Working moms,
Do you have one bag that holds your laptop, pump (and accessories), and miscellaneous stuff (purse, lunch, etc). Or are you carrying multiple bags?
I'm prepping to go back to work and I really want to avoid carrying a purse, my laptop bag, my pump bag, my lunch, etc. Is there a cute bag that will hold it all? A better way to organize all this junk?
Any help is appreciated. I really want to avoid looking like a bag lady!
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
NO! I wish I did! I carry 2-3 bags to the office!
GOLD / eggplant / 11517 posts
Keeping tabs on this thread! I can't imagine what kind of bag would be big enough to hold everything besides like a rolling suitcase or a duffelbag!
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
Oh, the number of bags we take each day is crazy. I suppose I could consolidate some but its never worked. During the week I store my diaper bag in the car in case I need to run an errand after work. The rest of these are carried in and out of the house each morning.
1. My Purse - its nice to have a few of my own things
2. My Pump Bag
3. My Lunch bag/water bottle
4. Her daycare bag (extra clothes, shoes, cups)
5. Her lunch bag (bottles on ice before solids)
6. Her diaper bag (we CD, so this is a wet bag but it sometimes fits in her daycare bag).
Luckily I don't have to carry a laptop back and forth too!
pomegranate / 3225 posts
I actually was thinking about this for when LO arrives. I already have two or three (laptop, big purse with lunch, and gym bag). Adding a daycare bag and pumping bag will be crazy! I guess I'm going to look for one huge tote.
eggplant / 11824 posts
Prior to LO I used a Coach diaper bag for my laptop/paper files/purse/lunch/snacks/etc. (I actually really don't like it as a diaper bag, but it's great as a work bag!).
So, I will continue to use that - so that's just one bag for all my junk.
Then there will be the daycare bag for LO's bottles (diapers and such we can leave in her cubby at daycare). I don't pump, so can't help you there.
grapefruit / 4120 posts
I stuffed everything that would have been in my purse into my Pump In Style tote, but when I needed to take my computer home that was another bag.... One of the best parts about stopping pumping after a year was being able to use cute purses again. Now in a few months it'll be back to the old PIS!
coconut / 8234 posts
I use a Skip Hop diaper bag as my purse during the week, but I still have to carry 2 bags. The bag holds my pump, cooler, bottles & flanges, as well as everything else I need, except for lunch. I bring both breakfast and lunch plus snacks to work every day, so I have a separate lunch bag for that.
GOLD / papaya / 10166 posts
I have a coach diaper bag for LO, my laptop bag (if I bring it home - most times I leave it at work so there's less to carry), then I combine my pump bag and purse together.
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
I'm not a mom yet, but will have 2-3 bags for sure; purse, pump bag, and lunch bag. Luckily laptop stays at work so I don't have to deal with that!
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6703 posts
Maybe you could store your lunch in your pump bag's section for bottles (with cool pads), then switch it off after you've pumped? That probably sounds really silly.
I imagine I'll have my pump bag, and another bag with lunch/purse-ish stuff.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
What's in your purse? Can you keep doubles of stuff at the office? I'd eliminate as much there as possible, just strip it down to keys, cash, ID, one credit card if you can.
honeydew / 7504 posts
Right now I carry all my work stuff in a backpack - wallet, keys, work ID, phone, book for the train ride, and lunch. My pump stuff definitely won't fit in there, so I"ll have to start carrying another bag. I've got a ton of tote bags laying around the house, so I'll probably just use one of those. And we'll have the daycare bag, but that will obviously be left at daycare for the day.
grapefruit / 4923 posts
i think i'm going to be in the 3-bag club as well! i am considering buying a nice laptop bag that will double as my purse. but then i also need to carry my lunch and pumping supplies/bottles. to lessen the load a bit, i was thinking about buying a separate pump for work and leaving it there (assuming i end up breastfeeding)--it's an investment but i take public transportation so i need to cut down somehow! i'll still need a bag for bottles/pumping parts to wash, though.
@eiko2010: a backpack is probably the best idea to cut down on the number of bags and increase convenience!
honeydew / 7504 posts
@edelweiss: Yeah, I was carrying a big shoulder bag for a few years but it was really starting to hurt my back and shoulder. Hubs got me a backpack and now I carry everything in there, and it doesn't hurt nearly as much. I also take public transportation, so it really has been great.
The other nice thing for me is that I work at a hospital, so I'll be able to use the hospital-grade pump in the maternity lactation room, so all I'll need to cart back and forth are the attachments and the cooler with the bottles. If I didn't have access to that, though, I would seriously consider having a pump to keep at work and then just a single electric or even a manual at home. Lugging a pump back and forth on the train would be a pain in the ass!
persimmon / 1427 posts
Thanks for all the advice. It sounds like I'm not the only one struggling with this dilemma!
I ordered a couple of bags - we'll see if one of them can hold most of my stuff.
Buying two pumps is an interesting idea, but I really like my pump (Medela freestyle), and its not cheap. Plus its small and lightweight, so I should be able to tote it back and forth. The bottles and cooler are a little bulky, but obviously I have to lug that back and forth.
I've scaled down my purse as much as possible, but I still need to carry something for business lunches. Ideally I would like to have a clutch that goes in a larger bag with everything else.
I like the idea of a back pack, but I'm afraid it would look unprofessional in my line of work.
I'm continuing my quest for the perfect bag. I'll report back if I find something.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
I have a laptop bag that is sleek/thin enough to double as my purse (i just carry a thin wallet, keys, and phone in there... and it's roomy enough to fit a packed lunch). and when I was pumping at work I brought my separate Medela PIS backpack. We have a mother's room with lockers, so I was always able to just leave my pump in the locker for the entire day and just grab it as I left work. Now that my LO will be starting preschool next week, I'll need another bag for daycare! I'm just going to use a diaper bag and leave it at daycare with her so technically I'm not lugging it around!
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