Because I don’t live in suburbia my stroller is my car.
Most Moms I run into during the day are in a similar situation. We are out all morning or afternoon without the luxury of going home for pit stops so we have to carry everything we might possibly need for any situation possible. Rain. Sun. Mosquitos. Thirst. Hunger. Snacks. Fevers. Colds. Puke. Poop. Pee. Play.
I admit I take this too far. If someone asked for a small kitten it’s possible I’d have one stuffed somewhere in the bowels of my stroller.
Today’s stroller was a bad one. It was about 3,000 degrees out of nowhere. I was overdressed, sweating and wearing hot dark jeans. Lilian was screaming her guts out and we were about a 20 minute walk from my house. Pushing the stroller felt like I was a sherpa in Nepal lugging thousands of pounds uphill.
Here were the contents of today’s stroller on our walk home:
Rain shield, umbrella, light jacket, sweater, two pacifiers, (3) dishtowels (a present), 2 sponges, container of sliced grapes, toy phone, a mango smoothie, bib, sugar-free lollipop, sun shade, sun hat, sunglasses, 2 containers of raspberries, 1 container of blueberries, 2 boxes of fruit crushers, gym pass, long sleeve shirt, 1 pair of pants, 3 diapers, diaper pad, box of wipes, a friend’s diaper kit left at my house, 1 toy zebra, 1 baby doll, 1 child’s purse, 2 packs of mini tissues, a package of goldfish crackers, 1 pair of pants to return, a spoon, drawing pad and several pens, box of chalk, allergy medicine, wallet, 3 containers of hummus, 2 kinds of hand sanitizer, soccer ball, a bib, cell phone, camera, rain jacket, bean salad, beet salad, snap peas, pita bread, bagels, butter, tortilla chips, mango and some crumpets.
I need a nap.
OMG! You have more food in your stroller than I have in my fridge! You know what’s in my stroller when we go out? If I’m lucky, a spare diaper and a wipe that’s all shriveled and dry and a cup of water for Ollie. That’s it. Sometimes extra sunscreen, but usually I just spray him before I leave the house, and some days I think to bring a hat, but not always.
My plan has always been, “Oh it’s Manhattan, if I need something I can just buy it.” But it turns out I usually don’t need anything and we do just fine. Or like yesterday we stopped for early lunch while out and he just got totally covered in maple syrup from head to toe and I thought, “Um, a better mother would have had a bib in her purse. And a child’s fork so he’s not risking his eyesight using this giant metal adult one.”
Perhaps there’s a middle ground? :)