on me. For bigger outings when we’ll be away from home for a while or outside a lot, I’ll pack a little backpack with snacks and water bottles. I always, always kick myself when we go to the beach or something like that and I forget to pack spare clothes and/or towels. Someday I’ll remember…

I have to admit that I’m kind of chuckling at how quickly this became a meditation on the mental load of motherhood. I don’t think it has to be that deep! I’m all for top tips on what to bring to make things run a bit smoother or more fun. I guess that since my ex and I just operate from the place of whoever is closest to the one backpack we have is the person who doles out the treats or changes the diaper or whatever, it just works fine. I will also say, as someone who was desperate to become a mom and who didn’t get to become one till my mid 40s, I welcome this season of cookie crumbs and bring the point person for wipes, I never thought I’d be so lucky!

This is THE BEST travel first aid kit. It’s super teeny, comes in cute colors, has literally everything you could need and you can clip it onto a bag or throw it into a bag or purse, plus it’s cheap enough that you can buy multiple instead of restocking individual items. I think it’s even FSA eligible! It’s not only a mom thing, one year I gave car emergency kits for Christmas gifts and it was a huge hit! I gift these to all my friends, parents and single humans alike because in the age of anxiety we’re all dealing with you can never be too prepared! https://a.co/d/02J2eQvl