Diaper Bag Essentials
It doesn’t take long before you become intimately familiar with your diaper bag.
Every nook and cranny.
Likewise, you will always remember the time when you forgot that ONE thing you needed.
At our first family dinner we brought the wrong nipple size for the bottle. Sounds harmless. Unless you have a newborn with a sensitive stomach who is convinced the sky is falling every night from 5-10pm.
*SHUDDER*
Moral of the story: Don’t be like me. Get your bag organized! Here’s a list to get you started.
Daily essentials change drastically after 2 years old - so I’ve separated the list into two….
Infant
Diapers (2-5 at all times)
Wipes/Wipe Alternative (Kirkland wipes are my FAVOURITE)
Change Pad (comes with most diapers bags)
Plastic bag for dirty diapers and clothes (I just grabbed a grocery bag but I’ve seen people use doggie poop bags - clever!)
Vaseline (or whatever diaper cream you use)
Soothers
Infant Tylenol (teething!)
Teething ointment
Hand Sanitizer
Tissues
Change of clothes (or two!)
Extra hat
Bottles (in an ice pack if premade)
Formula/Pumped Milk
Nursing pads
Spit up blanket/cloth
Bibs
Warm blanket (for covering them)
1 or 2 toys/books
Water and snack for mama
Masks
Toddler
There will be a bunch of items that eventually drop off the list. Main ones will probably be bottles, spit up clothes and soothers.
There will also be a few that you’ll want to add:
Kid snacks + water bottle
Cutlery
Band-Aids
Sunscreen
Extra Mitts/Hat
I switched from cloth to plastic bibs once solids came into play.
A Few Things to Note:
I recommend doing a weekly clean-out. I did it every Sunday night – a great way to reset for a new week. At the same time, change out the toys/books to prevent boredom.
Oh and the invention of backpack diaper bags – yessssss.
Prepare for change – what you require will change week to week. As soon as you get the hang of things their needs will change. It’s very annoying. But totally normal!
The bag gets lighter! When you leave the house with a newborn it will feel like you’re packing for mars - don’t stress. Once they hit their first birthday things ease up.
Final Thought: In a few years you will be a baby expert, you will forget life before you became a mom and you will be able to change a diaper while tying your shoes. So when you stumble across a brand new mom who could use a hand, stop and pass her the soother she just dropped. And give her that ‘I’ve been there’ smile – it will mean more than you know.
Mary Ann K. xo
