Hello, my name is Autumn and I am an over-packer. My obsession of over-packing started as a child. I packed everything I could think of for an overnight stay at a friends or a trip to the basement for a tornado warning. If there was severe weather in my area I packed all of my necessities and headed down to the basement. I probably spent more time packing then I did in the basement. Then I had children and my obsession went into over-drive. If we were headed out to the grocery store I would pack diapers, wipes, a bottle and an extra outfit. You know just in case my baby needed to eat and have a wardrobe change in the store. When she would go to a babysitters I would bring everything I thought appropriate for the couple of hours she would be gone. Of course diapers, wipes, blankets, outfits, toys, burp rags, food and even washcloths. I even had shampoo and body wash in her bag just in case someone wanted to give her a bath. Maybe I was just hoping someone would bathe her...

My days of over-packing came to a screeching halt one day at the Doctor's office. I brought my daughter along for an appointment and of course I had her huge bag with bath supplies included. My Doctor walked in the room and asked what kind of outing we had planned after we left her office. I replied "Oh nothing this is all we have going on today." She then asked why I had that huge bag packed when I was only going to be out of the house for an hour. I really didn't know what to say. I have always been a planner and prepared for everything so I thought it was perfectly fine to have shampoo and conditioner in my diaper bag. After I lugged my baby through the lobby in her car seat with a huge diaper bag over my shoulder I realized I did not need to bring everything she owned when we went out.

Now I can happily say we travel a little lighter. Of course it helps that my baby is a toddler now. I no longer bring all of her toiletries when we travel. Let's face it no one else is going to give your kid a bath. Most of the time we travel with a couple of diapers, wipes, snacks and a beverage. If we are going to be getting a babysitter of course I do pack a little more and I also pack the night before to save time the next day. Granted you do need more when they are small but you don't need to be like me and take every gift you got at your baby shower and fill your diaper bag with them. More than likely if you are taking your baby over to a sitter they have some baby supplies on hand so if you did happen to forget something they probably have it. I would pack so much that my daughter's babysitter would have a hard time finding things in her bag. Now that we are traveling light we actually make it places relatively on time. I would find myself extremely late all of the time because I was so busy packing my daughter's things and loading them into the car. Of course packing the night before is a big help too. As parents we are so busy with everyday life anyway we don't need to spend so much time on getting ready for it. Don't be like me. Pack light and the night before so you have time to change the huge explosion that is more than likely going to happen in your baby's diaper right before you walk out of the door.