Franny Mommy : What's inside my Diaper Bag?
I still remember the first time I packed my twins' diaper bag. It was for an hour check-up with their pedia and I think I must have brought the entire house with us. I didn't want to take any chances for the possibility of one getting hungry or another having a poop explosion. I brought as much sets of clothes, wash clothes, receiving blankets, cotton balls and swabs, even a bottle of water, a pack of diapers, breast milk in a cooler pack, bottles, colic ointment, bonnet, mittens, booties, the list just went on and on! I think if only my bag could still accommodate, I would also have brought my nursing pillow. As a result, we were painfully carrying our super heavy bag all the way to the doctor's clinic and back.
As my twins grew, the contents of their diaper bag has changed too. Gone are the booties, mittens and bonnets which are now replaced by extra bibs, socks and toys. I noticed also that we've become more efficient in packing that at some point, Yaya D even told me that she felt that the bag has gotten way lighter as compared to when the twins were much younger. Every time we go out, I take charge in packing the bag and choosing what my twins will be wearing that day. It really enjoy doing this especially now that I would try to put on matchy-matchy clothes on them. I also realized that just because I have two babies, it doesn't mean I need to have two diaper bags too.
Now, I realized that as a mom, you deal with a lot of "what ifs" on a daily basis. What if J suddenly had to poop? What if L gets hungry? What if J needs a fresh change of clothes? What if both becomes so restless and I need something to keep them entertained? With all these "what ifs" I take them with me as I pack their bags. Still not wanting to take any chances of leaving a valuable item behind, the only difference is, I've learned to organize more and pack more efficiently.
Take a peek at my bag. This is what I normally bring on an ordinary day out with my twins. Notice that I use a lot of ziplocks, not wanting to hurt Mother Earth but I need to keep their diapers, most especially, clean. Also, I would store a few extras in case we need to change their clothes, worst, it got soiled by poop or pee. You can also see that we made use of Dr Mama's Powdered Milk Bag. We did away with the old school plastic containers and had these instead. I realized it's much more space saving allowing me to pack in more toys or wash clothes for them.
Here's the essential items found in my diaper bag:
1) Diapers in Ziplock : you need to keep the diaper clean and make sure to pack a lot as you will never know how often they'd poop or pee when you're out. Another thing to consider is when you have to go overnight. Apart from packing more diapers, do consider nighttime diapers too. It happened to us when we went on our first staycation and I literally had to rush out to the nearest drugstore because we were running low in diapers. Ack!
2) Extra clothes : this is definitely a must. Babies can easily wet their clothes, spill food on them, sweat and more. I make it a point to keep my twins dry all the time. Apart from the fact that wearing a wet onesie is very uncomfortable, they can also get sick if they're left soaking wet.
3) Mosquito patch : Living in a tropical country, we will always have mosquitos around and they can carry dreadful diseases like dengue. I make sure to put a patch on them every time we're out.
4) Toys : My twins are at this stage wherein you have to always keep them entertained. I love bringing their favorite toys just in case I need to keep them busy while we eat.
5) High chair covers : Since they can now eat solids, we make it a point to put them on high chairs just so they can join us at the dining table. These covers ensure that my twins are not sitting on dirty public high chairs and they got tags where I can hook their toys in. Win-win!
6) Wet Wipes : Apart from wiping them when we change diapers, I use these to wipe their hands which they love to suck and to wipe their toys after each use too. These are super handy and one that I can never leave home without.
7) Bottles and Dr Mama's Milk Bags : While my twins are predominantly breastfed, we have began to introduce formula milk to their daily diet too. I used to bring the old school plastic milk container with me all the time but this takes up a lot of space in my already cramped bag. I was so happy when I came across Dr Mama's disposable bags which makes milk storage so much easier. Of course, with these cute milk bags come some bottles too. Pink for L and Blue for J for easier identification as they don't use the same type of nipple.
