Top 10 Essentials For Your Diaper Bag II Mary Beth’s Photography II Augusta Newborn Photographer

As a new mom, whether it be your first or your fifth child, things can be overwhelming. A lot of people ask what the hardest transition is, going from no kids to one, going from one to two and so it goes. In my opinion, it’s all hard and wonderful at the same time. The first child is usually allowed to dictate your schedule, nap at home and spend minimal time in the carseat. Your third is more than likely the one who is going to have to sleep on the go, be changed at soccer games and attend dance recitals during their fussy time. And you’ll always want to be prepared. Enter diaper bag. Now, thank goodness diaper bags have come a loooong way. They used to be frumpy sacks, but those days are gone! Diaper bags are pretty, stylish and make taking care of those tiny humans much easier. It’s been awhile since I have carried around a diaper bag, so I consulted some moms who are in the thick of diaper bag carrying for some essentials to have at all times!

1. Diapers.

This is the don’t leave home without it item. I mean, it is called a diaper bag because this is the most crucial item! Don’t leave home without them! And bonus mom hack, keep a “car bag” in the trunk or tucked under the seats filled with extra diapers (in various sizes if you’re diapering for two). I’ve asked around and it seems that diapers are a hot topic. But my diapering mom friends seem to agree that the Earth and Eden diapers are some of the best and throw them on a subscription and they just show up at your door every month! Never forget diapers again!

2. Wipes.

Another real obvious thing to have, but also, a very big don’t leave home without it necessity. I love that they have travel sized wipes you can purchase without having to refill a wipe container. Let’s be honest, moms don’t have time to remember to refill a wipe container. Just get a pack of travel sized ones for on the go. And stick them in your car bag too! The Honest Co. travel wipes are my favorites!

3. A soft, lightweight blanket.

This is an item that you might not use a ton, but when you need it, you’ll be so so glad you have it! There’s always going to be times when the weather is chillier than you thought, you stay later at a friends bbq than expected or the air conditioning is pumping while you’re at the grocery store. I’ve also used laid a blanket down for somewhere for my little one to lay or sit up. My absolute favorites are from aden + anais. They’re breathable and soft.

4. Diaper cream.

Oh the diaper rashes. I can remember them. Horrible for baby and mom alike. The worst. I do remember that if you got the rash treated immediately (or sooner) than it didn’t have a chance to get really bad. There were only a few diaper creams when my kids were little, but now it can be overwhelming with the choices! This Tubby Todd Sweeet Cheeks Diaper Paste is made with all safe ingredients, comes in a travel size perfect for your diaper bag and is a small business! win-win!

5. Outfit for baby (shirt for mom and dad).

Any mom or dad knows that spit up is inevitable. You could have a baby who only spits up now and then or you could have one that lets it fly every feeding. But you will inevitably be out and get spit up on your clothes. The amount varies, but I promise you don’t want to have to smell spit up on your clothes for any amount of time. Having an extra outfit for your little one is essential. And bonus mom tip, keep an extra shirt for you and your hubby too, because you most likely won’t escape the spit up yourselves. If you don’t have the room in your diaper bag, keep the extra clothes for you and hubby in the car bag.

6. Organization pouches.

Don’t think about this one. Just buy! These diaper bag organization pouches are essential (and I know I’m throwing that word around here a lot today, but stay with me)! These pouches make digging around in your diaper bag a thing of the past. The bags are color coordinated, the set comes with a changing pad and when there is someone to help with a major blow out, all you have to say is grab the blue pouch and you have everything you need to quickly change a diaper.

7. Mini First Aid Kit.

A first aid kit is something that you’ll definitely want to have on the go! From scraped knees on your toddler to teething pain, you’re little ones will need something when you least expect it. This adorable first aid kit from welly has it all! Bandages (or as they call them, bravery badges) in all sizes, tape, non stick pads, tripe antibiotic packets, hydrocortisone packets, Ibprofen packets and more! You’ll be ready for anything! And these bandaids are seriously the cutest!

8. Carseat and Nursing cover

Whether you nurse your baby or not, a car seat cover is just really great! Blankets are great but lets be real, they fall off on the floor, get dirty an d end up getting bunched up and shoved in the side of the carseat. And especially for those newborns, it’s so nice to have a barrier between your little one and strangers who just love babies and want to touch them. And for my nursing mama’s, whether you’re comfortable nursing right out in public or like to keep it private in your car, these double duty carseat covers are also nursing covers! Again, in reality you could use a blanket, but nursing a squirming, hungry baby is next to impossible. Get the cover. This Milk Snob Nursing Cover/Carseat Cover is so pretty and practical!

9. Stain Remover To Go.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, spit up will happen to you. Also, not sure I mentioned it, but blow outs will happen to you. Smeared sweet potato puree will happen to you. Skinned knees with blood on pants will happen to you. I’m making this sound really fun right? Never fear! Your little ones and you will make it. And, you’ll make it stain free if you grab the best natural stain remover I’ve ever used. And believe me, I’ve tried a lot! And a big bonus is when you can get to the stain quickly. Enter the travel size bottle. It’s a really easy addition to your diaper bag and I would even go so far as to add one to your car bag as well.

10. Moms Essentials.

It’s all about the baby, we know that! Most of what we moms carry around is not for ourselves. But, we do have some very important essentials that we need with us. License, insurance cards, lip gloss (ok, maybe the lip gloss isn’t necessarily essential but still). When I became a mom, my own essential item became a wallet with a zipper. Everything stays in and while it might be a mess when it’s unzipped, I know everything is there. I am in love with the simplicity of this wallet from madewell. It’s compact, great quality and can be wiped clean when something sticky ends up on it.

On a side note, the type of diaper bag matters. I am a firm believer that a backpack diaper bag beats the rest. Hands free, can clip onto a stroller and is manly enough for the guy in your life to carry it without fuss. The diaper bags you see featured in this post are beautiful, practical, have plenty of space, are organized and really great quality. La Madison, Freshly Picked and jujube are all great and you can’t go wrong with any of them!

I hope this diaper bag essentials list is helpful to all the moms out there! I know I always loved hearing tips and tricks from other moms. Items in your diaper bag will always be changing, from your newborn becoming a toddler, to adding new babies to your family. But this list will hopefully make your mama life a little easier!