Diaper Bag Essentials

When I was first pregnant, I remember hearing diaper bag and thinking right away, "A bag for diapers, wipes, bottles, and all that other baby stuff." Hm, that other baby stuff. But hey, that is why they call it a diaper bag, right. A bag that is essentially your survival when you decide to leave the comfort of your home and take on the adventures of the world with baby.

That is all true and all, but I have to be honest with you, I didn't use the diaper bag nearly as often as I do now. Except, it's purpose isn't exactly what one may think.

You see, you stuff your bag the most when that baby is little, but you rarely have to actually use the stuff that you put in there; the change of clothes in case the baby decides to have a blow out, the frozen milk in case you are in a situation where someone else needs to feed the baby, the every toy out there for all the screams and baby cries that might ensue in the quietest of places, and of course at least 10 diapers and 100 wipes... just in case.

The great thing about now is that I pack my bags not on a just in case method, but an actual: what will I need. And well, we don't actually need it for the usual baby purposes {hello, two toddlers}, but come October, I will once again be adding on the extra 10 pounds of survival-just-in-case-necessities.

With baby number three on the way, I have to be honest with you: I've just about owned every kind of diaper bag out there in the past 5 years. Certain ones worked better than others, and some only worked well when I had 1 baby on board. As life changes, so do my preferences. And for me, for now, for this stage in our lives, I needed something I could throw on my back and still have both hands free. Hands free is key.

That's where Skip Hop comes in.

It is truly a bag that meets any and all needs possible. From all the compartments to pockets, the size, the ease, and of course the style—it's meets all the expectations I would have for the "Ultimate Hands-Free Diaper Bag." And in my case, I like to call the "Mom bag." Not just for when kids are in diapers, and certainly not just for diapers, but for everything from daily adventures to the park to well visits at the doctor's office.


So what exactly do I put in my diaper bag? What are the "real" needs for a mom with 2 toddlers and a tiny baby {to be}? It may differ from mom to mom, but over the years, I have found a system and definitely essentials from trial and error. And by error, I mean, damn why did I not think to pack this in the current state of crisis. Let's just say we have had to learn to compromise in certain situations.

The breakdown?

You need a nice, sturdy, large {but lightweight} diaper bag with all the essentials for an explosion {wipes, diapers, blanket, and sanitizer}, feeding {bottles, breast, and a receiving blanket if you cover up--you can always get fancy and buy a cover}, an explosion {undies and change of clothes}, and tantrum city {crayons, toys, coloring books, and SNACKS!}. In other words, if you have those 4 categories covered, you will be all set.

Oh, and how could I forget—remember you mom. Don't forget to grab that extra water bottle and snack bar for yourself. It's amazing how quick time passes us by and how our attention can be so focused on meeting our children's' needs that we completely fail to meet our own.

In conclusion, I know that third babies probably along for the ride when they enter this world getting chauffeured around from on activity/play date to the next, but I know one category that they will most definitely be experts in—a prepared diaper bag mama.

Is that a category? I sure made it one.

So, is there anything on your list that you would recommend with new mamas? Let us know!