The first few times I left the house with Jack were tough. Trying to get myself ready used to take long enough, let alone having a little one to get sorted! After a few weeks, I got our “getting out of the house” schedule down pat and it’s actually something I look forward to now! I’m loving my little outings out with Jack and everytime I go out with him I’m getting more and more confident. The first few times leaving the house with a newborn are honestly terrifying, especially if you are heading out for the whole day like we generally do. What if I forget something important? It definitely gets easier though, and I think part of that is by packing a well stocked baby bag. I know that no matter what happens, I’ve got something in my bag of tricks that can make everything okay.
When I was pregnant I read so many of those “what’s in my baby bag” posts and I found them extremely helpful. So of course, I thought I’d chip in with my two cents and share what’s in my baby bag.
I had originally bought a special baby bag and had opted for the Babymel Cara Nappy Bag as it was pretty and I loved the colours. The issue is that it’s bloody heavy even with nothing in it, so by the time I had packed all of Jack’s stuff in there it was very hard to manage. While in theory the bag is great, the handles are too small to fit over your shoulders comfortably and the bag is too big and bulky to fit in the carry area under the buggy. This meant trying to wrangle a buggy while also carrying the bag and let me tell you, it was hard!
Luckily it was Mum to the rescue with this black handbag that works perfectly as a baby bag. It’s a wipeable fabric for all the messes that I’m sure will eventually occur. It’s also super light and lays flat so fits in the space under the buggy. It’s big enough for all the essentials yet I don’t feel like I’m lugging around a massive heavy bag.
So what’s in my baby bag?
- Change mat + disposable mat topper
- Travel pack of baby wipes (WaterWipes are the best)
- Small facecloth (good for drying off the bum or wiping up messes)
- Diaper cream
- Large muslin cloth (can be used as a blanket, burp cloth, block the weather out etc)
- Spare vest and onesie/change of clothes
- 1x bib
- 1x hat
- 4x disposable nappies (will add extra if we are out the whole day)
- Hand sanitiser
- Bottles and formula
- Bottle insulator
- A small toy or Jack’s cuddly
- Plastic nappy bags (the Friends ones are fab!)
All of that fits well into this bag and covers basically anything I would need for the whole trip out. I generally just leave the bag packed all of the time, so while this is what I take for a whole day out, I’ll generally take the same things out on shorter adventures too. I still carry my bag separately, however if it’s just a really short trip out, I’ll sometimes throw my wallet, keys and phone just into this bag to save on space.
What are must haves in your baby bag? I’d love to know what are your essentials!
Have you thought about using cloth nappies and fabric wet bags? Soooo much better for the environment and pretty simple to use/wash once you get in the swing of things. Also disposable mat toppers are really unecessary, and they just get chucked straight into landfill ☹️
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Hi Nicky, we did actually use cloth nappies for the first few days but we found they were constantly leaking and we needed to do so many clothing changes. Since we are currently renovating our laundry (and currently have no easy place to soak clothes etc) disposables have been the most practical option for us. I am keen to look into reusable nappies for the future though! In terms of the mat topper, I’ve never actually had to use one yet, but I do keep one in my bag in case I need to change him somewhere that’s not ideal. I’d much rather throw out a topper pad then lay my baby down on a unclean surface! Thanks for reading! 🙂
I found I had to try a few different cloth nappies until I found one I liked. I also tried early on and they leaked, but by about 9 weeks my wee one was big enough for them. I personally like the Bambino Mio all in one nappies. Pricey, but they should fit right up until toilet training. And they’ll pay for themselves after a while since disposables cost so much in the long run.
As for mat toppers you can also get some great thin washable ones (for when you have a full laundry again). I brought some from a girl selling them on trade me, they were something like $8 for the mat and a wet bag.