What do you pack in your TODDLER diaper bag?

[Kimberly H]

Okay, I'm a chronic overpacker and still haul the kitchen sink along everywhere we go, even though I have the LE backpack fully stocked in my car and Mia's in daycare all day anyway. I trade off between 2 bags: a custom bucket tote that's 12"hx17"wx7"deep and a Vera Bradley Villager that's 12"hx16"wx4"deep

I'd like to get down to a smaller diaper bag - like the WW Elizabeth though I just noticed it's bigger than it looks in the "Paige" monogram phooto - but how?

I carry:
* 1-2 disposable size 3 diapers
* 1 or 2 Sassy diaper tossaway bags
* travel pack Pamper wipes (big turquoise freebie case)
* Playtex straw cup
* Take 'n Toss large snack bowl/lid
* sun hat (folded up)
* Purell
* very lightweight receiving blanket for changing pad
* small cosmetic purse for me with wallet, cell phone, lip gloss, etc.
* board book, shaker egg, teether
* bib wrapped around TnT spoon

It doesn't look like much but it sure seems to take up a ton of room, especially when you toss a sweatshirt or windbreaker on top of it all. Am I doing something wrong here?

[redhookmom]

For my toddler I carry:

*1 diaper (extra in car)
*wipes in small ziploc (takes up a little less room.)
*diaper tossaway bag
*sippy cup
*snack in zip loc (if you travel with the kind of snack that would go into a zip loc, it may be smaller.)
*Purell
*changing pad (I think it is acutally a lap pad)
*pacifier
*my stuff

The rest of the stuff you mentioned I keep in the car (as well as to much other stuff.) I will grab a toy or whatever else I think I might need depending on where we are.

[luvbeinmama]

Yeah, it doesn't get really light until they are out of diapers! LOL!! I have almost what you have.

2 diapers + wipes
(I usually forego the "changing pad" as I can usually find a decent place or have her stand, or I just make do with the picnic blanket I always have in my trunk.)
Sassy diaper toss away bags (roll in roll holder)
2 sippies (one per kid)
snacks
bottle with dry formula
thermos with warm water (dd is picky, BF'd for a month)
hats if we'll be outside
my purse (a backpack type one)

Sometimes I wish I had a bib. That's a good idea.

My car has misc toys/books in it so I can usually take one if I need it. The MagnaDoodles are GREAT!

It's funny (or not so funny depending on how you look at it. I had just really gotten to the point where I could take DS out with minimal stuff, just my purse and his juice for short runs, and then DD arrived! LOL! Oh, well, it does get better eventually. For a long time I used a regular backpack to put everything in. And I used all that space all the time. Esp with packing formula! Now I pack a bit lighter and the backpack is too big usually, so I go with a purse & a small bag. I've been using the freebie hospital one. If I need to carry other stuff like jackets, I sometimes will add a canvas bag to catch all the "etc" stuff. I don't know if this helps at all. I'm NOT a diaper bag connisseur, I've never actually bought one! LOL!!! My first bag was a shower gift (backpack style). My 2nd bag was the backpack (I was also on the board of my MOMS Club and was often carrying paperwork with me). The freebie is my 3rd "diaper" bag that I carry everyday. I guess I just go with whatever I've got & make it work.

[emmiem]

I have the Petunia Picklebottom toddler tote and this is what I put in my all the time:
2 or 3 diapers
wipe container
changing pad ( receiving blanket)
wallet
credit card case
checkbook
pen
cell phone, lipstick, keys all in outside pockets.

I have plenty of room. I keep a container of extra diapers, wipes, straws, cups, outfit in my trunk. I have not had to change an outfit in over a year.
Michele

[raynjen]

I also think you can decrease the snack size either by going with a snack baggie or by going with a smaller cup size (I use the Glad disposable 'tupperware' - 4 oz. size). Also I use the Pampers disposable bibs for the diaper bag - less bulk and I can throw it away if it gets too messy. I also use the Toys'R'Us brand (Especially for Baby) wipes which come in a much smaller pack (about 4" x 4") - make sure you get the ones that are made for tushies, they have another that is for hands and face. I leave stuff like the sun hat in my car bag. I rarely carry a cup now, just straws, but that didn't happens until she was at least 2. I too don't carry a changing pad - I either did it in the back of the car, standing up, or put down paper towels. I bought myself a very small pencil bag for 'my stuff' and made myself pare down to fit.

