A Dozen Things Your Diaper Bag NEEDS
Ah, the diaper bag, a staple among baby products. There are a lot of different kinds to choose from. Honestly, probably too many choices. What really matters is having a well-packed diaper bag. Below I will go through the 12 most important things to have in a diaper bag. Obviously, if you have a baby with unusual circumstances such as a medical condition or dietary restrictions this will look a bit different but, generally speaking, these items will make your life a lot easier as you venture out into the world beyond your living room.
1. Diapers and wipes
Let’s just get the obvious out of the way. As newborns, babies go through about a diaper for every day of life up until about 10 days. My daughter had up to 12 or 13 some days. Now, that’s probably on the high end and that was from the time she woke up until bedtime but, to avoid restocking every day, you will want a good amount in there!
2. A blowout outfit (and wet bag)
Of those 10 diapers, it is likely that 50+% of them will be poopy. Blowouts can also mean peeing through clothes. Either way, you’re going to want a new back outfit for those wardrobe changes and a place to put them. If you’re anything like me, I would recommend putting 2 in there because you will inevitably forget to put a new one in when you use the first one.
3. Diaper cream
I don’t know if this is the norm but we didn’t really need or use diaper cream until our little one was a bit older. I am sure that this is due to the microbes that babies have on their skin and the fact that we were pretty diligent about changing (we didn’t change every little diaper since they’re pretty absorbent and made to whisk away moisture, but we did change them before they were super full). However, once we did start using it, it became a staple for every 2-3 diaper changes and before bed! Plus, the earlier you use it, the less severe and lingering a rash is likely to be.
I personally use Desitin or Baby Aquaphor. However, my mother also used A&D so I know that one works great as well. The Baby Aquaphor I find is better for dry/blistering diaper rash whereas the Desitin works really great for mild or just-starting diaper rash!
A hack if you like to travel but have perpetual Mom Brain like me is to have the travel sized ones in the diaper bag by default! Then you don’t have to worry about TSA confiscating a full tube because you forgot that it was over 3oz.
4. Toys
This is something you can get away with not having for a while but will eventually need to have. As babies get busier it is going to take more tools to keep them occupied. The thing that sucks about this one is that the ones that keep their attention are usually the ones that rattle, crinkle, or otherwise make noise. My husband and I (and baby!) all love this chewable rosary which doesn’t make noise but has texture to help with teething. It is also skinny enough for baby to hold on to themself!
Find what works for you and your baby and have 2-3 options available (they will get bored of/suddenly not like one if it is the only one you have!).
5. Boob stuff
Nipple butter, haakaa, nursing pads, nipple shield, and whatever other things you use/plan to use when breastfeeding. Especially for the first few months while your supply is regulating, you will leak quite a bit. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a change of shirt for YOU in there as well in case of significant leaking or if baby spits up!
*what’s linked are the brands that I personally used/have had success with!
6. Nursing cover OR formula holder with bottle/water OR snacks
Gotta be able to feed baby on the go! Newborns are “supposed” to eat every 2-3 hours (I use quotations because this is more like every 45 minutes to 4 hours and is usually never consistent unless you have a unicorn baby). A friend of mine had to practice using her nursing cover at home to avoid unwanted slips in public.
Whatever you have to do, do it with confidence – your baby is depending on you! If you want some more information on this, you can look at my article on the Top 5 Places Women Shouldn’t Breastfeed. As your kiddo gets older, snacks and water will replace bottle items but the sentiment is the same. It actually goes right along with toys – they always love the noisy ones (crackers, goldfish, pretzels…).
7. Pacifiers
If you’re choosing to use these, pack them! I recommend a pacifier holder that clips to the handle of your diaper bag to avoid hairs and dirt getting on it! The one I had (my baby apparently hates pacis) is this one and it is 2 sided for a clean vs dirty one! I’m all for just rinsing it with water or my spit but some places it falls are just nasty (I’m talking to you, public bathroom floor).
8. Sound machine
This is arguably not super necessary but, as someone who wasn’t planning on using white noise because I wanted my baby to be able to sleep with the sounds of life, have one just in case. I use this one which is portable, has multiple sounds, and also a night light. It can be clipped to car seats or strollers and has a long battery life!
9. Changing pad
Also not totally necessary but this is something that doesn’t take up much space and is really nice for public bathrooms. Sometimes there are paper hygiene liners available but, if not, this is really convenient. You never know who isn’t going to wipe it down after changing a poopy diaper on it or who knows what else!
*Mine came with the diaper bag I chose but if you click here you will see a highly rated one to give you an idea of what I am talking about!
10. Burp cloths
Our baby didn’t spit up a ton but small enough that we could actually change her on bigger burp cloths! This is not going to be the case for everyone and we still preferred the changing pad for the bathroom changing tables but, if we were at a friend’s house and wanted a barrier between her and the couch/carpet (boys aren’t the only ones who like to pee as soon as the diaper comes off), these were very handy.
Someone also got us little washcloth-sized burp rags which were a LITERAL GAME CHANGER! She didn’t spit up much and, when she did it was only a little, so these were perfect for wiping her mouth. I also had to use a nipple shield for the first 3-4 months so these were convenient for folding around it to keep it clean between uses (I didn’t order any with a carrying case and just used the ones the hospital provided until much later).
Either way, burp cloths are so versatile that they are a staple for any diaper bag!
11. Hand sanitizer
Babies are messy and germs are plentiful. While I am all for building a natural immune system, in the first few months baby’s immune system is maturing and very delicate in the meantime. As a Catholic, I found this the most beneficial after we gave the sign of peace in mass because some people were really fond of shaking hands despite my small wave that was meant to hint at the fact that I didn’t want to be touched.
12. Chapstick
Honestly, I don’t know why this is such an essential but you always realize you need it when you don’t have it. Plus, it takes up next to no space!
Now that you have this stuff all safely packed in your boujee, 21st-century diaper bag, you are well on your way! Happy exploring (even if it is just to the grocery store).
