I'm a Serial Underpacker

I see a lot of blog posts from fellow moms about their tendency to over pack their diaper bags.  Although I agree that it's better safe than sorry, should I be alarmed that I usually under pack?  Is there something I'm not getting?

A trip 3 hour away from home is something else, THAT you gotta prepare for. But what about a short stroll around the mall?  I quick visit to your shrink?  Is it worth lugging all that weight around?

Am I in the wrong for bringing a bag this small:

 

with nothing in it but my keys, phone, cards and this:

when all we're doing is dropping by my sister's house in Pasadena, a good 40 minutes away  from Woodland Hills?

Fine, I should've considered bringing at least 1 diaper.  But then, I just changed and fed her, and since it was a quick visit,  I'd much rather change her in the comforts of our own home instead of busting her butt elsewhere.  Perhaps it was also the fact that once we get to my sister's house, I just know she'll have her own stash of diapers and wipes in different sizes and textures, even though there's no one in there who wears diapers.  Unless her husband's regressing.. but that's another story.   As to why she does this, I have no idea.  However, I do know, that she has a slight tendency to be a hoarder.  So there's that.

But really, it drives Shi crazy when I do this.  The inner mother in him insists on bringing at least 2 of everything (blankets, clothes, burp cloths, etc.), 5 diapers, 3 toys (big and small) and a shit load of formula.

So now, I'm stripping it down to what I think I really need for a short trip (maximum of 4 hours) out of the house on a nice summer day:

1.  A very light blanket that could double as a burp cloth.

2.  2 bottle, preferably the ones with the disposable liners.  One premixed prior to leaving the house and another one filled with water and a little container where you place the pre-measured formula.

3.  2 diapers (I'm being very generous here), a little case for your wipes, and 1 disposable changing pad.

4. A little toy like Jacques the Peacock or Sophie the Giraffe.

5.  A fresh onesie and a teeny weeny bottle of hand sanitizer

 So far, this list has worked for me since Yuna's birth because I figured, if there's something I really needed right then and there,  there's always Target.  I can just swing by and get it if it's really an emergency.  I never really had to do this,  except for the time I needed to literally gallop out of the mall when Yuna decided she wanted a gallon of formula instead of her usual 7oz serving.  So there I was, pissing in my pants trying to start the car, with my daughter in the back blatantly saying that she would like a word with me when we get home. Good thing we made it home in less than 5 minutes because the mall is just two blocks away.   I did get a bit of a scolding from her as soon as I placed her in her crib, but the bottom line: She was fed, she was happy.  We're all good. Then again, reading those blog posts made me feel  inadequate all of a sudden.  Does this make me less of a good mom?  Should I be bothered that I stress out more thinking about where to park than knowing I didn't pack enough for my kid?

Maybe.

But don't crucify me just yet. Like any new mom, I'm still feeling my way through what works and what doesn't.  If it turns out that I need to pack my entire house after all, I will make sure to document the tragic experience on how I finally learned my lesson for all of you to feast on ;-)