That first time I left the house with my first born son, I had no idea what I was going to need. I basically packed every baby item we owned into the diaper bag until I could no longer zip it up. As a second time mom, my diaper bag has become very minimal and I actually have less stuff in there now with two kids still in diapers than I did with just one newborn baby.
I try my best to keep the diaper bag always stocked and ready to go for those times when you are quickly trying to get out of the house. For those mornings when we are leaving the house early, I get it all packed up the night before and sometimes even put it into the car so it is just one less thing to worry about in the morning.
I want to share a list of everything in my diaper bag with two kids in diapers to maybe help you minimize your diaper bag items. Remember every kid is different and there may be some things your baby needs that mine don’t.
Let’s get into it!
- Diapers for each kid
I typically have about 4-5 diapers per kid in the diaper bag depending on how long we are planning to be out of the house. This has seemed to be a good number for a normal outing. We may have packed a few more for my youngest when he was a newborn because newborns tend to go through way more diapers a day.
- Baby wipes
These are definitely a must for poopy diapers, but they also come in handy for cleaning messy hands and faces. I have also ended up using these for cleaning spills on the go and really for wiping down anything you may need to wipe while out and about.
- Diaper rash cream, if needed
My kids don’t have sensitive skin and almost never need diaper rash cream, but they still have breakouts from time to time. If they are in the middle of a breakout, I add it to the bag. For the most part, it is at our changing table at home and put on before bed.
- Changing pad
My diaper bag came with a matching changing pad that has its own special pocket in the diaper bag to go in. We use this for every diaper change on the go! We take it out about once a month or as needed for cleaning, by throwing it in the washing machine. If your diaper bag didn’t come with one, I would highly suggest getting one because you never know where you are going to need to change a diaper and it is nice to know you have a clean surface to lay your baby on.
- Extra set of clothes for each kid
Kids are messy and blowouts happen. It is always nice to have an extra set of clothes for these unpredictable messes. I put together a shirt, pants/shorts, and socks for each kid and roll it into a ball and consolidate them in a zipper pouch in the diaper bag. My youngest is a drooler and so I usually have two extra shirts for him as well as cotton bibs to help soak up that extra drool. If we are going to be out of the house for most of the day, I usually pack two extra outfits for the baby.
- Plastic bags for dirty clothes, dirty diapers, or trash
For those blowouts and messes, you are going to want somewhere to put the dirty clothes, especially if they are covered in poop. Having a few plastic bags in the diaper bag for emergencies is something I have found really helpful. There are also times you have dirty diapers or trash with nowhere for it to be thrown away, so just having a bag that can hold the trash until you can throw it away is a game changer.
- Snacks and water!
Everytime we leave the house my oldest realizes he is starving and is always asking for snacks. I always make sure to have a few snacks in the bag depending on how long we are planning to be out of the house. I have a few easy to grab snacks in our pantry, such as apple sauce pouches and fruit leathers, for those times we are rushing out of the house and just need to grab something fast.
We also have a small reusable water bottle for my oldest son that is always put in the diaper bag on the way out of the door. Our diaper bag has a pocket on the outside for bottles and his bottle fits in there perfectly. My child is always asking for water with his snacks so it is just another thing we always have in the diaper bag.
- Sunscreen
My kids have very fair skin and I have found that always having sunscreen on hand is very helpful. It is nice to always have it in the diaper bag for our daily park trips and for any other times we find ourselves outside long enough to put it on. I even use it on myself from time to time.
- Hand sanitizer
Finally, I have hand sanitizer in the diaper bag for any time I am not able to wash my hands with soap and water after a diaper change. Soap and water is always the best option, but you never know where you are going to end up changing a diaper and hand sanitizer may be the only option to get those hands clean.
That is everything in my diaper bag for two kids in diapers and I always feel like everything we need! Like I said earlier, there may be things my kids don’t need that your kids always need because every kid is different and has different needs.
I hope you found something in here that you can implement into your own diaper bag or maybe help you minimize yours. I have been tweaking over time what I may and may not need when our family is out and about and I feel like I have recently perfected what works for our family. Don’t be afraid to try minimizing the items in your diaper bag just to see if it works and if not, you can always bring stuff back to make it work for you.
With love,
Victoria O’Brien