The diaper bag… honestly it could be the title of a horror movie. Between not knowing which one you want, how much you want to spend, and then what you honestly need to put in it, the diaper bag can be a very dark black hole. And God help you and everyone around you if you ever forget the darn thing.
I am writing this post because I have 2 under 2, and I remember the days when I was pregnant with Lorelai my oldest, and I would daydream about having the perfect diaper bag. I would search on Pinterest for lists on top of lists of the items I would need. But now having toddlers I can pretty much throw those lists out the window. You would think the amount of items needed would dwindle down… WRONG! My diaper bag is always packed to the max, but everything in it is necessary and will get me through most any day or thing.
THE BAG
Let’s start at the beginning, the bag. You are going to want a bag that will last you through the newborn stage and well into the toddler stage. There are a lot of great options now which is really fun. “Fun” until you look at the price tag of the one you first fall in love with. When this happens, and if it is your first baby, don’t fret, you have a pass and my advice to you is put it on your registry. That way there is a chance someone might purchase it for you as a gift. If it is your second or so on baby then sorry your on your own. I would look on Amazon to see if they sell any dupes of your favorite brand.
When I had Avery, I was needing a new bag because unfortunately my first bags strap broke, I fell in LOVE with a brand, but it was wayyyy more money than I was willing to spend, but when I looked on Amazon I was able to find a bag that was created to have the same look as the original one I loved but was so much cheaper.
I still have the bag, and I love it so much to this day. It has so many compartments, and I love the style. I have always used my diaper bag as my purse. I think that having my wallet and keys in the diaper bag will make it harder (not impossible) to leave the diaper bag behind. (Also one less thing to carry.) I have received many compliments from other moms on my bag, and they always love the fact that it is a dupe, and not the real true brand.
Now I am in no way bashing the true brand. If I could afford the true brand bag I would still totally purchase it, with it being my second kid and bag, I felt guilty spending the money.
TODDLER CONTENTS
Here are my essentials in the diaper bag, I am going to concentrate on a toddler version. What I carry in my bag every time I go out with the kids.
DIAPERING
My number one thing is to ALWAYS make sure I have 4 diapers in my bag, that is 2 diapers per kid. I know this seems silly being that it is a “diaper” bag, but when you use them on one trip, it is very easy to forget to refill the bag. Now I personally find it easier to have a separate little zipper pouch bag for my diapering necessities, I use one I got from Thirty one. In this bag I keep:
- Diapers(4)
- A things of wipes (I like the Water Wipes in my bag, they come in smaller containers)
- Poo bags (for the smell, I buy the dog ones from the dollar store)
- Diaper Cream (I live for the spray!)
- Changing Pad
- Hand Sanitizer Spray
This pouch is usually filled to the max, but it helps so much to be able to just take that pouch out and change the diapers instead of the whole bag.
SNACKS
Snacks, man I never really knew how obsessed children were with snacks until I had mine. I probably hear the word “snack” more than any other word. For 2 snack eating toddlers I usually do 3 snacks each, and then an emergency tube of mini M&M’s and ziplock baggie of suckers. Those emergency snacks save lives all around, I promise.
Here are some of my favorite diaper bag snacks:
- Pirates Booty, small bags from COSTCO (Only when in sight with their cheesy residue hands)
- Pure Fruit Bars (I compare them to a healthy version of a Fruit Roll-Up)
- Snack cup of animal crackers (Usually the car snack of choice)
- 2 pouches per kid
I bought these pouch toppers from Amazon, and they are LIFE CHANGING! They keep kids from being able to over squeeze the pouches everywhere. This gave my 1 year old some independence, and saved me from having to feed the pouch to her slowly.
A few of my other favorite must have food items are 2 reusable placemats, I get mine from Target. These are amazing for at restaurants and parks. It has allowed Brent and I to enjoy our meals because we can put the kids food down on their mats and they can have the freedom to feed themselves. I also suggest having a hand sanitizer or two in your bag, especially right now with all this craziness going on. I keep one in the front pocket, in the diaper changing pouch, and the last one hanging on the top loop of the bag.
Two empty cups (I use our Yeti’s), unless we are going for a very long car ride. I try to have a no milk rule in the car and only water because its inevitably splattered everywhere on our cars seats. I like taking empty cups for two reason, it won’t spill in my bag, and two we can order or ask to fill it up when we get to the destination. I feel like it just makes it less messy.
Last two items pertaining to food are a spoon (Dollar Store spoons work great so you don’t have a missing piece of your set at home), and easy to fold bibs.
TOYS
I keep my toys pretty low key and simple. I keep them in the diaper bag almost all the time, so the kids get excited when we go places or in the car and they get to play with these.
Here is a list of mostly QUIET toys for in the diaper bag, great for restaurants, quiet homes (I can’t remember what those are), doctors, etc.:
- Toddler spinners
- Chewing beads
- Noggin Stick (THE BEST, not pictured because in my car)
- Sophie the Giraffe(only noise maker)
- Small Board Book
- Imagine Ink Coloring Book
- Crayons (I collect them from restaurants)
MISCELLANOUS
If I am going to go somewhere in the afternoon, I ALWAYS take pajamas with me. This makes it so much easier to change the girls so that when we get home they can get put straight in bed.
In summer time I always make sure that in one of the pockets I have sunscreen, sunglasses, and 2 sun-hats for the girls. This has come in handy many times when we ended up being outside for longer than we anticipated.
MY ITEMS
My list is short and sweet for myself, but often the most forgotten:
- Cellphone (#1 forgotten thing in my household)
- Keys
- Chapstick
- Hand lotion
- Hair-tie
- Bandaid Kit
- A Tampon
Thats it! Nice and simple for mom.
Woah! I told you the diaper bag is stuffed to the max. But I swear I use almost all of it every time I go somewhere. I hope this helps give an idea of what works best in a diaper bag for toddlers. Always remember though that everyone is different, so switch it up and add your favorites, this is to give you some ideas!
Comment below on some of your favorite items that you keep in your diaper bag, and remember even when you’re on the go, always try to thrive in the chaos around you the best you can, first step DON’T FORGET THE DIAPER BAG!