I’m having what I’d call a bad-mom day. When things aren’t going according to plan already, and then there’s the poop or pee or mud puddle or spilled juice situation and a toddler looking up at you, sad tears welling in her eyes, to fix it.

You’re going to have to MacGyver a solution with whatever you happen to have in your diaper bag.

Enter the doggie poop bags, savior of many a bad-mom day. They’re also very useful on easy days, and extremely useful for traveling.

Doggie poop bags and the handy dispenser they come in are available at any pet store. I prefer the biodegradable bags because then I don’t feel squeamish about using them up.

So, poopsplosion in the middle of San Diego International? Pack all that grossness up in a doggie poop bag and be on your way.

Head-to-toe mud puddle accident in Pacific Heights? Salvage what you can, throw the rest in the doggie poop bag, and let your husband deal with the stains once you’re home.

Child just had to have a banana in the middle of Nordstrom and who knows where the closest trash can is? Instead of carrying that banana peel around in your clenched fist, toss it in a doggie poop bag.

The doggie poop bags also work well whether you’re using disposable or cloth diapers. Did you just do a diaper change in the middle of the park and don’t see a trash can? Doggie poop bag. Was there an especially gross diaper at home and you never invested in a Diaper Genie? Doggie poop bag, sealed with a knot.

On the flip side, you can use the doggie poop bag to store wet/dirty cloth diapers until you get home.

Now, I know you can buy regular diaper trash bags, but they cost 2 to 3 times what doggie poop bags cost. (I’m sure we’re all familiar with the mark up on anything packaged for babies by this point.)

So, trust me on this one, the doggie poop bag pellet is a must-have.