When I had my first child, I took my diaper bag everywhere. And it was crammed full of stuff I was sure I’d need – lotions, powders, etc. However, as the years went by and we took on a “less is more, keep it natural approach,” we found that we needed a lot less in the diaper bag when we went out with the kids.
Ok, so we eventually ditched the bulky diaper bag altogether. But that’s only because we had multi-purpose essentials that fit nicely into my purse or a much smaller bag.
Want to simplify your diaper bag? Here are our essentials:
Diapers
We switched over to cloth diapers shortly after my second was born so we could save money and avoid having harmful chemicals in constant contact with my babe’s sensitive areas. However, we still used disposable diapers for longer outings, like grocery shopping days. (I highly recommend the Seventh Generation Diapers via Amazon Subscribe & Save – they had the best prices I could find).
If you use disposable diapers, be sure to always have at least three to last a few hours. Take at least four if you’re using cloth. Add more if you’ll be away from home for a while.
Wipes
Cloth wipes are so soft and do a much better job at cleaning up tough messes. Bring at least two per diaper. You can wet them by either:
- Making homemade wipe solution and putting that and the cloth wipes in a zip-top bag to bring with you (we’ve been reusing the same bag, oh, forever). You can always just use water if you don’t have time to make the solution.
- Bringing dry wipes and a thermos with warm water to wet as needed.
Wet bag
Bring something to put those dirty diapers, wipes and cloths in so they’re not just hanging out in your bag getting other things dirty. Yes, you can use plastic bags, but I prefer reusable wet bags.
Wet bags are zippered cloth bags with a waterproof liner sewn in. When not in use, they fold up very nicely so you can tuck it in with your other things. They come in many different sizes and patterns.
Hand sanitizer
When you don’t have a place to wash your hands after changing a diaper, hand sanitizer is a nice backup. Making your own hand sanitzer is so easy and you don’t have to worry about your little one accidentally drinking a bottle full of alcohol-based cleaner.
Whip up a batch of our recipe and put some in a small bottle for your diaper bag.
Extra clothes
One of our children was well-known for their diaper blowouts, which would, of course, happen when we weren’t at home. Happen to you, too? Not so fun. So we learned very quickly that keeping an extra change (or two) of clothing was essential.
However, we noticed that the diaper bag would get full very quickly with so much extra clothing, so we learned which clothes wouldn’t take up much space.
- Instead of jeans, pack leggings.
- Instead of an extra bulky sweater, pack a soft, long-sleeve t-shirt and drape the jacket over the car seat with a blanket (this also ensures the car seat straps fit properly).
Smaller, layering items take up much less space.
Calendula Balm
Calendula, or pot marigold, is a soothing, healing herb that can be infused in oil. Add some wax to that strained infusion and you’ve got yourself a moisturizing balm that can be used for chapped lips, dry skin, diaper rash, nipple salve, owies and, well, pretty much anything. Here’s my recipe.
What are your natural diaper bag essentials?
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image credit to GoGoBabyz.com
Kansasgirl says
Hi!
I love this cite! It’s so full of information that I have been trying to use in my day to day life. I am looking for a diaper rash salve that I thought was on here. It had coconut oil, lavender and tea tree EOs but I can’t remember the rest or the amounts of the ingredients. Can anyone help me? We are expecting our 3rd baby and wanted to get some made before the baby arrives in May. Thanks! 🙂
Nina Nelson says
There is a diaper rash ointment. You can find it here: https://www.diynatural.com/homemade-for-baby/
I also make this one in my own house and use it for owies of all kinds: http://shalommama.com/multi-purpose-herbal-healing-ointment-recipe
Jessica says
These are great pointers for diaper bag needs. I was wondering if you had diaper bag recommendations for mom’s who are doing cloth diapers. I find bags with all the pockets become unnecessary when the diapers are not able to fit in the little pockets.
thanks!
Chelsie Bateman says
Jessica,
I have been using cloth diapers for three months now with my daughter. I use prefolds and covers. The prefolds are very bulky. I just use a backpack.
I picked one with a few bigger pockets. I use the large compartment for the diapers, wet bags, wipes and any other things I need for the day. The outer pockets hold the covers, toys and pacifiers. I have loved it and I don’t usually have a problem with finding things in it. I keep a change of clothes in a clean wet bag so in case of messes the clean clothes come out the dirty ones go in. For wipes I use a regular on the go wipes box with several pre moistened cloth wipes.
Nina Nelson says
We used cloth diapers, too. Over the years we’ve used backpacks and larger tote bags. Smaller stuff went into a little zipper pouch. Usually, I’d be at a thrift store or yard sale and see something that would make a great diaper bag and use it.