"Are You Packing These 10 Essentials in Your Diaper Bag?"

I know that when I had my first daughter I was overwhelmed with all the changes. It can be super scary trying to figure out life with a new little person in it. Once the newness of the situation wore off and I was ready to venture out into the world again I had to live by trial and error. What things are absolutely essential and what things were taking up space that were totally useless? Well, I now have three daughters and have narrowed down what I believe to be the absolute essentials for every diaper bag!

1. Diapers (duh!)

2. Reusable Wipe Container

3. Extra Outfit

4. Extra Pacifier (or comfort item)

5. Extra Bottle

6. Spit Up Rags

7. Water Bottle

8. Snacks

9. Hand Sanitizer

10. Carseat/feeding Cover

1. I know this seems like a no brainer but the real question is how many diapers are absolutely necessary fo r a well stocked diaper bag? On average a newborn will go through 8-12 diapers per day. When first venturing out with new little ones you are never out for very long and often times baby doesn't leave the carseat. To be safe 3-4 diapers is plenty. I have found that if I keep the number of diapers lower I am less likely to run out. I would fill my diaper bag to bulging with diapers and end up forgetting to restock. There were a few times that I found myself without a diaper because I thought I had so many only to realize that I had blown through all of them! By keeping a smaller number in the diaper bag I found that I was more on top of restocking the bag and saved a ton of room!

2. Reusable Wipe Container

Wipes are obviously a no brainer but the game changer for me was the reusable wipes container. The reaon for this is it always fits in a designated spot in the diaper bag and the space it takes up is not variable. Adding a huge, new container of wipes makes the diaper bag much heavier and reduces the amount of space needed for other essential items. Having a small container that I keep filled leaves me with plenty of wipes while not weighing down my bag!

3. Change of Clothes

Newborns are notorious for blow outs! Make sure and always have the extra outfit handy, even if its just a onsie, A pro tip is to keep the outfit in a gallon sized ziploc, that way you also have something to put the soiled outfit in (if your brave enough to wash it and not just put it straight in the garbage bin!)

4. Extra Binky (or soother they like)

My oldest 2 duaghters would not take a pacifier! It was the real deal or nothing at all haha. My third however took a binky from the beginning and having an extra on hand has saved me from more major meltdowns than I count. If your baby doesn't take a pacifier then find an item that is soothing to them and be sure to keep an extra on hand for when it is inevitably lost.

5. Bottle and Formula (or breast milk)

Having an extra bottle is absolutely necessary when traveling out with baby! Whether you are breast-feed only, exclusively use formula, or use both, having something there for an emergency is a must! I was a breast-feed only mom for my first but I truly wish tata I had been a bit more flexible. One time while on vacation I got the stomach flu. While flying home my daughter was ready to eat but beacuse I had been so sick and dehydrated I did not have enough milk to satisfy her. I wish I had been more prepared and had smoething for that very situation! My whole world opened up when I started pumping when I had my second. There is absolutely no shame using bottles or even formula feeding your babies! By my third I could not produce enough milk and I had to supplement with formula. After that experience I wished I had been more open minded with my older girls! If you are interested at all in the pros and cons of breast-feeding vs formula see my post HERE for more info.

6. Spit up Rags

You may ahve an extra outfit for baby but its not so easy to keep an extra outfit for yourself! Having one or two spit up rags in your diaper bag ensures your are ready for when your little one inevitably spits up on your (or someone else's) shoulder!

7. Water Bottle

I have mentioned a lot of things that baby needs but it is also important to be ready for your own needs! This one is especially important if you are breast-feeding because hydration is an absoultely essential part of milk production.

8. Mom Snacks

Once again, this one is for you, mama! Making breast-milk requires a lot of extra energy. Mother's who breast-feed burn anywhere from 500-700 more calories per day than the average woman. I found that having something easy and healthy to snack on came in handy when going about my day.

9. Hand Sanitizer

Defintely a must have! This is most important with newborns.

10. Carseat/Feeding Cover

I loved having a carseat cover that could double as a feeding cover. When in public it is so nice to be able to cover up baby and not worry about strangers getting too close!