Now, I’ve been carrying around a changing bag with me little over a year now, and I might have just got the gist of whats best to carry around with me at all times. I certainly hear the phrase ‘you’ve got everything but the kitchen sink in there’ a lot, but packing for the unknown possibilities is something you’ll thank yourself for one day when your kid poop ends up not just over their clothes, but in their hair and eyes too…
So I’m going to give you the run down into what I have been packing in my changing bag since day one, and also things that have changed and adapted as Theodore has got older. I definitely needed a post like this when I was pregnant with Theodore, I didn’t have the slightest clue what I should pack in his bag other than nappies and wipes. But now I’ll always be prepared for any occasion (or disaster!).
Nappies and Wipes
A simple one. If you didn’t know this are you sure you’re ready to pack this bag at all?! Choosing a nappy brand is confusing decision especially expecting your first baby.
All I knew when choosing nappies for tiny newborn Theodore was I wanted the most comfortable, reliable and best on sensitive new baby skin.
Now he’s older and either a) wriggles away or b) refuses to lay down for a nappy change I use Huggies Pull Ups (he princess ones are my favourite), especially when we’re out on the go as I find it makes changing him much simpler when I feel rushed for staying in the baby change for too long when there is a queue of mums anxiously waiting too!
Water Wipes are my go-to favourite brand when buying wipes for Theodore, I just know they’re caring for his skin and not adding any extra nasty un-needed chemicals.
Nappy Clutch Bag
Now these are a god send. Instead of lugging your whole bag into the tiny changing room you can easily slip out one of these clutch bags from Messy-Me, I love the grey star design.
They are so stylish compared to similar products on the market. Perfect for keeping in your bag, under the pram or perhaps in the car. They come with a mini changing mat, which I always use to lay over public changing tables as god knows when they were last cleaned!
I just keep a couple of nappies in, a pack of wipes, nappy bags and some cream. Everything is handy and in one place so no routing around with a half dressed baby trying to squirm away.
Sterilising Wipes
Milton sterilising wipes are a god send and I think a necessity in everyones changing bags. Perfect for any quick sterilising you need to do like a dropped dummy or teether. Now Theodore’s is older I used them to wipe down high chairs when we’re out as I honestly question how often some places clean their highchairs. They can be so grim. I wouldn’t like to eat my food off some filthy tray so I don’t expect Theodore too either.
Hand Sanitiser
After changing Theodore out in public I never seem to have to time to actually wash my hands. He’s usually crying by this point or trying to run away. I can’t leave him on the changing table, nor do I want him walking around a bathroom probably to put his hands down the toilet or in a bin. Using a quick bit of hand sanitiser helps keep my hands germ/wee/poop free after cleaning him up. My all time favourite is Soap and Glory’s Hand Maid, it smells just like all their other products which I love, I hate that chemically smell that comes with other hand sanitiser. This one actually has a pleasant soapy fragrance.
Toddler Bribing Snacks
“I will never bribe my children with food when I’m a parent” HA. HA. HA. You wait. Snacks are parents best friends. Need your toddler to sit still? Snacks. Need your toddler to be quiet? Snacks. Need your toddler to not lose their shit? Snacks. Snacks are the answer to 98% of your toddlers troubles, and if you want a easy life… just stock up on snacks. Theodore loves these Organix Farm Biscuits, as do I (because they don’t make much mess, I don’t love eating them).
Water
Water has seemed to help with many problems out and about not just a drink. I can use a little bit to clean his face up if he’s got exceptionally filthy. It’s also perfect in the early days to use to wipe gunky eyes from your little newborns face (as long as you’re using cooled boiled water). Always having a drink to hand saves time and money. I don’t need to buy him anything whilst we’re out, and I can usually have a sip myself if I manage to get to it before he’s backwashed his inter dinner in there… We love using the Munchkin Miracle 360 cup, it doesn’t spill and he can drink so easily out of it. We used to use a straw cup but I knew I wanted to get him on a cup so he learnt how to tip back and sip. It took perhaps a week of showing him how to use it but once he’d cracked it we’ve not gone back.
Name Tags
Now I’ve found that a lot of mums agree with me. The Munchkin 360 cup is fabulous. Literally all the toddlers out there have one. There is also only 4 colours to choose from, so chances are another 3 kids at play group have the same one. These name label stickers from Tiny me are perfect and super cute. You have the choice of tonnes of designs and also types of stickers. From iron on, clothing labels and shoe stickers. The prices are so reasonable too. If you’re finding yourself hanging around with packs of toddlers at play groups or soft plays name tag stickers will make sure you get all your toddlers stuff back.
A Swim Nappy
This might sound like an odd one. But it really depends on how often you go swimming if at all. We try to go once a week, but lately it’s been much less than that because of the freezing cold weather. But when we do go swimming I take another bag along with my changing bag with our towels and costumes in. I obviously pack a swim nappy in our swimming bag as we like to use the reusable ones, but I like to keep one extra disposable in the changing bag for any accidents or I just totally forget to re pack the reusable one (I forget to pack a lot of stuff a lot of the time…). Our favourite swim nappies are the Huggies Little Swimmers. We used them all throughout our holiday last year since we didn’t have access to a washing machine for the reusable one. They were brilliant and faultless.
Spare Clothes
A must whether your child is newborn or 4. Accidents happen, whether they involve poop or not is a different story. You might have a leaky nappy, some milky sick or perhaps just a whole plate of dinner tipped down them. Whatever’s going on you don’t want your little one going around looking dirty and feeling uncomfortable. We tend to pack one full outfit in his bag. Usually its items of clothing we’re not too fussed about as they might not get much use out of them. A vest, a top and some bottoms is usually your safest option to stick with. Perhaps changing depending on seasons but usually you can save any messy situation with some fresh clothes.
A Bag to Store it all in
Choosing a changing bag is such a big thing when you’re becoming a parent for the first time. You need to think about your lifestyle, how often you’ll be using it, how long you’ll be out for at any one time and how much you care to spend. I love my back-pack changing bag from Miss Fong, you might have seen me talk about it a few weeks ago over on Instagram. They sent me this bag a months ago when Theodore hit the ‘toddler’ stage. I previously had a shoulder changing bag that came free in a deal with the travel system we bought. I never liked the look of it but I dealt with it because I didn’t want to commit to another bag until I knew what kind of bag I needed. My Miss Fong bag is perfect for toddler life. Lots of room for everything I need for Theodore and myself. I will certainly be using it from the get-go with baby number 2.
What are your necessities in your little ones changing bags? This is everything I don’t ever leave the house without. Even if it is just a trip to the shops. Babies and toddlers are very unpredictable creatures and will throw a spanner in the works whenever the feel the need. So being prepared is key. Your life will become that little bit less stressful if you have the power to divert any messy situation.
