Diaper Bag Essentials

HB is now 16 mo. old. Here's what we've been keeping in her diaper bag:

• changing mat
• 5 diapers - enough for 1 day away
• pack of wipes - at least 10
• diaper cream
  
• small travel pack of sanitizing wipes - got in the travel size bins at Target
  
• 2-3 spoons
• 1 bib
• 2 packs of Enfamil formula packs (it's a little tube that is pre-measured to make 4oz. of formula). Really just for emergencies, because you can get whole milk at any Starbucks.
  
• change of clothes (pants, onesie, and socks in a freezer-sized ziploc bag)
• hat and sunscreen (HB is a pasty white girl. We don't cross the street without SPF 50!)
  
• 1 cup of sliced peaches or mixed fruit (Dole sells a 4-pack of little cups of fruit. I get the ones in light-syrup. Please anyone tell me if you've found a variety that is packed in water or 100% juice. It kills me to be feeding her corn syrup!) I always put this inside a little ziplock.
  
• 1 little tupperware filled with a variety of snacks. we like
• snap-pea crisps (nearly 100% snap peas) available at Trader Joe's
  
• Flat Earth mango chips and Flat earth cheddar chips
• Annie's cheddar bunnies
• whole wheat crackers
• cereal like cheerios or puffins
  
• small compact toys. we like:
• stickers - I bought a sheet of animal stickers in the $ bins at Target. She likes identifying the various animals, making the animal sounds, and then hiding them under her clothes and playing peek-a-boo with them. We also learn about body parts by sticking the stickers there: "can you put the sticker on Mommy's cheek?", "can you put the sticker on your foot?". If I had known how much she'd like them I would have bought 20 sheets. Stickers that are made out of a stiffer/stronger material than paper will allow them to stick and unstick many times without ripping. I always stick the sticker to my clothes and remove it before handing it to her. This dulls the stickiness and ensures that it won't permanently attach to anything.
  
• a sheer-metalic pink ribbon - about 12" long. Too short to be a choking hazard. For some reason she really likes playing with it.
• a small bangle bracelet she likes taking on and off
• "My quiet book" a fabric book with little activities, like buttoning on and off flowers, zipping up, "picking the oranges" which are velcro'd to a tree, and snapping on and off colors and shapes. I've seen 4-5 books from this company that are similarly great, like nursery rhymes where you can break apart Humpty Dumpty and then velcro him back together.
  

Before we leave the house, we always take a sippy cup with water or juice and a bottle of milk (we use an insulating sleeve to keep it cold).

I like keeping the change of clothes in a zip-lock because inevitably things spill or leak in the diaper bag and the clothes get wet. Also, if you have to change the outfit, then chances are the soiled outfit needs to go in a ziplock to take it home.

I always put one diaper in the very bottom of the diaper bag. This absorbs any leaks or spills. And can still be used in a pinch if you are down to your last diaper.

Some people really like disposable bibs and place mats. I really dislike overusing disposables. I prefer to use a regular bib and make sure to wipe it clean after each use. Same for spoons.

Some people also like keeping a few extra ziplocks in the bag. I pack so many things in their own ziplocks that there are several in the diaper bag that I can re-purpose if I need one.

In lieu of the formula packs, we used to use the formula funnels that store 2-3 scoops of formula each. Now that she's >1yr and drinking milk, we only use formula if we can't get milk somewhere (like on the plane).

When we are out and about, we usually try to get her to eat what we are eating (beginning at 1yr). So, we keep the fruit and snacks as a backup in case she gets hungry before we're able to get food, or if she doesn't end up liking the food we've ordered.

We also keep in the car: an extra empty sippy cup, a tupperware of snacks, a bottle of water, and sanitizing wipes.