Jen in Okinawa
Mom to Noelle (2 1/2)

[opus]

I still use the same backpack style diaper bag I've had since my DD was born. Regular shoulder bags don't work for me; the slip off. (I have long hair and the bag handle glides down my hair and off my shoulder.) I adjust my diaper bag literally for every outing, trying to make it as light as possible. I know lots of Mom's who keep a full bag in the car and another travel bag. I've tried it but it must just be dumb me or dumb luck, it didn't work for me. Invariably, the very thing I didn't put in the travel bag and left in the car, I needed. Now that I don't have to pack all the baby paraphernalia, this same bag has the room to pack for an overnight at Grandma's.

Generally, ...
**3-4 diapers
**Travel pack Huggies no fragrance wipes
**Purell
**A&D ointment (for sore fannies, for chapped lips, for minor cuts, etc.)
**$20 bill (for me, in a pinch & for sitters use for my DD)
**1 outfit (1 top, bottom & pair of socks) - the lightest possible for that day's weather
**1-2 ponytail holders and/or barrettes
**1 sports bottle of juice or water (my DD is a big drinker)
**1 snack in a small Ziploc bag (or 1 packet of Easy Mac if she's going to a sitter's house)

In the summer, I add a sunglasses for both of us and tube of sunblock.

I usually carry my keys, cell and wallet and then keep them in the car, putting only what is needed for that trip into the store in the diaper bag. To keep the load light, I often just pull out my ID and debit card and put them into the diaper bag, leaving the wallet in my locked glovebox.

[trumansmom]

I was a compulsive overpacker when he was a baby, but now I'm fairly laid back. I generally carry a Vera Bradly Villager for myself, and when DS is along I just add 1 or 2 diapers, travel pack of wipes, spoon in a baggie, individual applesauce, small book and a sippy. Writing it makes it sound like a lot, but it really doesn't take up that much room. For short trips it's just the diaper, wipes and sippy.

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and EDD 4/23/04!

[August Mom]

That sounds about right. :) You could use a disposable changing pad instead of the blanket to take up less space and leave the sun hat in the car. You could also try a Bibster instead of a bib. Also, I think the Huggies travel containers pack smaller than the Pampers container. It's more squared off and doesn't bulge like the Pampers container. For snacks, I use 2-3 smaller containers and stack them in my bag. I use the Sassy ones where a flap in the lid lifts up. Occasionally, I use a plastic bag.

[kcolton_5]

Hi,

I'm a chronic overpacker, too, but I'm glad I am! The times I've tried to lighten the load have always come back to haunt me. In addition to just about everything the other moms listed (great idea about the $20 bill!), I throw in a small, new toy (like a cheapy electronic gizmo always on clearance at Target) for my 2.5 year old DS, to help with the meltdown moments that inevitably come on outings. I keep an outings-only chewy toy for the baby, too, in case he's fussing back there! Also, I keep favorite snacks for all three kids (Reese's Pieces in small plastic tube they're packaged in for the big kid, licorice or cookies for the middle guy, and Cheerios for the baby) just in case! These came in quite handy when we were unexpectedly delayed in traffic one afternoon on the highway outside NYC...

My secret weapon, though, for streamlining the diaper bag weight is a wallet/datebook combo I found from Filofax. You can put your cash, checkbook, credit cards, lists, coupons, a pen in the holder, plus the dayplanner inserts with calendar and address sections (I took out the stuff that I don't need daily). You can customize it to suit your needs. There are inserts that have photo holders, maps of large cities (helpful to those of us who live in Boston since you need a map to get anywhere in the city), blank sheets, financial management, etc. I have tried every planner out there, plus every type of wallet/checkbook combo, and this one is my absolute favorite. It measures about 4" or so by 7.5" and it's thin. It slides right into the middle inside pocket of my Vera Bradley bag and I LOVE it.

Kim Colton

DD Emily 10
DS Matthew 2
DS Nicholas 9 months

[colleenfs]

I don't even use a "diaper" bag anymore. I now carry a Healthy Backpack instead, which works great!

I pack pretty light:

*2 diapers (Plus extra in car)
*wipes in travel case
*cup of Cheerios
*2 sippies
*Purell
*small sticker book and new stickers for the fussies
*very small change purse for me
*cell phone

No more changing pad. We often change diapers in the trunk. In the car, I keep extra dipes, wipes, snacks, and hand sanitizers.

~Colleen
Mama to Julia 1-10-02