8 Must-Have Essentials for a Playful Mom’s Purse

Okay, we all love coloring now, right? But keeping crayons in your purse is an absolute ‘no’ as we’ve learned time and time again. For this list, we’re forgetting the kid stuff and sharing eight items you can stick in your purse that will bring a little more play and spark to your day… even if you’re mid-carpool on a 90 degree day with no AC. Seriously.

1. First, you’ve got to have a good pouch to keep all your stuff in. LeSportSac is a go-to fave for a mess-proof pouch that will fit in your purse.  Shown is an oldie, but we recommend the LeSportSac 3-zip cosmetic now. It comes in a ton of awesome patterns, too.


2. Fresh breath can feel like a serious breath of fresh air sometimes. Grab a pack of Project 7 gum from the grocery store line and do a little good while you chew. They give back to a variety of charities for each pack purchased. (Plus the packs are resealable and taste amazing.)


3. Should you always have a good pen on hand to sign important documents with? Of course. But you should also have a few awesome colorful pens to make note taking and making more fun. Stabilo pens are a great way to go—they don’t bleed through paper and come in an insane amount of colors. You’ll be refusing to share with the kids after one stroke of ink.


4. YesTo Cleansing Facial Towelettes are amazing when you’ve been stuck in the car or airplane for hours. Or when it’s the middle of the summer and you’re feeling kind of sticky. They come in a variety of scents, as well as unscented and will have you feeling refreshed in no time. Plus, they’re 99% natural!


5. Another thing we always keep in our bags? Bobbi pins. But these bobbi pins are way better. ban.do has created a line of really fun, and sometimes sparkly, hair accessories that make pinning your hair back to deal with kids, pets and work way more pleasant. I swear just using one of these to pin bangs back makes me feel super cute all day. 


6. Discovered in the tiny travel thingys section of Target, this Method hand sanitizer is a life saver and germ killer. Plus, it doesn’t smell like rubbing alcohol and the packaging is super colorful.


7. A hardcover pocket-size notebook. You know, for those colorful pens we just talked about. Or doodling and coloring. Keep this paired with colorful pens in your purse and try to focus on it instead of your smartphone whenever you have a few minutes to wait somewhere. I’ve been known to kill time by doodling silly messages for my friends, then taking out the phone to snap a picture and send along. It will brighten their day more than a hundred emojis.  

—By Alaina Buzas, Contributor

(This post was in no way sponsored by any of the above brands. We just love them a lot.)