It's all in the Diaper Bag

The baby is adorable; the outfit straight off the trendiest rack; the car seat is the safest money can buy… All ready for a great outing with baby! Then you ask each other, “what about the change of clothes? What about a snack? What about diapers, and bottles, and blankets, and changing pad, and medicine, and… Thankfully the solution to all those parental worries comes in all shapes and sizes and looks genuinely chic.

Yes, it’s the diaper bag. Diaper bags were once used as functioning items—they held all those necessary items. Lately, the lowly diaper bags stock has been rising, thanks in part to pregnant celebrities and parental stars. Instead of a drab old bag that screams, “I’ve got a snot nosed kid,” there are a myriad of diaper bags that say, “I’m a parent, I’ve got it covered, and I look good doing it.” But looks aren’t everything…

On the inside, once we’ve ‘ooh-ed’ and ‘ahh-ed’ over that diaper bag-that-looks-like-a-trendy-Armani-handbag, it is evident that the simple bag has evolved. No longer is there a cavernous uni-space where your child’s diaper rash cream (that exhorts “Do not ingest”) rubs shoulders with your child’s favorite snacks. There are pockets for diapers, pouches for wipes, places for food, nooks for phones, and crannies for mom’s wallet. Lest we forget, there is also that extra handy changing pad slot for when your precious little child fills his or her drawers right at the wrong moment and wants it off NOW!
 
A downfall of scientifically engineered diaper bags and all its pockets is the propensity to stockpile out of date items. You may think you have 4 extra diapers, but they won’t help if they are size 2 and your child tots around in sneakers and size 6 Huggies. Other items that find semi-permanent homes are emergency outfits and blankets. Babies grow out of those outfits so quickly and blankets should be washed if they are being used on occasion. The lesson one should take from this—check diaper bags monthly for dirty laundry, stale cracker crumbs, and the occasional emergency diaper changes wrapped in those handy plastic bags.
Here are a few tips to keeping diapers bags organized.
Leave a sealed package of wipes in the diaper bag. Wipes kept in those cases that everyone has in their regular diaper bags will dry out. Ziploc bags work really well—the wipes will stay moist.
Snacks, snacks and more snacks. Preferably something that won’t spoil—gold fish, cheerios, raisins and granola bars to name a few. Packing snacks in Tupperware containers is perfect because they won’t leak and it keeps things from getting smashed around in your diaper bag.
Disposable changing pads are great if you are in a public place. You can just throw it away rather than inviting all kinds of germs into your diaper bags.
Always have a spare blanket in your diaper bag. They are great for the late night sleepy drive home or when baby has made an emergency mess. They are also great when you need to prop something up, keep the sun out or wipe up a bottle leak. It’s amazing how many uses you can find for a simple cotton blanket.
Keep an extra pacifier in your diaper bag. Ziplocs or pacifier pods are great for keeping it lint-free. Also consider some Tylenol, rash cream, sunscreen, hand sanitizer and a few plastic bags. You don’t want to put dirty diapers or dirty clothes directly into your diaper bags.

You may look trendy to others judging your diaper bag. What matters more is how you feel when this stylish accessory contains everything you need to feel like a prepared and capable parent.