My mom-of-four Diaper-Bag Must-Haves

Wondering what you really need in a diaper bag? I can't promise all the answers, but as a mom of four kids from toddler to teen, I've been carrying around a diaper bag for more than a decade and a half. And while my system isn't perfect, I have gotten pretty good at packing a combo of items that lets us have fun just about anywhere. I'm all about NOT gatekeeping what I've learned over the years, so let's take a peek into my diaper bag together. I hope it's helpful if you're a pregnant mom contemplating what to register for, a new mom trying to decide which gear to actually bring with you, or an experienced mom who's already got a good system but also on the lookout for fun new things to add (that's me, always, so please leave a comment and let me know what great things you have in your diaper bag too so I can try them out!)

I also just updated my Amazon Affiliate storefront so you can easily find (affiliate link:) my diaper-bag must-haves all in one place. I thought it would also be fun to share them here in this post and give a little more explanation on why each of these things has a place in my diaper bag. 

The diaper bag

My diaper bag, beautiful but starting to show its age

For years I've been using a combo of two things. One is a normal (albeit a little large) purse with just a few essentials for quick trips. This can be whatever purse you love! The second is a diaper bag backpack, which I love, and that's what I use when I'm actually bringing all of this. When I use the small purse, I usually have the big diaper bag in the car in case of a blowout or other surprise that requires more supplies than I keep in the purse. 

Diaper bag essentials

Within the small bag, I usually put my wallet, keys, a small pack of baby wipes, and 2 diapers, plus whichever other items on this list can reasonably fit--often the sunglasses, lip balm, and hand sanitizer (more on those below.)

With the large bag, I usually have all of those items, but also more diapers, a larger package of wipes, plus the following (depending on where we are going, of course!)

And I always put my wipes in a gallon sized ziplock bag. This keeps them from leaking but also serves as a wet bag if I need to put wet clothes or something like that in there, and/or as a trash bag if I have to wipe a nose, clean up spitup or vomit, or do a diaper change out somewhere without easy access to a bathroom or trash can. 

What I keep in my diaper bag to take care of a baby

My youngest is 3 now so I don't actually have to keep this gear in my diaper bag anymore, but when I had babies, I also brought:

• a great baby carrier
• anything necessary to do feeding in public
• a changing mat. 

Feeding babies can look different in different families so bring the items most useful to you, but my personal favorite thing I kept in my diaper bag for this was a muslin nursing cover, which provided a nice combination of breathability and coverage to meet my personal comfort level. 

What I keep in my diaper bag so we don't get sunburnt

• Solar Buddies sunscreen applicators: I'm obsessed with these. Basically, there's a container for your sunscreen, a roller ball that gets that sunscreen out and onto you, and a ring of sponge around the roller ball that helps you spread the sunscreen evenly and into more nooks and crannies. 
• Neutrogena tinted SPF balm keeps my lips moisturized, prevents sunburns, and I love the subtle tint
• Goodr Sunglasses keep the sun out of my eyes. These are polarized and fit really well so they don't fall off even when I'm running, climbing, sliding, and swinging with my kids. 
• SwimZip hats shields the kids' faces safe from the sun so we can play outside longer.

Stuff in my diaper bag that helps us stay clean

• Hand Wipes: these are so great for wiping little hands before or after a snack and a gazillion other purposes
• Hand Sanitizer: also great for sanitizing kid and mom hands as needed
• Emesis bags: if you have kids who get carsick or you get carsick yourself, these are so awesome. 
• Kleenex: great for wiping little noses

Other fun and useful stuff in my diaper bag

• A Sharpie fine-point marker: This comes in often way more than I expect it to, but probably most commonly I use it to write names on sippy cups, cups of drinks 
• Fiskars folding scissors: This is another item that I am frequently surprised by how often it's useful! What am I even cutting?? I don't know, but I know that I love my folding scissors.  
• Color Wonder Clipboard: this is so awesome for keeping a kid busy and quiet without basically any risk of making a mess. It's a family favorite for travel and anywhere we have to sit and wait.
• Bitty Boomer speaker: kind of the opposite of the coloring set, this is for when we want to get loud! We obviously don't use this in like, busy crowded spaces, but it can be really handy for pool parties and other such things where having music the whole group can hear is ideal!
• CamelBak water bottles: to keep the kids hydrated when we are out and about (I bring a cup for me too of course, usually a Big Frig, but I don't keep it in the diaper bag!)

So, that's what's in my mom-of-four diaper bag! If you keep something interesting in your diaper bag, I would seriously love to hear about it, so please share in the comments!