This post may seem a little Captain Obvious, but the truth is, the first time I went to pack my diaper bag, which was the first time I was leaving the house with the baby, I was SO nervous. Do I have everything I need? What do I actually need? Do I have enough of all that I need? So, I gooogled. And googled again just to be sure. I packed way too much and that was OK; I was a new mom and needed to feel over-prepared. Now that she’s five months old, I’ve figured out what I actually need and have a good system.
Before we get into what’s inside, let’s talk about the diaper bag itself. I had a hard time finding one that felt like me – they all just felt SO big and SO not cool. I ended up finding the Fern by Stella McCartney which has been great. It’s cute, not overwhelming in size, easy to wipe off, comes with a diaper changing pad and is well equipped with a big pocket on the outside to hold my personal belongings. As for what’s inside, here’s what I like to pack:
A bag for diapers:
Someone sent personalized “Leo” terrycloth bags as a gift and they’ve majorly come in handy. I use one of the bags to store all the diaper needs in one place – it just helps to keep the diapers’ shape and makes it easy to grab all the diaper needs at once one-handed.
In the diaper bag, I carry 2-5 diapers depending on how long of a day we have, wipes (we use WaterWipes), diaper rash cream (we use Honest), the disposable diaper bags to toss the diaper in once it’s been used and hand sanitizer to clean up with after I’ve changed her. In the zipped pocket, I keep an extra outfit in case the one she’s wearing gets soiled.
Pacifiers:
Since these go in her mouth, I like to keep them in a small bag to keep them clean. I have 2 on hand along with a strap to keep them from falling on the floor.
Swaddle and burp cloth:
I keep a burp cloth in here all the time because things get messy and it comes in handy. When it was cooler, I always had an extra swaddle but now that it’s hot, I don’t carry one with me all the time. I toss one in my bag if we’re going to be out later in the day and it may be chilly or if we’re going to a class where I’ll need to lay the baby down. Otherwise, I don’t fill up my bag with a bulky swaddle, BUT I do keep two in my car at all times so if I were to need one, I have one in there.
Clothing needs:
In addition to the extra outfit I keep in the diaper section of the bag, I like to keep a cardigan or sweatshirt on us in the event that it gets cool. I also leave in a pair of socks for the same reason since she’s usually barefoot.
Toys:
First and foremost, I need teething toys with me. She’s been teething pretty badly and the chewing really helps. Luckily these double up as toys to play with even when she’s not teething. Besides those, I keep one small book with me which I swap out every week to keep her interested. Lately, she’s been very into crinkle paper books.
Outside pocket:
Carrying a purse with the diaper bag doesn’t make sense so I leave a few personal belongings in the big outside pocket along with things that I want easy access to. Think hand sanitizer, hand wipes, lipstick (KOSAS Thrillest as of late), a little face mist, an organic bar (so mom doesn’t get famished – liking these organic bars by GoMacro), my phone, wallet, keys and teething oil.
What about you? What do you pack? Would love to hear your tips!
