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A bag for mums on autumn walks with a pram: what to pack and how to carry it

Table of contents

Which bag for mums works on a walk

Bags with pram clips have only just appeared in my workshop, so I started with a question: what do mums miss on a walk? In parents’ forum conversations three complaints keep coming back: a bag with no zip, nowhere to put keys and a phone, and a pram bag that looks like a pram bag, so nobody carries it once the walk is over.

A good bag for mums on a walk has a few features that are easy to check before buying:

  • a zip at the top, because the bag swings next to the pram and an open one can lose its contents at the first kerb,
  • pockets inside, so nappies, wipes and a spare outfit do not mix at the bottom,
  • a separate place for a bottle that keeps it upright,
  • an outside pocket for your phone and keys, which you can reach without opening the whole bag,
  • a wide, low shape, where you can see what is inside, rather than a deep sack,
  • fabric that copes with drizzle and wipes clean, because in autumn the bag will sit on a wet bench.

Pram clips are a nice extra, but not the most important item on this list. Why, I explain below, in the part about the pram handle.

What to take on a short walk with a baby

For an hour around the neighbourhood you need less than you think. This list comes up again and again in parenting guides and baby shop advice:

  • two or three nappies and a pack of wipes,
  • a foldable changing mat,
  • a bag for a used nappy and wet things,
  • a muslin cloth,
  • a change of clothes in a separate pouch,
  • feeding things, matched to how you feed your baby,
  • for you: phone, keys, wallet, tissues and water.

Polish health authorities point out that a baby who is exclusively breastfed up to six months does not need water. The bottle in the bag is then for mum, and it is good for it to have its own place.

For a longer outing add more nappies, a snack for yourself and a second change of clothes. Carrying a full bag on every walk is a common mistake: the heavier it is, the more it pulls on your shoulder or on the pram.

What to add in autumn: rain, cold, a change of clothes

Autumn changes the list by a few items:

  • a rain cover for the pram, even if the sun is out in the morning,
  • a dry layer in a sealed pouch: a bodysuit or a thin jumper, protected from any damp in the rest of the bag,
  • a separate pouch for wet things, so you do not have to unpack everything damp when you get home,
  • an umbrella for you, ideally a compact one, in a place you can pull it out of with one hand,
  • gloves, because a pram handle in October can be icy.

After a walk in the rain, take everything out of the bag and let it dry open, at room temperature. We do not dry upholstery fabric bags on a radiator or in a dryer. More about that in the guide how to care for an upholstery fabric bag.

How to pack so you can find your keys with one hand

On a walk with a pram you almost always have one hand busy. That is why where things go matters more than the list itself. A layout that works:

  • outside pocket: phone and keys, nothing else,
  • bottle holder: a water bottle, always in the same spot,
  • inside pockets: wipes and cream, so they do not slip between the nappies,
  • middle of the bag: nappies and the changing mat together, as one changing kit,
  • bottom: the pouch with a spare outfit, which you reach for least often.

If your bag has an elastic loop or a clip for keys, attach them as soon as you lock the door. It is a small thing, but digging for keys at the bottom of the bag is what parents complain about most.

Bag, pram organiser or backpack

A pram organiser is a small pouch fitted to the handle, with a few compartments. It works for short walks: phone, keys, wipes, a coffee cup. The downside is that it is usually open at the top, holds little and stays with the pram when you leave it.

A bag, most often a shopper, holds the whole kit for a longer outing. You carry it on your shoulder, put it in the pram basket or, if the pram manual allows it, clip it on. After the walk it goes with you to the shop or to work.

A backpack leaves both hands free, which you will appreciate when you carry the baby for part of the way or fold the pram at the bus. Access is harder: to take something out, you have to take it off. I wrote about what a fabric backpack holds in women’s fabric backpack.

There is no single right answer. You can also combine the two: an organiser for short trips, a bag for longer ones.

Can you hang a bag on the pram handle

This is the most important part of this text, so I will say it plainly: before you clip a bag to the pram, check the manual for your model. Clips on a bag do not mean your pram can take its weight on the handle.

Manufacturers give very different numbers here. For example, Kinderkraft’s manual for the APINO buggy forbids hanging any bag on the handle, and the basket of that pram takes up to 2 kg. The same manufacturer allows at most 1 kg of bag on the handle in the GRANDE LX model. Baskets of other prams have limits of 3 or 5 kg.

Weight on the handle shifts the centre of gravity backwards. A light buggy with a full bag can tip over when you lift the baby out. So:

  • if the manual forbids hanging, carry the bag on your shoulder or move its heavier part into the basket, within its limit,
  • if the manual allows it, stick to the stated weight and move heavier things lower,
  • check that a bag clipped to the handle does not get in the way of folding the pram or of the brake.

How to dress a baby and how long to walk in autumn

Here I hand over to doctors, because this is not my field. The Polish medical portal Medycyna Praktyczna advises dressing a baby in layers, so you can easily add or remove one. The simplest check is the back of the neck: sweaty means too warm, cool means it is worth adding something.

The same source says that first walks in the cold season usually last 10-15 minutes and are lengthened gradually. Besides temperature, wind, rain and air quality matter too, so on a smoggy day a shorter walk can be better than a long one.

A walk bag that stays with you every day

I sew from upholstery fabrics, from offcuts from furniture factories. These are new, unused pieces, too small to cover a sofa. Such fabric is thick and resists abrasion well, and it gets through drizzle and splashes without trouble. It will soak through in a downpour, so I do not call it waterproof.

Two of my bags with pram clips have just arrived in the shop, both with a zip, a place for a water bottle and an umbrella and two outside pockets:

Each of them is one of a kind. When it leaves the shop, I will not sew another identical one, because the offcuts are used up. You will find other shapes among the shopper bags.

Frequently asked questions

Bag or backpack for mums: which is better for a walk?

A bag gives quicker access to your things and moves easily into the pram basket. A backpack leaves your hands free when you carry the baby or fold the pram. If you walk mostly with a pram, a bag will be more convenient.

What should a pram bag contain?

Nappies, wipes, a changing mat, a bag for used things, a change of clothes and feeding things. In autumn also a dry layer in a sealed pouch and a rain cover for the pram.

Can a pram organiser replace a bag?

For a short walk, yes: a phone, keys, wipes and one nappy will fit. For a longer outing an organiser is too small and usually has no zip.

How many nappies should I take on a walk?

Two or three for an hour’s walk. For a longer outing, usually one for every two to three hours plus a spare.

How much can a bag hanging on a pram weigh?

As much as your pram’s manual says. Some models do not allow bags on the handle at all, others allow about 1 kg. Heavier things are better moved to the basket, within its limit.

Grey and raspberry tote bag with a houndstooth pocket on a park bench in autumn, a blurred pram in the background