8) Extra plastic bags / ziplocks : to store soiled clothes
Not in this photo are a set of receiving blankets just in case we go to a really cold place, extra pair of socks and L's ribbon headbands just in case we want to style her hair for an impromptu photo op.
It's so funny how I used to travel so light before I became a Mom and now I wouldn't leave home without ensuring that I got all the essentials (and a few more) with me. It's all about strategizing the best way to be Mary Poppins-level complete but keeping in mind that your bag can only store so much.
What about you? What are your diaper bag essentials? Share them with me below!
As my twins grew, the contents of their diaper bag has changed too. Gone are the booties, mittens and bonnets which are now replaced by extra bibs, socks and toys. I noticed also that we've become more efficient in packing that at some point, Yaya D even told me that she felt that the bag has gotten way lighter as compared to when the twins were much younger. Every time we go out, I take charge in packing the bag and choosing what my twins will be wearing that day. It really enjoy doing this especially now that I would try to put on matchy-matchy clothes on them. I also realized that just because I have two babies, it doesn't mean I need to have two diaper bags too.
Take a peek at my bag. This is what I normally bring on an ordinary day out with my twins. Notice that I use a lot of ziplocks, not wanting to hurt Mother Earth but I need to keep their diapers, most especially, clean. Also, I would store a few extras in case we need to change their clothes, worst, it got soiled by poop or pee. You can also see that we made use of Dr Mama's Powdered Milk Bag. We did away with the old school plastic containers and had these instead. I realized it's much more space saving allowing me to pack in more toys or wash clothes for them.
Here's the essential items found in my diaper bag:
1) Diapers in Ziplock : you need to keep the diaper clean and make sure to pack a lot as you will never know how often they'd poop or pee when you're out. Another thing to consider is when you have to go overnight. Apart from packing more diapers, do consider nighttime diapers too. It happened to us when we went on our first staycation and I literally had to rush out to the nearest drugstore because we were running low in diapers. Ack!
2) Extra clothes : this is definitely a must. Babies can easily wet their clothes, spill food on them, sweat and more. I make it a point to keep my twins dry all the time. Apart from the fact that wearing a wet onesie is very uncomfortable, they can also get sick if they're left soaking wet.
3) Mosquito patch : Living in a tropical country, we will always have mosquitos around and they can carry dreadful diseases like dengue. I make sure to put a patch on them every time we're out.
4) Toys : My twins are at this stage wherein you have to always keep them entertained. I love bringing their favorite toys just in case I need to keep them busy while we eat.
5) High chair covers : Since they can now eat solids, we make it a point to put them on high chairs just so they can join us at the dining table. These covers ensure that my twins are not sitting on dirty public high chairs and they got tags where I can hook their toys in. Win-win!
6) Wet Wipes : Apart from wiping them when we change diapers, I use these to wipe their hands which they love to suck and to wipe their toys after each use too. These are super handy and one that I can never leave home without.
7) Bottles and Dr Mama's Milk Bags : While my twins are predominantly breastfed, we have began to introduce formula milk to their daily diet too. I used to bring the old school plastic milk container with me all the time but this takes up a lot of space in my already cramped bag. I was so happy when I came across Dr Mama's disposable bags which makes milk storage so much easier. Of course, with these cute milk bags come some bottles too. Pink for L and Blue for J for easier identification as they don't use the same type of nipple.
8) Extra plastic bags / ziplocks : to store soiled clothes
Not in this photo are a set of receiving blankets just in case we go to a really cold place, extra pair of socks and L's ribbon headbands just in case we want to style her hair for an impromptu photo op.
It's so funny how I used to travel so light before I became a Mom and now I wouldn't leave home without ensuring that I got all the essentials (and a few more) with me. It's all about strategizing the best way to be Mary Poppins-level complete but keeping in mind that your bag can only store so much.
What about you? What are your diaper bag essentials? Share them with me below!
