Top 10 Diaper Bag Must Haves

Having a newborn is full of the unexpected. Although you may think that you will spend all your time at home with your baby, in reality you will have doctors appointments and the unplanned trip to the store. You will never know when you will need to run an errand or run out the door. Packing your diaper bag beforehand with all of the essentials will save you from insanity when you are rushing to leave or in the middle of the grocery store. Here is my top ten diaper bag must haves!

Diapers

You know that you will need diapers, but how many? The best advice that I have ever receive was to pack one diaper for every hour you plan of being out, plus one. If you plan on taking a trip to the mall for about three hours, then take four diapers. Newborns will typically wet a diaper an hour. Then you will want that extra diaper if you spend more time than expected, or your baby has a blowout.

Keep your diaper bag stocked. As soon as you get home replace all the diapers that were used! This is also a good time to pull out any trash that was stuffed into the pockets of your diaper bag. This is a great way to ensure that you will always have diapers and a clean bag. And you will avoid scrambling to pack your diaper bag as you are rushing out the door!

Pacifier

Pacifiers are great for soothing your newborn. Whether they are just a little fussy, or getting anxious for you to feed them, a pacifier can save your sanity and soothe your little babe for the time being. I recommend that you always keep two pacifiers in your diaper bag at all times! This way if one is lost you have a back up. I also strongly encourage you to have a pacifier clip. Having this will protect your newborn’s pacifier from fall on dirty floors or being lost.

Feeding Essentials

If you choose to formula feed your baby makes sure you have enough bottles and formula for the amount of time you plan on being out of the house. Much like the diaper hack, plan to have enough bottle for every hour you are out of the house. As well as the accompanying formula and water. Now, if you are going to be gone for a day trip, this can add up to be a lot! I suggest that you back a cooler bag with your newborn’s bottles and supplies. This way you wont have to sift through your diaper bag finding everything you need.

Packing for feedings is a bit simpler if you choose to breastfeed. You essentially have everything your little babe needs right on you! However, you will still want to pack a few things! Definitely be sure to have extra nursing pads on hand, nipple cream, a cover, and a haakaa pump. Haaka pumps are a hand held pump that uses pressure to relieve the discomfort that accompanies engorgement or just having extra milk that would other wise leak. If you don’t want to dump your liquid gold, I suggest also carrying a storage bottle and being aware of how long breastmilk can stay out without being refrigerated.

Burp Cloths

Pack multiple burp clothes. Depending on how long your outing will be, pack between two and four. The best burp cloths I have ever seen are these swaddles from Target. Technically it isn’t a burp cloth, but it is a thin material, so it wont take up a ton of space, and it as a large surface area! Having such a large cloth will save you from your babe’s spit up no matter where they decide to turn their head!

Wipes

It is hard to say how many wipes you will need to pack. But as a rule of thumb I never went with less than a half of a pack for a trip that would be over three hours. You really never know when, or how many, blowouts your will experience. Or if you baby is going to spit up out of nowhere. Have plenty of wipes and be sure they are easy to access!

Extra Newborn Clothes

Always have a change of clothes. If you haven’t noticed the theme, I will just put it out there. Newborns are full of the unexpected, and poop! Having a change of clothes will allow you to continue enjoying your day out, even after you baby has a blow out. Plus, it will be much more comfortable for your baby to ride home in clean clothes, than naked. Packing extra clothes can be as simple as having another onesie on hand. I suggest just having a plain white onesie. This way no matter what your baby is wearing for the rest of their outfit, it will look decent.

Trash Bags

This is a little unconventional, but trust me on this! Have two to four grocery bags neatly folded and tucked away. They don’t have to be easy to access, because you wont be usually them regularly, but they are a lifesaver to have. If you newborn has a blowout, spits up everywhere or just has a super stinky diaper, having trash bags on hand will make your life so much easier. You can double bag it for wet and dirty clothes to bring home and wash. You can also use a grocery bag if there aren’t any trashcans around for that dirty diaper. I cannot stress enough how much carrying trash bags will save you!

For Mom

Just as it is important to have the essentials for your newborn, you need to be sure to pack things for you! As a mom we tend to forget about ourselves because we are focusing so much on everyone else. Take the time to pack a few things for you, so that your days away from home are more comfortable!

Water Bottle

Bring your water bottle and a snack! You never know when you will miss breakfast, or forget to eat a meal. Have a protein bar or two packed away so that you are always prepared. Not to mention, to avoid getting hangry, we are all guilty of it! You have a lot on your plate as a mom and deserve to be taken care of too!

A Shirt

Hear me out, if you have room to spare then pack an extra shirt for yourself! Although we take every precaution to not get spit up, or something worse, on us sometimes it just happens. If you have room to pack a shirt, or even a tank top for yourself, I would advice you to! You will thank yourself when you need it!

Clip For Keys

One of my absolute favorite things to have on my bag AT ALL TIMES is a little clip to hold my keys to my bag. No more digging to the bottom of your diaper bag to find you keys in the middle of the parking lot with a fussy baby! You can keep your keys clipped to the outside of your diaper bag for a super convenient find. Or keep them clipped inside your bag so they don’t get lost.

These diaper bag must haves will save you when in a pinch and will totally be worth carrying around! I am so excited for you to welcome your little baby into this world. Be sure to savor every moment because they grow up so fast. And if you want those moments to last just a little longer, then reach out and let’s talk about your maternity and newborn session!