@rmmorris I never had that feeling. TBH I’m way more worried about the stuff I stack on the stroller/afraid of forgetting something when I go to the register than the backpack! I feel like nobody would really suspect a mom with a baby!
So the funny thing is... I used to work in loss prevention as Macy's when I was in college and people with strollers are the first people we watch in stores. I know this is going to be hard to believe because well, morals and all... but using children as a distraction to steal and having a stroller to hide merchandise in is an ideal tactic for a thief. I stopped and apprehended MANY women who were shoplifting while with their children. I even stopped a mom once who had a very small infant (maybe a few weeks old?) and the stroller was stuffed with stuff. It's sad but people do it ALL the time. So yes, you probably are being watched!
*lurker*
On this note, look under your car seat while checking out if you're setting it in your cart!!! It doesn't sit nice (it rocks while pushing) if it's at the far end of the cart and I'm putting stuff in the end closest to me, so I put the car seat closest to me and the stuff I'm buying at the far end. With the way carts are angled, stuff slides down and under the seat.
Twice now, I've put all my groceries in the car and pulled the car seat out and found something underneath. The first time, I honestly considered just keeping it. It was a $4 item. But I didn't. I went back inside and went through the self checkout. The second time, again, it was a $5 or $6 item. My baby was crying, and so I just decided I didn't need it and handed it to one of the guys getting carts in the parking lot. Hopefully he didn't keep it (it was a pack of pens), but there was a second guy nearby and if he did, that's on him, not me.
STM here and my friend bought me an awesome/cute pottery barn bag that I used, approximately 5 times as a diaper bag (we now use it to tote toddler toys when we go to my parents house). We ended up exclusively using the bag I bought for my husband - its a patagonia messenger bag and although not billed as a diaper bag has great features that make it useful - 2 external pockets that can hold a bottle/sippy/water bottle, two front zipper pouches that can hold keys/cards/cash - pacifiers, hand sanitizer....then a big pouch that fit 10+diapers, wipes, change of clothes, a couple of toys, changing pad. Both my hubs and I are comfortable carrying it as its pretty ergonomic and not ultra feminine.
FTM over here. If there's one thing I learned from all of my mom friends, it was to go with a backpack diaper bag. They ALL started with super cute shoulder bags, and then all switched within a few months to a backpack when they realized they needed free hands and were tired of the bag falling off their shoulder. That being said, we don't live in an area where you really need to use your stroller when out and about (we're not a walking city/town). You drive everywhere and then just grab your kid to run in the store. Unless you're out on a big shopping trip (like the mall) everyone just grabs their kid and runs in the store. I registered for the popular backpack on amazon. It's like $35 and has thousands of great reviews so I figure if I don't like it I can always buy something else later.
STM— has a traditional over the shoulder diaper bag with my first and it was so annoying. It was bulky and just an overall PITA. I eventually switched to a backpack I had lying around the house and it worked much better. This time around I’d like a backpack but would like one with clips to clip onto the stroller. That was the only feature I loved on the traditional bag.
FTM so maybe I'm missing something but I'm not thrilled with the idea of getting a padded *diaper* bag that is $100+ and you'll use for ~2 years. The alternative is to get a regular bag and with an organizer insert, ziplock bags, and zippered pouches. Husband picked out this backpack as his diaper bag (different color) - https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/rucksack. I was thinking about getting a Longchamps tote, but in the meantime I got this bag for $15 (it's huge) and I can use it for gym or yoga after - https://www.dsw.com/en/us/product/puma-lifestyle-yoga-gym-bag/400717
Re: Can we talk about diaper bags?
I don't know much about it but it's got good reviews.
On this note, look under your car seat while checking out if you're setting it in your cart!!! It doesn't sit nice (it rocks while pushing) if it's at the far end of the cart and I'm putting stuff in the end closest to me, so I put the car seat closest to me and the stuff I'm buying at the far end. With the way carts are angled, stuff slides down and under the seat.
Twice now, I've put all my groceries in the car and pulled the car seat out and found something underneath. The first time, I honestly considered just keeping it. It was a $4 item. But I didn't. I went back inside and went through the self checkout. The second time, again, it was a $5 or $6 item. My baby was crying, and so I just decided I didn't need it and handed it to one of the guys getting carts in the parking lot. Hopefully he didn't keep it (it was a pack of pens), but there was a second guy nearby and if he did, that's on him, not me.
https://www.patagonia.com/product/lightweight-travel-courier-bag-15-liters/48813.html?dwvar_48813_color=MAG&cgid=luggage#tile-87=&start=1&sz=108