Considering their overall limitations, how many things a baby needs is pretty amazing.
Bottles, pacifiers, diapers, wipes, not to mention toys, books, and other things to keep them entertained.
As a result, sometimes going on a one-hour outing to the park with an infant or a toddler can feel like you are packed for a weeklong vacation.
In order to make sure neither he nor his wife was ever caught off guard when out and about with their toddler, Redditor kiwi_irish implemented an unofficial rule regarding keeping the diaper bag fully stocked.
As a result, the original poster (OP) was not pleased to find something rather important missing from the bag on a recent outing.
And wasn’t afraid to express his displeasure to his wife, placing the blame squarely on her.
Wondering if he was in the wrong for doing so, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where he asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for getting annoyed at my wife for having no nappies in the nappy bag?”
The OP explained why he felt his wife was to blame when he discovered his daughter’s diaper bag was improperly packed.
“So I (35 M[ale]) took the baby (2 F[emale]) out the other day whilst my wife (35 F) was at work.”
“I am prepared for several hours out of the house, snack, juice, books (Don’t Mess with Duck which I highly recommend) etc.”
“I grab the nappy bag, throw it in the pram and leave.”
“We go to the pub for a spot of lunch, we read a story, I drink some of my pint and then the baby poo’s.”
“No problem, I threw the nappy bag into the pram.”
“I go through said bag and there are no nappies.”
“It’s 21⁰C outside, she is in a dress and I have promised the park.”
“I am panicking.”
“There are trousers in the bag, do I just bang them on and style it out?”
“Do we sack off the park and go home?”
“Do I just deal with that meltdown?”
“Luckily the pub have nappies in the changing room and I bang her in some tight-fitting neonatal nappies, and we head for the park.”
“When I get home, my wife gets annoyed at me for not checking the bag before leaving.”
“My standpoint: if you use the last nappy, you should replenish the bag, and the nappy bag is a grab bag.”
“She thinks I am the a**hole for not checking, and I think she is the a**hole for not replenishing the nappy supply in the bag when she uses the last one.”
“So reddit, AITA?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
The OP found little to no sympathy from the Reddit community, who pretty much unanimously agreed that the OP was the a**hole for scolding his wife for not refilling the diaper bag.
Pretty much everyone agreed that the OP was completely out of line to blame his wife for not refilling the diaper bag and agreed he should have double-checked that he had everything he needed in the bag, regardless of who had it last.
“You grabbed your highly recommended book, but not butt wipes.”
“Priorities, my man, priorities.”
“YTA.”- Intrepid_Potential60
“YTA.”
“You always gotta check that the diaper bag is stocked before you leave the house.”
“You’re the one responsible for making sure the baby has everything she needs when you’re out with her.”
“It’s not at all intuitive to expect the person who is getting home with a baby in tow to remember to repack the diaper bag.”
“Just check before you go out, and don’t blame your wife for your mistakes.”
“Hell, how are you even so sure it was her who used the last one?”- Outrageously_Penguin
“YTA.”
“’I am prepared for several hours out of the house.’”
“Seems like you weren’t , because you didn’t check the one most important thing for your child, the nappy bag.”
“This isn’t like not refilling the toilet paper on a roll that whoever uses it last refills it.”- Jodster007
“YTA.”
“Parents need to think it all the way through.”
“It’s not mom’s job to do every detailed task for baby so that it’s always perfect for everybody else.”
“If you’re ‘on’ with your kid, that means everything: pack the bags, pack the snacks, make sure you have all that you need.”- imtchogirl
“YTA.”
“The person TAKING the baby needs to be the one to check the supply levels of the bag before leaving the house.”
“It’s very easy to forget to replenish when you arrive home from a day out with baby.”
“This is on you, dude.”- DeeDee-MayMay
“YTA, obviously.”
“But for the people arguing, here is where the theory that the wife (or whoever) should replenish and the next person should just be able to grab it falls apart.”
“How would the person replenishing the bag know how many nappies to put it in the bag for the next outing?”
“In theory, the wife could say, hey, there’s one left – all good.”
“Not the last one!”
“Then dumb@ss dad grabs the bag because it’s too much work for him to check, and he’s going out for eight hours.”
“Now it’s the wife’s fault there aren’t FOUR nappies in there.”
“Would you look at that?”
“He’s never responsible for it!”- Hagridsbuttcrack66
“’I’m prepared for several hours out of the house’.”
“No, no you weren’t.”
“Obviously you check for diapers.”
“YTA this was your problem, not your wife’s.”- No_Location_5565
“YTA.”
“The one taking the bag has to check everything.”
“Your wife does not owe you a ready bag every time you go for a walk.”
“I bet she checks before going out, and that is her system.”
“It is not always possible to replenish immediately after the walk. Much easier to do it while planning the next walk, before going out.”- sperans-ns
“I have never heard of anyone replenishing the nappy bag after using it.”
“Isn’t it like a purse?”
“You open it, look at what you need, pack it.”
“YTA, even if you both normally keep it stocked like it’s an emergency bug-out bag, it’s still your responsibility to ensure you have everything.”- Asleep-Excuse1067
“YTA.”
“You always check before leaving. You’re never home when you use the last one, therefore not immediately replacing.”
“It’s a good learning moment for you, take your kid out more often, alone, so you develop the habit of checking.”- mak-ina-myn
“YTA.”
“God, the egregious entitlement of thinking your wife needs to check the bag before YOU take it.”-madelinegumbo
“Everybody has to deal with the most immediate need when they have a baby in hand.”
“It’s super easy to come home with a tired hungry baby and forget to restock the bag- your priority when you come home is never the bag restocking.”
“When you leave, you have to double-check.”
“I bet you never leave without double-checking again.”
“Lay off your spouse.”
“It’ll be you next time.”
“Nobody here is really TA unless you always insist on everything being exactly the way you’d like it to be- if so, YTA.”- Zealousideal_Bag2493
“YTA.”
“Don’t blame her because you didn’t check the nappy bag for nappies.”
“We all know a nappy bag with no nappies is just a bag.”
“I agree with you that if you use the last nappy, you should add nappies.”
“But you’re the one who left with a nappy-less nappy bag.”
“YOU should’ve checked.”
“Next time, nappy up – all by yourself.”
“You can do it!”
“I believe in you!”- lookingformiles
“YTA.”
“You were the parent going on an outing,”
“it was your responsibility to be sure you were prepared.”- NeeliSilverleaf
“YTA.”
“Just like you check your wallet to make sure you have enough money/ID etc,”
“You check the baby bag to make sure you have everything that you need.”
“And I am sure by your own reasoning, you replenished the nappy supply bag when you got home.”-DontAskMeChit
“You wouldn’t jump out of a plane without checking your parachute would you?”
“YTA.”- thenexttimebandit
“YTA: Kinda.”
“Don’t blame your wife. She may have just forgotten.”
“You didn’t check before you left either.”
“It’s not a big deal really, so don’t make it into one.”
“Sh*t happens.”- Syniote
A contrite OP later returned with an update, admitting that he did not handle this as well as he could have and perhaps was the one at fault.
“Several hours later: I should have checked the bag.”
“I get it. It is my fault, thanks, guys. I will apologize when she gets home from work.”
“You guys are mad with all of the comments calling me a useless Dad.”
“It’s amazing.”
Being out and about with a toddler and discovering you don’t have extra diapers is a very unfortunate discovery indeed.
This is why, as many members of the Reddit community pointed out, you always double, even triple-check, that you have everything you need before stepping outside.
Something it seems the OP will never forget to do ever again.