Letting Go of Baby-dom
I’ve told y’all before about my psychological issues with potty training the Little One. I am trying to hold onto my baby, and the little turkey is resisting by going on the potty.
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Well now I have another issue with walking away from the land of babydom. The little One pretty much insists on walking most places now. It’s great that she wants to walk, it’s good exercise and it provides opportunities for her to explore things around her.
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The problem is this, if she walks everywhere there is no real need for a stroller. But if I don’t have a stroller where does all the stuff go? Yes, I know that if I potty train her there is no need for a diaper bag. I rarely carry one when we go places anyway.
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I am talking about everybody’s water. I am talking about the snacks. I am talking about the camera, sunscreen, hats or jackets, my wallet, keys, stickers or notebooks or crayons or whatever else I might need to entertain depending on where we are.
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Where in the heck does all that go if I don’t have a stroller?
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Do I make everyone carry a backpack with their own water, snacks and entertainment? Do I now have to carry a huge backpack with everyone’s stuff in it? This is a new stage for us. I know the girls are big enough to carry their own water and stuff, however I also know that means we will probably lose them. They will inevitably set them down and forget them when they bend down to torture a rolly polly, or stop to smell a flower, or pause to gather rocks for their rock collection.
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I am not willing to lose a bunch of stuff, yet I don’t want to carry all the stuff either.
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So what is a mom to do? Continue pushing a stroller just to have a place for the stuff? Or *gasp* try to minimize the amount of stuff? That’s tough, even the basics can be cumbersome to carry (water, camera, snacks, etc.) What do you do with all the stuff?
fixitmommy.com 
We still have a TON of stuff, and our kids are WAY older than yours! Yes, they’re old enough to carry their own stuff, but you’re right, it tends to get lost. We still use the stroller for day- long trips. I even took it to Disneyland w/ the troop in 2nd grade! Too much STUFF!! It was also useful to part the crowds so we could get through. 😉
Ooo! I know!
How about you get a dog or a mule to carry stuff for you??
Hmmmm backpacks just might be the way to go. Bummer!
(BTW, if I pretend that I don’t want Delia to be potty-trained, will she want to do it? hehe.)
Make your long-handled, wheeled carryon or computer bag do double duty. Or get a new one like this: http://www.shop4needs.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=219
I have an assortment of bags and I carry them. You’ll probably have to weed out your bag a bit. Then again, I rarely ever used a stroller and I tend to keep things pretty simple. However, we do still use a stroller if we’re going to be at the zoo or something all day. My kids whine and complain about their legs getting tired, so at least they take turns sitting in the stroller.
Hmm… you’re supposed to bring all those things along for your kids? Oops…! Well, I guess if you’re going to a day long thing… We got a gender neutral beige sort of messenger bag at target before a recent disney trip and it’s perfect for stuff like that.