A Perfectly Packed Diaper Bag

Ahhh, the diaper bag. A mom's lifeline. But what do you really need to take with you when you leave the house, and how do you keep it all organized? Today I'm going to unzip every compartment of my diaper bag, dump everything out, and show you what all I keep in there.

This post is first in my Perfectly Packed series. Be sure to check out my other posts in the series as they are posted! Please note that posts in this series contain affiliate links. (Check out my disclosure policy here.) 

But first, allow me to introduce you to my diaper bag and the accessories I use to stay organized:

They are:

The Diaper Bag: My sister gave me this one at my baby shower, and I LOVE it!

Wet/dry Bag: I'm not going to lie- I have a whole stack of these at home. 

And of course, the adorable matching Bottle Bag.  

Without these 3 bags, I would be lost!

The Wet/dry Bag has a mesh section for dry items, and a waterproof inside section for wet items (aka dirty diapers.) Since I use cloth diapers, and want to take them home again instead of throwing them away, this bag is awesome. You could also use it for dirty clothes.

In the "dry" section, I usually keep a few diapers, some cloth wipes, and a small spray bottle of water. The "wet" section will hold the dirty diapers after I change my baby. It holds about 4-5 dirty diapers. 

If I'm only going out for a little bit, sometimes this is the only bag that I take with me- I can fit the essentials in here, and leave the big diaper bag at home.

Next up: the Insulated double bottle bag . Since I breastfeed, I usually don't take this one with me. But occasionally (like when I'm dropping Emma off to spend the afternoon with her grandparents) it does come in really handy.

It comes with an ice pack, and two tall bottles can easily fit inside. Sometimes I even add a sippy cup or some snacks on top.

I love having these two smaller bags, because, depending on where I'm going and how long I'll be out, I can choose whether or not to include them in my diaper bag. If I don't need them, I'm not toting around a bunch of extra weight. They also keep things really nice and organized inside my main diaper bag.

OK, so now let's take a look at what I pack in my main diaper bag:

When I tuck my bottle and diaper supplies away inside the smaller two bags I just showed you, it looks like this:

Let's take a closer look at some of the things I pack:

1. Bib
2. Bottle Bag
3. Bottle
4. Cloth diapers
5. Cloth wipes
6. Spray bottle with water (I use this to wet the cloth wipes)
7. Hand sanitizer
8. Wet/dry Bag
9. Disposable diaper (just in case)
10. Disposable wipes
11. Burp cloth
12. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets (I love that these roll up really small, and I can also use them as nursing covers.)
13. A change of clothes
14. Extra pair of socks
15. Cell phone
16. A snack for me
17. Water bottle
18. Wallet and keys
19. Sippy cup
20. Snack for baby
21. Book
22. Toy
23. Tylenol (plus unopened syringe)
24. Gas drops
25. Teething tablets (These have been recalled!)
26. Nail clippers
27. Vaseline
28. Thermometer
29. Pacifier
30. Diaper cream sample

Seem like a lot? If you haven't already, you should check out my free diaper bag checklist printable!

(Download and print a copy of the checklist here.)

Here's how I pack all of that stuff into one bag and still keep it nice and organized.  In the main compartment, I tuck the extra set of clothes and socks into one pocket, and the swaddle blanket into the other. 

Next, I add the wet/dry bag with my diaper supplies, along with any books/toys I want to have.

If I want to pack any bottles, there's still plenty of room for the bottle bag in this compartment as well:

Now for all of the "just in case" stuff- the medicines, thermometer, nail clippers, etc. These all go in a tiny little pocket right near the main, zippered compartment.

My phone, wallet and keys go in a larger pocket right below that one:

Next, I fill the cup holder pockets with a sippy cup and my own water bottle.

The front pocket on the right is for wipes and one or two disposable diapers- just in case. In the pocket on the left I keep things I might need easy access to- the bib, burp cloth, extra pacifier, and hand sanitizer. And a stuffed animal just because he's cute. ;)

So that's it! A perfectly packed diaper bag, complete with pictures and a printable checklist. Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my diaper bag.

Oh, and be sure to check out my post on a perfectly packed diaper bag- the toddler version. :) 

A perfectly packed diaper bag: the toddler version