We might spend a good deal of time thinking about which nappy bag to buy. There are so many to choose from. I know I'm getting old when I hear myself saying: 'How much?! Mine only cost £30.00!'
There's nothing magical about a nappy bag and it's a very personal choice. I went for a back pack style because I had a back injury and thought it would help to spread the weight; I also loved to have my hands free. Perhaps yours is more likely to need to fit over your pram handle? What I spent so much less time thinking about, however, was what should I put in the bag?!
Something that never occurred to me to put in was the 'red book'. You will be given this by your midwife when your baby is born. Every Health Care
Professional you meet with your newborn is likely to ask for the 'red book'. They will write
notes in it and so can you.
It has lots of helpful information in it like: milestones you can expect; health checks that are recommended; and a schedule of the immunisations currently offered. You can read about the red book here.
I forgot my red book so many times that my exasperated Health Visitor
recommended that I keep it in the nappy bag; 'You never go anywhere with your baby without your nappy bag!' she reminded me. She was right, I never forgot the red book again.
Another unusual suggestion is to keep a flask of tea and a good book in there (please do keep hot drinks and babies separate!). One Mum shared this tip with me well after I could have used it and I was so disappointed not to be able to give it a go!
This amazingly forward thinking woman would always pack her flask and book so that she could have an impromptu tea break any time, any where. She would even pull over in a safe parking spot; recline her seat; and sip and read if her baby feel asleep in the car unexpectedly. Impressive!
So what might you keep in your nappy bag? At the pregnancy class tomorrow night, let's see if we can draw up a list of all the usual and slightly more unusual things we can think of.......
