What’s in your changing bag? // Sarah from Taming Twins

Hello and welcome to “What’s in your changing bag?”; my weekly Tuesday feature where I ask one Yummy Mummy (or Daddy) to share the innermost secrets of their changing bag, and the five items they couldn’t possibly live without! 

Today we’re meeting mum of gorgeous twins, Sarah. 

Hi Sarah – beautiful photo! Please can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I’m Sarah, Mum to George and Harriet who were born in March 2012. Life’s a juggle of working, toddlers, cake and sometimes trying to be more that just Mum.

Gorgeous names!
What would you say is your favourite thing about being a Mama?
Seeing the total excitement of the world through their eyes. Everything is suddenly astonishingly interesting. Finding a ladybird, piles of leaves, being able to put on your own wellies. Watching them learn to do and discover these things is such a joy to be part of.

Yes – Busby has just started doing this, it’s amazing!
What three words would you use to describe Motherhood?
Chaotic, emotional, phenomenal.

Great choice of words – what would you say is the hardest thing?
At the moment, it’s trying to reason with two toddlers at once. Whilst I’m explaining to one why it’s ok to throw balls but not knives, I turn around and the other has been busy posting their MegaBlocks down the toilet.

When they were very small babies, the emotional side of caring for two small people I didn’t really understand was utterly exhausting. I constantly worried that I couldn’t help them both at once.

Gosh – it’s hard enough with one – I can’t even begin to imagine having two.
How do you preserve/maintain your sense of self?
A coffee and book alone at Starbucks once a week and hot yoga.

Perfection!
So, the last question before we find out about your changing bag; if you could share one piece of Motherhoodly wisdom with us all what would it be?
Don’t be too hard on yourself. We all really muddle along being a Mum, not quite knowing if we’re doing it right. The bad days are sometimes really REALLY bad, but there’s always an amazing day right around the corner. Hang in there, you’re doing brilliantly.


Great advice Sarah – thanks! 
Ok, it’s business time: what make is your changing bag?

Now we’re (mostly) out of explosively pooey nappies, my changing bag has just been significantly downsized from a MomyMoo Zoe. I’m now using a very cheap and chearful Cath Kidston lookalike from HomeBargains of all places and I love it! It cost about £8 and is perfect to pop over my shoulder to keep my hands free.

And what are the five items in your changing bag that you just can’t live without?

1. Boxes of raisins. Totally essential distraction technique. Keeps little fingers busy and hungry babies happy. 
2. Spare socks. During a rainy winter like this one, we seem to spend an inordinate amount of time at terrifying soft play centres. We often seem to lose a sock in a ball pit. 
3. Ibuprofen for them and also for me. For them as the recent teething bouts have appeared out of nowhere and been pretty grim. For me due to soft play visits mentioned in point 2 above. 
4. Hair clips. Harri loves her hairclips. We had a show down in the car park of Aldi where she refused to get into the trolley until we could find her lost ‘cwip’. Suffice to say, I now always carry a spare or five. 
5. The final thing always in my changing bag, is my Lumix GF-5 camera. Not in the photo as it was being used of course, but always with me.

Thanks for sharing the contents of your changing bag with us, Sarah! I love those hairclips – Busby won’t let me put any in her hair yet!

Sarah blogs at Taming Twins and tweets as @TamingTwins.
Hannah