Sherpa Daddy

August 03, 2010, By Craig J. Heimbuch 0 comments

It was an impulse stop to re-urbanize ourselves after a week on the farm visiting Iowa relatives. Chicago isn't exactly on the way home, but it's one of those places we like going, even if it is only for a few hours.

So that's what we did - we took a detour and spent six hours in the city. We did some tourist things - the architectural boat tour, we hit Michigan Avenue, we ate at Navy Pier and saw a few extraordinary things. And, all told, it was a pretty fantastic way to end up our 1,800-mile summer road-trip odyssey. The kids really seemed to enjoy themselves, my wife got some shopping done and I, for the most part, enjoyed my time in one of my top three favorite cities in the world.

That is, until I sat down.

My back was killing me, my shirt was soaked with sweat and, even today (a couple days later), my neck feels like it is a bit off-center, as if it were trying to migrate to a position farther out on my right shoulder. Why? Because I was unprepared.

While we had prepared for a week of relative ease and the wide-open spaces of my family's acreage in Iowa, we were not ready for urban parenting. We packed no stroller. We packed no diaper bag. And, as a consequence, I had to carry our nearly three year-old and shopping bags nearly the entire afternoon. I couldn't just let him run the streets the way I had let him run the farm - God knows what would have happened. My wife is six months pregnant, so having her lug stuff around was out of the question, besides she needed to keep track of our older son.

True, we left our house thinking we would be out on the farm and space was tight in the van, so we didn't pack frivolous things, but I can't help but think that there were three things we should have had with us regardless of destination. These are items that I believe will now have a perminant place in the trunk, just in case we are ever again struck by the inspiration to stop along the way.

1. A compact stroller. We have the deluxe neighborhood cruiser model and it was too big to fit among our vacation luggage, but had we a smaller version with us, I might not be dry-swollowing ibuprofen right now. I like this Chicco Liteway Stroller. At $130, it's more expensive than your run-of-the-mill drugstore umbrella stroller, but it makes up for it with additional stability, a five-point harness, under seat storage and a five-position reclining seat - so the bambino can catch some Zs while you cruise the strip, Central Park or Manhatten Beach. It folds a lot smaller than your bulkier - and more stable - home stroller, but still feels like something substantial. Well worth the extra cost - particularly when you factor in chiropractor bills.

2. An oversized bag. Diaper bags are great and all, but what if you want to carry more than a couple diapers, some wipes and a bottle? What if you want to leave your car, your hotel, your house for a day with the family and, heaven forbid, it might rain? Or you might want to carry something home? That's where something bigger comes in to play. I'm not one for single-task bags. I don't like having one suitcase for one thing, another for another. So whenever I pack to go out of town, I usually pack my clothes - all of them - in a duffle bag and put everything else into something like the Patagonia Critical Mass bag. I'm pretty high on this bag right now. In part because it is made by Patagonia - a company known for quality and efficiency - and in part because it is so multi-functional. It's basically an oversized messenger bag with a laptop sleeve, sturdy padded strap with cell phone holder, and enough storage for everything you could possibly need. It's great for a day out with the family - use the laptop sleeve for diapers and wipes, use the main storage space for coats, snacks, extra clothes and to carry home your purchases - and great for work, especially if you are a business traveler. Clothes in a checked back, everything else in this puppy.

3. Plenty of these. Various sizes - small for snacks, a quart or two for dirty diapers and trash and a freezer bag for those pants your kid just peed on. Seems basic, I know, but I must have spent half an hour carrying Dylan around, looking for a place to dump a dirty diaper or a wrapper from the fruit chewies he had for a snack. These things are like utility players, they can be used for way more than they are advertised and, if you have them, you will be surprised how handy they can be. Do you have any idea what sunscreen can do to a new shirt?

Of course, you still need to pack your essentials for a day out, but these three things might help make your day a little more pleasant. At least your back will thank you. Mine would have, had I been a little smarter.