Inside my Diaper Bag.

I got this diaper bag as a gift from my coworkers in my old office, and though I had registered for it, I’d never actually seen it in person. Turns out it was perfect for us: the pattern was modern enough that it doesn’t scream diaper bag, Mike can carry it without feeling self-conscious, it’s the perfect size for us, it clips on to strollers, AND (my favorite part) it closes with magnets, so I can open and close it with one hand. Very important when balancing a baby on your hip.

Let me open it up so you can see the inside:

I don’t usually carry this much stuff. I wanted to pretend like I am a Very Prepared Mom, but, in all honesty, we leave without a diaper bag much of the time (going to the store, story time, out  to dinner, etc). And when we do bring it, it’s usually half our stuff (a laptop and a book) and half Gabe’s. But! For the sake of illustration, I’m showing you the diaper bag and its contents if we were going to be out for the entire day. Like, say, when we were in New York City.

There are four outside pockets and a changing pad sleeve in the back (though, we currently have no idea where said changing pad is). I love that I can stick my phone, minimalist wallet, and keys in the outside pockets for easy access.

So, what is all that stuff?

The stuff:

One: All my stuff. I always carry my wallet, my iPod, and cell phone. And usually a book in case I get stuck somewhere while Gabe is sleeping. The iPod is my nursing BFF. I usually catch up on email or respond to blog comments while nursing Gabe. I’ve never been much of a purse carrier, so having a diaper bag is perfect for me, I was able to find one of the promotional tote bags online and decided that was the one!

Two (clockwise from top left): Hand sanitizer (mostly used by the germaphobe Mike), sunblock (that looks like a baby deodorant), lip gloss (for Gabe, of course), diaper rash stuff, and teething pain relief, since the teething never seems to end ahh! Those Highland’s Teething Tablets were gifted to me from Natali during a time when they weren’t on shelves. They are awesome. Also, I may or may not like the taste of baby ibuprofen.

Three: Gabe’s lion, his cup, and an extra outfit. The extra outfit is especially important if we’re using disposable diapers since they all seem susceptible to the Dreaded Blow Out.

Four(clockwise from top left): Cloth diapers and wipes, a lightweight blanket, disposable diapers (Seventh Generation, my favs!), a wet bag, and disposable wipes.

Depending on the day or circumstance, we might cloth diaper Gabe on the run, or we might use disposable diapers.  Although we have great wet bags, if I ever forget them, there is a built-in zippered compartment for wet items in our diaper bag, which has come in handy several times. The blanket is perfect as a nursing cover, changing pad, for peek-a-boo, or if it’s just a little chilly.

What we don’t bring:

Food for Gabe – he eats what we eat. On road trips, I’ll bring him some snacks for the car, but I always just give him bits of whatever I’m having. (Honestly, he doesn’t eat his own food. I’ve tried quieting him with bits of baby food when we’re out and he just throws it on the floor and is all, “Puh-lease! Don’t give me that crap. I’ll have some of that edamame.”

Camera – I wish I could carry my giant camera with me at all times, or that my cell phone’s camera was better, so, sadly, I just have a lot of crappy camera phone pictures.

Stuff for eating out with Gabe – A few times, we’ve been at restaurants without highchairs, and I’ve wished for one of those things that tie to a chair to make a seat. Or, we’ve been at a nicer, quiet restaurant with no toys for a very loud Gabe. However, we’ve found that we can stick him on our lap or in a booth and make due just fine. And asking for a spoon keeps Gabe busy for a few minutes.

Pacifiers – Once a mainstay in our diaper bag, Gabe has outgrown them. It still feels weird to not have them in there.

And, that, my friends, is what we stow in Gabe’s diaper bag. I love this diaper bag and I might just continue to carry it for years after Gabe outgrows it. I’ll pretend it’s a messenger bag. That’s normal, right?