How To Pack A Diaper Bag: A Diaper Bag Checklist

As new mothers, all of us obsess over how to pack a diaper bag? The anatomy of the perfect diaper bag is discussed at length in many blog posts all over the internet.

As a new mother, I loved reading how other mothers packed their diaper bags and noted all their product recommendations. But I suffered from what is called new motherhood overwhelm. Every time I left the house, I panicked about missing something important. After several months of the mothering gig, I got used to packing the perfect diaper bag for every occasion.

Today I want to share my diaper bag essentials with you, so you are prepared everytime you step out of the house with your baby.

A disclaimer before you read this post is to research ingredients and products and look for value for money. It is no use buying 100 products and trying each on your child. Find a few good quality products that work for your child and stick with them. You do not need everything that is out there in the market. Believe me, there are a lot of products out there, and you don’t need it all!.

Related reading: Newborn essentials checklist

ANATOMY OF THE PERFECT DIAPER BAG

So what goes into a diaper bag? Think in terms of needs, the baby/toddler needs to

Pee/Poo – Diapering essentials

Eat – Breastfeeding essentials and snacks

Be Entertained/Kept busy – Toys or books

Be Protected from harsh weather conditions – So extra clothes and warm clothing for winter and sun protection and hats for summers

These are the basic categories to consider when packing a diaper bag. Now, let’s look at a detailed list of diaper bag essentials.

WHAT TO PACK IN A DIAPER BAG FOR A NEWBORN AND INFANTS

Diaper Bag Essentials

1. Disposable Diapers/ Cloth Diapers
2. Portable changing pad
3. Baby wipes: My favorites – Water wipes and Mamaearth organic bamboo wipes
4. Diaper rash cream/balm: My favorites – Sebamed baby rash cream and Earth mama angel baby bottom balm
5. Change of clothes: In case of poop explosions or other messy disasters. Depending on the weather, I make sure to change the baby onesie/tee in my diaper bag from long sleeved to short sleeved ones. In winters I carry an extra lightweight hoodie jacket in my bag too.
6. Nursing cover
7. Bottle feeding supplies and formula (if not breastfeeding)
8. Wet bag: To dump soiled clothes, used burp cloths or cloth diapers in. Bumpadum waterproof wet bag
9. Blanket: We used this organic cotton dohar in multiple ways, as a blanket, and as a backup swaddle.
10. Rattle/musical toy: Here are some of our favorite car toys for babies. My son enjoyed playing with each of these on long car drives, they worked like a charm keeping him calm on the road. Sophie the giraffe/Baby Einstein take along tunes
11. Burp cloths/washcloths
12. Extra baby swaddles: I used to pack the ready-made swaddles for long trips outside the home. A swaddle wrap can be used to quickly wrap the baby in cramped baby changing rooms.
13. Baby carrier: A baby wrap for newborns and a baby carrier from 6 months of age and up.

HOW TO PACK A DIAPER BAG FOR A TODDLER

Most of the diaper bag essentials remain the same, with minor tweaks to the list as per the age of the child.

1. Pull up diapers/training pants: Go with pant style diapers for toddlers. If you have started with potty training, training pants are a better option.
2. Baby wipes
3. Portable changing pad
4. Diaper rash cream
5. Sunscreen
6. Hat
7. Mini first aid kit containing band-aid and medicines
8. Nursing cover
9. Water bottle/Sippy cup: Our favorite sippy cups for toddlers are Munchkin miracle 360 cup and Philips Avent straw cups
10. Snacks (1-2 snacks): I always carry a few snacks in the bag; either homemade energy bars, energy balls, chapati wraps or packaged snacks like The Mummum Co Crunchies.
11. Blanket
12. Face napkins
13. Tissues
14. Ziplock: To collect and properly dispose of all those food crumbs and messes.
15. Wet bag
16. Toys for the car: Our favorite car toys for toddlers are Melissa and Doug Water wow books, small cars and age-appropriate board books.
17. Extra set of clothes
18. Extra socks
19. Toddler full buckle carrier

WHAT TO PACK FOR MOMS IN A DIAPER BAG

Home keys and/or car keys

Wallet

Lip balm

Lipstick

Face Mist

Pen & Mini notebook

Sunglasses

Bottle of water

Extra T-shirt

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A DIAPER BAG

These are the things I look for in a diaper bag;

1. Lots of compartments: I like bags with multiple compartments. This makes it easy to organize the contents of the bag. During an emergency, you know exactly which compartment to access to retrieve something.
2. An inner waterproof lining makes cleaning of the bag easier.
3. Multipurpose and stylish diaper bag: I love bags that can be used in many ways without looking like a diaper bag. My favorite styles are tote bag and backpack style diaper bag. With large tote bags, organize the contents using diaper bag organization pouches.

I hope I answered your question on how to pack a diaper bag. These diaper bag packing tips are pretty much all you need for different types of trips out of the house.

What diaper bags do you use? Do you have some diaper bag packing tips and tricks of your own? Leave us a comment below.