Baby Talk :: In My Diaper Bag

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Ahhhh....the diaper bag. 

A diaper bag reminds me of Mary Poppins' bag that seems to have no limit and can fit endless amounts of stuff. 

I got my diaper bag from Jason as a push present and until Kenley was born I really had no idea what the hell to keep in there {besides diapers of course}. Now that I've been at this mom thing for almost 7 months I have fine tuned my diaper bag packing skills and am here to share the diaper bag essentials with you today! 

For baby:

1. Diapers. Duh! I like to keep at least 5 diapers in the bag. Obviously more if we'll be gone for a long period of time. 
2. Baby Wipes. I get the ones with the re-closable {totally not a word} lid so they're easy to grab. I always have one in the bag and a back up in the nursery for when they run low. 
3. Hand Wipes. I use the Johnson's ones you can get at Target. They're great for wiping up Kenley's face and hands or cleaning my hands as well and I guess my face too. 
4. Pacifier Wipes. Things things are essential. Those toys and pacifiers are flying all over the place and when they land on the dirty restaurant floor, you just grab a wipe and clean it off! Amazing. 
5. Travel First Aid Kid. Thank goodness I haven't had to use this, but it's always good to have on hand in case of emergencies. 
6. Sunnies. Now that it's {sort of} summer I keep Kenley's sunglasses and actually her sun hat {which isn't pictured} in the bag.
7. Diaper Trash Bags / Dispenser. In most cases you can just toss the diaper in the trash but every once and a while you have to change your baby somewhere without access to a  trash can. These are also great for outfits that get peed or pooped or spit up on. 
8. Extra Outfit. I always, always, always have at least one extra outfit in the bag and thank goodness I do, because I've needed them!
9. Onesies. Kenley wears a onesie under almost every outfit she has so I always make sure that I have two clean ones ready to go in case of explosions. TIP: putting a plain white onesie under every outfit can save the actual outfit from most explosions! 
10. Butt Paste. I love this stuff. We only use it when the booty is lookin' a little red. But it's definitely something I keep on the changing table and the diaper bag. 
11. Sunscreen. The sun can burn that sweet little skin so quick. So I make sure I've always got some sunscreen nearby!
12. Blanket. I LOVE my Aden & Anais Bamboo Swaddle Blankets! They are so soft and lightweight and are perfect for keeping K warm or for draping over the carrier if she falls asleep. 
13. Toys. I try to have a couple toy options on hand to keep Little Miss entertained when we're out and about. 
14. Sophie!  When people say Sophie is the greatest toy ever...it's totally true! We have the little one and it's perfect for Kenley to grab. She gets so excited every time she sees Sophie and is entertained for at least 3 minutes...which in baby time is light years. Needless to say, Sophie comes everywhere with us.
15. FOOD. A surefire way to a cranky baby by not feeding the little love. I always make sure to have enough bottles with me. Since K is on to formula now, I pre-measure the formula in her bottle and seal it with a top. I pack the nipples separately because I found powder would get up in to the nipple during travel and was hard to dissolve. I've also started keeping a bottle of room temperature water with me to use to mix the bottles when we are somewhere where warm water isn't available. And, now that Kenley is eating solids I make sure to have a pouch of baby food {we use Plum's Organic} for when it's not feasible to bring my homemade, a little bowl {with a lid in case K doesn't eat it all and to avoid mess in the bag} and, of course, a spoon. 
16. Not Pictured - Changing Pad. My diaper bag came with a nice black padded changing pad which folds down. I'm not sure if that's standard for diaper bags and but I love that thing. It fits perfectly in the bag and is washable...which is why it isn't in the photo, I was washing it! 
17. Not Pictured - Pacifier: I always make sure to have a pacifier in the bag too. Kenley's starting to outgrow hers, but they still work great to soothe her or help her fall asleep when we're out running around. 

For mom: 

1. Super cute cosmetic bag. I got myself the cute little Coach bag so that in the giant mess of baby stuff I'd easily be able to find the couple items that were in there for me. It's been working great. And it allows me to easily transfer things from diaper bag to purse and back real easily. 
2. Wallet. In the beginning I always forgot to transfer my wallet to the diaper bag or vice versa. I really wish I had a tip for remembering, but I don't. 
3. Chapstick / Lipstick / Lip Gloss. My personal faves are EOS Chapstick, Smashbox lipstick and Chanel lip stain & gloss {not pictured}. 
4. Deodorant. Do you know how many times in the last 6 1/2 months that I have left the house without deodorant? More times than I have left with deodorant, that's for sure! So now I keep some on hand which has been very handy!
5. Hand Sanitizer. I got that super cute little Bath & Body Works sanitizer {it's a bee if you can't tell} as a shower gift from Kelly and I love it and use it all the time. Both before and after a diaper change! 
6. Nipple Cream. I obviously don't use this anymore, but during those early days it was essential to have with me at all times. And apparently it's still in the bag. 
7. ETC. Other things I try to keep on hand but aren't pictured are gum, Advil, Kleenex, my business cards and hair binders. 

I also have this handy dandy changing pad

{a gift from my friend Clara...thanks Clurrrra!} which I keep in the car with a few diapers and wipes. It's great to throw in the bottom of the stroller for when we're shopping or going for a walk and I don't want to lug around the whole diaper bag but need to be prepared for an emergency.


So there you have it!
What are your must have diaper bag essentials?