The Diaper Bag | What to Pack

By Alanna George, on January 12th, 2011

When we had our first baby I had no idea how much gear it would take to get out the door. Now that I have a system for packing the Diaper Bag I want to share it with all of you.

I love my Skip Hop Diaper Bag. It has made it beautifully through four children and is still in great shape. Mine is nothing fancy, but it does its job. The bag cost a few dollars more than some other diaper bags, but for me I knew we were gonna have more than one baby so it was worth it to buy something that would hold up over the long haul.

Once you have your diaper bag you want to pack the basics. You need diapers, wipes, diaper cream, and a changing pad. What I discovered is that when I am away from home my baby likes to poop out of her diaper. So I pack an extra outfit or two to change her into. I also pack a gallon-size plastic zipper bag with a scoop of Oxi-Clean in the bottom. When the baby dirties an outfit I put some water in the bag and then add the outfit (make sure you zipper that bag shut tight) and let it soak in the bag until I get home and put it in the washer. Because the baby likes to dirty her outfits this way I also put a travel-size container of baby wash in the diaper bag. If I need to I can give her a quick bath.

If you are out in public areas you might want to include disposable changing pads in your bag. You can cover the changing table in the public restroom (I use my regular changing pad underneath too) and if the baby does poop or pee while you are changing her you are going to throw the pad away anyway. Include scented diaper trash bags and a travel-size container of anti-bac hand-sanitizer in your diaper bag; both are great to use if you have an emergency change in the car or at some other inconvenient location.

Other items I add to the bag include Infant’s Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen and a thermometer. You may want include an extra pacifier, burp cloth, blanket and season appropriate clothing such as hats, etc. Don’t forget any feeding items you might need such as bottles and formula.

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