YOU GUYS — have I got some amazing news for you. An absolutely brilliant mom has created the ultimate diaper bag hack that has the Internet buzzing, but has me practically crying tears of joy. I have two small kids and a baby on the way, and so the real estate in my diaper bag is what you might call … extremely precious.
Enter, California mom Elizabeth Burchiel, an artist who runs the Facebook page Painted Dragon. Recently, she took a few common items and combined them in such a way that the modern diaper bag is now a darn miracle of space. By strapping diaper wipes to the top of an empty plastic wipes container — with a headband she found at the Dollar Tree — she was able to create instant space inside for a quick change of clothes, a plastic bag for dirty diapers, and a changing pad for her baby.
Genius, huh?
Parents with babies and small kids everywhere will tell you that one of the most vexing problems you can have is when you need something PRONTO — like a clean diaper to change a blowout or some butt paste because your baby is shrieking over a chapped hiney-ho — and are unable to find things, because diaper bags are typically a disorganized mess of stuff.
Diaper bags have a way of collecting total garbage, from wrappers and receipts to junk mail and empty water bottles, so that by the end of the day they end up being receptacles for more than just cute onesies and baby sunscreen. Not only that, but they tend to be deep and wide and filled with so many pockets that it’s easy to lose sight of things, like DIAPERS for example.
According to Burchiel, the diaper bag hack “accidentally evolved.”
“I liked the box the wipes came in, but didn’t really need it at home any more because I had gotten a wipe warmer as a gift,” she tells Babble. “So the box just got set aside. I use a cloth grocery bag for my diaper bag because, well, I really like it and its frickin’ cute. But it’s just a bag with a couple small pockets and a snap to hold it mostly together, so everything is just in there.”
As you might imaging, Burchiel got pretty damn frustrated one day while digging through for diapers and wipes one day, so she grabbed the box and shoved them both in there. That’s when she realized that even with five small diapers in there, she still had a little extra room. That’s when she tossed a little outfit in, and made it the ultimate “blow-out” solution.
“Tying the wipes to the lid actually took a little longer to happen,” she explains, “but I was rummaging through my bathroom and found a headband and just put two and two together. [I later made improvements] to have it so it’s not seen after and now I’ve tossed in a roll of doggie bags after seeing all the suggestions for plastic bags for disposal and what not.”
Amazing.
This quick, grabbable solution is perfect for tossing in your stroller or leaving in your car for moments you’re on the go. Even keeping one on hand in the bathroom is pretty ideal. Heck, I might even create one just for me. I’ll stick some maxi pads, some make up, facial wipes, SPF, and a pair sunglasses, a few dollars in cash, and lip gloss in mine.
Burchiel, who says she’s “a minimalist at heart,” has found the diaper bag hack to be great for pretty much every scenario. “I just toss it in the bag with a few blankets and my ring sling and I’m good to go!” she says.
Moms and dads are forever coming up with genius hacks to solve modern parenting problems. Remember that dad who turned a See ‘n Say into a brilliant way to answer the “what’s for dinner?” debate? Or that amazingly smart babysitter who tucked a baby down her shorts so that she could make a sandwich without worrying about the kiddo getting into trouble? Parenting brings out ingenuity like nothing else.
For __parents everywhere, this simple combination of a hair tie, an empty container, and baby essentials is well worth copying. Here’s to hoping that this mama patents the idea and makes a gazillion dollars on it. It’s THAT life-changing!