I did a series of Instastories on my new M.Z. Wallace medium metro tote (mine is the rose gold color) last week and was overwhelmed by the response a lot of you were dying to know what Id think of it and how much it can hold. The TL;DR: I love it and it is enormous. Its a proper Mary Poppins bag. I can fit all of the essentials for both children (full list of what I typically carry below, per multiple reader requests), my own must-haves, and even a pump and its associated parts (I tested this because so many of you asked though I no longer pump myself). It was pretty full with all of that in it, but for a travel day? No-brainer. (And you can see it fully stuffed with everything, pump included, in the photo above!) But for everyday use (sans pump), it was roomy!
A couple of the questions I got a lot:
+Which size did you buy? The medium. The large is CAVERNOUS. Could be used as a weekender bag.
+What did you think about the shoulder straps? Many of you had previously commented that the shoulders are really slippery and kind of slide off your shoulder. This has not bothered me, though I have not worn it for extended periods of time and often have my stroller to hook it onto. A reader suggested crossing the straps over one another on your shoulder to address this issue, which I have done and I have no complaints. Still, I think that if you are planning to wear this bag on a long daily walk/commute, it might be worth examining the issue more closely
+Do you need both the backpack and the tote? If youre only looking to buy one bag and you have two children, Id encouraged the backpack. I use it any time I am taking the subway with both children and often when Im out for an adventure with both (i.e., museum, playground, etc), which recently has been fairly frequent. (Also incredible for travel with children as it enables you to walk around hands-free.) But if you have only one child, the tote is slightly more versatile IMHO. I dont always love wearing a backpack; it feels more dressed-down than I usually am. (For some reason, a cashmere sweater and pearl studs with a backpack feels wrongnot that I dont do it.) In short, I know I will get very heavy use out of both, but when push comes to shove, Id advocate for the backpack if you have two children / will travel a lot and the tote if you have one child.
+What do you like about it? I love the style (so chic! would definitely wear this as a gym bag or an everyday tote without children) and it is feather-weight. I mean, SO light! I dont know how to describe the fabric, and I dont think its exactly waterproof or water-repellant but it certainly fares better in rain/mist/snow than my Goyard.
Now, on to what I carry in my bag: I keep everything for each child in a separate wet/dry bag (mine are from PBK) monogrammed with their initials. The idea is that if Im only with one, I can JUST take the pouch belonging to the child Im with and cut the weight of my diaper bag in half. This is why youll see duplicates of a few things I keep in both of their bags.
Minis Diaper Bag Essentials (Nearly 3 Years Old).
All items below fit inside her monogrammed pouch, with the exception of the wipes dispenser, which I toss into the MZ Wallace on its own.
SNACKS (SHES OBSESSED WITH THESE MICKEY GOLDFISH AND FREEZE-DRIED STRAWBERRIES AT THE MOMENT)
SPARE BOW AND SPARE HAIR TIES
COUPLE OF BANDAIDS AND NEOSPORIN
SPARE LEGGINGS (< HANDFUL OF ORGANIC LOLLIPOPS (FOR IF IM REALLY IN A BIND AND NEED A DISTRACTION/REWARD) A LITTLE COLORING BOOK AND A HANDFUL OF CRAYONS MUNCHKIN DIAPER TRASH BAGS (JUST ONE OR TWO SEPARATED FROM THE ROLL JUST IN CASE OF ACCIDENT, A GOOD TOOL TO KEEP SOILED CLOTHING SEPARATE!) 2 DIAPERS MUNCHKIN DIAPER TRASH BAGS (ENTIRE ROLL GOOD FOR STOWING SOILED CLOTHES, DISPOSING OF DIRTY DIAPERS, AND CONTAINING OTHER RANDOM MESSES THAT COME MY WAY) OXO FORMULA DISPENSER WITH ENOUGH FORMULA FOR THREE BOTTLES INDESTRUCTIBLES BOOK (HE LOVES THESE AND BONUS THEY ARE SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT) PACIFIER ATTACHED TO ALI+OLI CLIP (AS I TYPE THIS, REALIZING HE DOES NOT USE A PACIFIER ANYMORE AND I CAN REMOVE THIS!) CEREBELLY BABY FOOD POUCH BUMKINS BIB (SO LIGHTWEIGHT, FOLDS TO NOTHING) SPARE SOCKS (THESE HAVE COME IN HANDY MANY TIMES) COVERALL (BACKUP OUTFIT FOR BLOWOUTS/SPIT-UPS/ETC I LIKE A ONE-PIECE BECAUSE IT CAN DOUBLE AS JAMMIES IF YOURE EVER IN A BIND/OUT LATE/ETC, CAN BE APPROPRIATE FOR UNUSUALLY COOL WEATHER, AND ONLY REQUIRES 1 ITEM!) *I have been obsessed with these since mini was born. They are easy to keep clean (wipe down!), stylish, and highly durable. They fold into a small square. I have several, including one I keep in the under-basket of the stroller and one in a bigger size which I use underneath minis place setting at the dining table every night. KEYS ON MONOGRAMMED CUYANA KEY CHAIN USUALLY AN EXTRA TUBE OF HAND SANITIZER KINDLE If Im traveling or out for longer, I often add a small pouch with additional cosmetics/lip balm, but thats usually all she wrote! P.S. More musings on living a hands-free life as a mom. P.P.S. Adventures in nursing. All of your questions about whether a pump would fit left me reliving my nursing/pumping days, and feeling all the feels about it. P.P.P.S. Going from 0-1 vs 1-2 children. The post The Verdict: M.Z. Wallace Tote as Diaper Bag. appeared first on The Fashion Magpie.Micros Diaper Bag Essentials (7 Months Old).
My Own Essentials.
