Congratulations, Meggy D! I'm so so very happy for you. I wish you radiant joy and immeasurable happiness w/ your new bundle!!
I'm a first time mom of a 3 month old. We are past the rougher part of sleepless nights (crosses fingers) and getting out into the world. Of course we cannot leave the house without gear. What's in
your diaper bag? That query doesn't have the ring of a certain credit card issuer's slogan, but it's an important question I ask myself every day. I try to do a diaper bag check when arrive home from an outing. That's because I've usually neglected to put
something in the bag and find out only when we're out and I need it. My number one piece of advice is to clean out your bag when you get home and replenish it right away. Don't wait to do it in the moments before you leave because there's a higher chance of forgetting something -- at least in my experience. I don't care how perfect & organized you are. If you are a new mom, you're just trying to get by on whatever sleep you've cobbled together and that lack of sleep affects your skills to a certain degree.
I though about getting a
chi-chi diaper bag, but went with a plain one
like this one by Fisher Price. What attracted me to it was the various compartments and the ability to be able to pop open the front of a case of wipes without unzipping the entire bag or evening opening it. The top part of the wipes case is exposed on on one side of the bag and it's oh so handy. I'm very happy w/my plain black bag.
This is my bag, pretending to be organized.
I didn't like the diaper pad that came w/the bag. I have textural issues and would get that nails on chalkboard feeling every time I touched it. I donated that one and stole my husband's diaper bag pad. He has a
Skip Hop and the pad that comes with is one of the thicker ones I've felt. And it's not very thick. The Skip Hop bag is very, very cool, btw, but not enough room for me. I need to carry my breast pump around at times.
One day I'm gonna order some
diaper bag dispensers. For now I fold Target bags up and put a rubber band around the pack. I like the aesthetic of the bags on a roll, but they're not a necessity at all. Plus, I am recycling the Target bags by using them, which is good. I've learned that I need bags for dirty diapers
and for dirty clothing. I've also learned that some bags need to be doubled!
Spare clothes! I always have a spare outfit for my Mini G. After my experience yesterday, I'm thinking that I need to have more than one outfit. Perhaps there are fancier inserts to hold the clothing, but a plastic Ziploc is working just fine. I like that I can see what's in the bag very easily. I have a onesie, pants, sweater and a bib in this particular plastic bag. I also have a beanie hat/cap tucked in the side of the diaper bag. It's nice to have that in an easy-to-reach place.
Cleansing stuff! Wipes, wipes, wipes. I always feel that I am leaving the house with enough wipes and it seems I deplete the hard case (not pictured) each time I am out. I have a couple packs inside the bag as backup to the main set of wipes. I like to wipe my hands and also the baby's hands, esp if someone has touched her. I don't know why people do that. Babies put their hands in their mouths. Anyway, a maxi pad is also handy. Multiple ones if you're in your first month post-partum. And breast pads. I always have two sets in the bag. Sometimes you leak thru them and the ones I have are not reusable. I also have a small canister of disinfecting spray, which I haven't felt the need to use yet. It's from the travel section @ Target. I'm sure it'll come in handy one day. Oh and stain removal wipes. There will be spitup and drooling. Shout Wipes are awesome.
Chow! I've been breastfeeding, but I also supplement with formula. Sometimes it's not convenient to find a place to feed bf Mini. Also, I once gave her a bottle from the front seat while waiting in traffic. We were about to cross a bridge and it would've been a long, tearful ride if I wasn't able to do that. I was able to reach back w/one arm and hold the bottle, while navigating the slow, bumper-to-bumper traffic. Little victories, I tell ya. I used to use Avent bottles, but switched to
Dr. Browns. I do feel they've helped w/gas & digestion issues. I don't know how others do it, but I put water in the bottles and later add the formula when I'm out and about and ready to feed her. I recently bought the blue formula dispenser by
Munchkin. Reviewers are right about the compartment issues and formula bouncing from one section to another, so I'll be looking to replace it. The Gerber formula (far left) is something I bought while out. I didn't realize it's for kids who can drink out of a straw. When the baby is screaming and you're tired, it's hard to think straight. I don't know what was going on that day to cause me to make a special run into the store for formula. This is why you prepare and pack the nite before! The other day I put the formula in a different bag than my diaper bag. Having the spare Gerber formula came in handy. Thankfully, Mini G is flexible and has taken the boob, Enfamil, Similac, and now Gerber.
Toys! Mini is 3 months and acutely aware of her surroundings. She's starting to swat at things and reach for them. Also, trying to put everything in her mouth. She loves the
Oball. I like it because it's thin enough for her to put her fingers around. She can keep a good grip on it for awhile. Some of the other teething rings are thicker and don't work as well. The cloth star is a teething blanket by
Learning Curve. The red point has a squeaker, which she can't squeeze yet. She likes it when I squeeze it. The zebra point has material inside of it that makes a crinkly noise. She likes that as well. The white plastic thing holds a pacifier. Mini rarely wants to take one, but that doesn't stop me from carrying at least two of them in the bag. And I always try to have a cloth diaper for burping, spit up and drooling.
Ummm...diapers! I almost forgot the diapers. I put those in a Ziploc as well. Again, nice and clear so I can easily see the number I have in the bag. I remember when one of my ocd friends said, '
You're gonna use the Swaddlers. Write that down.' The friend kept looking at me till I wrote it down, so I obliged. I was thinking that I might like to try Huggies vs. Pampers and choose for myself. The hospital gave us Swaddlers and we loved them. My brother got us Huggies, which we tried for a whole, huge, big ole box. Friend was right. We're Pampers peeps.
That's what's in my bag. I've added a 2nd outfit to the bag since drafting this post. Thank goodness because we had an active day of
movement, including a blow out. I definitely needed 2 extra onesies. One thing I want to add is a small book. If you have any book recommendations or anything else I'm missing from my bag...
...please share...
♥
(+ case) - Which I'm already loving! This reader + tablet is perfect for me. I have been using a ton while feeding the baby, in bed, or for following a recipe already!
- Which all that means, a super cool Blu-ray/DVD player that is connected to the internet and I can watch streaming Netflix at the push of a button (hello Vampire Diaries), Skype & Tweet + more. Husband got this for me for our bedroom TV for those late baby nights or lazy baby mornings. He gave it to me early and I'm already through 9 episodes of the first season of Vampire Diaries. Love it!
