It’s been a couple of years since I published my first What’s In My Diaper Bag post. Izzy was one and a half (and my only child) then. Now that Luna is here, my diaper bag has evolved again.

Whenever I set out to pack a bag, I always consider the needs I want to be prepared for. With a newborn that means diaper changes and blowouts. For my toddler, I want to make sure I’m prepared for snacks, a quick clean up, and the off-chance he’ll need a change while we’re out. And last, I like to include a few things for me.

But first, can we talk about this diaper bag?

My mom gifted me this beautiful backpack from Maden at my baby shower for Luna. This one is the Midi All Day Backpack in the color Camel and let me tell you, it can hold a lot despite looking small! I love it so much and actually have my eye on the larger version to use as my laptop bag (not that I need one right now, but you know, I’m staying optimistic about safely being able to go work at a coffee shop soon).

DIAPERING

The main purpose of any diaper bag is to carry diapering things, so let’s start there!

Wipeable Changing Pad — I will sing the praises of Gathre mats until I lose my voice. They’re so good and absolutely worth the money. I always opt for the Mirco+ size because I try to make my baby gear last as long as possible. The Micro size is great for newborns, but the Micro+ will last well past a kiddo’s second birthday.

Diapers — I carry at least four diapers for Luna no matter what, just to be safe. My top three brands are Hello Bello, Honest Company, and Seventh Generation.

Pull Ups — We’re working on potty learning with our toddler and he rarely needs a change while we’re out, but I like to carry two in the diaper bag just in case.

Wipes — While I love Water Wipes, they can be pretty expensive. We randomly tried the Aqua Pure wipes by Pampers when Izzy was a baby and really liked them. They’ve become our go-to wipes. Would a wipe dispenser be more aesthetically pleasing? Absolutely. But I’m not here to give you aspirational aesthetics, I’m here to give you a realistic look into my diaper bag LOL. I found that my wipes would dry out more when I used a separate wipe dispenser, so I stopped using it.

EXTRA CLOTHES

Extra Clothes — Blowouts unfortunately happen so I’m always prepared with an extra outfit. I accidentally bought doubles of this cute ditsy floral bodysuit so the spare lives at the bottom of the diaper bag along with an extra legging.

Hat — Because we’ve all probably experienced the chaos of trying to get out of the house on time only to realize we forgot to put a hat on our baby’s head, I also carry a warm hat (since it’s currently winter) in my diaper bag. It’s the little things!

SANITIZER

Hand Sanitizer Wipes — Pandemic or not, hand sanitizer is a must with littles. I like to use wipes with my toddler to make sure that his hands get somewhat clean while we’re on the go. These ones are from EO and I buy them at Sprouts.

Pacifier Wipes — I always keep a pack of these to sanitize pacifiers, teethers, even water bottles. Before the pandemic, I would find that Izzy and his toddler friends would often end up sticking each other’s pacifiers or water bottles into their mouths, so these wipes are a nice, quick way to give those things a clean when you don’t have a chance to do a full on scrub.

Masks — I was tempted to omit the masks from this post for the sake of timelessness but decided to include them anyway because again, this is a real look at my diaper bag right now. I always keep a mask for me and for Izzy (even though he vehemently refuses to wear one right now) so I never end up somewhere without one. Adult sized masks are always, always too big for me, so I use these kid sized ones and they work great.

TODDLER SNACKS

Bar — Izzy absolutely loves the Happy Tot Super Foods bars but we rotate through those and the Plum Organics Morning Bars because these Super Foods ones can be hard to find (and pricey).

Applesauce Pouch — The ones pictured here are a Target brand but honestly, we’re not picky when it comes to the brand. I like applesauce pouches because they’re super convenient. I also always pack them in multiples of two, because Izzy is big on having more than one in a sitting.

Finger Foods — I don’t like raisins, but Izzy does! Some other snacks in our rotation are crackers, freeze dried fruit, yogurt drops, and good ol’ Cheerios.

FOR MAMA

We can’t forget ourselves when packing the diaper bag! I keep it really minimal and only pack three things for myself.

Travel Size Deodorant — Between the toddler wrangling, nursing the baby with enough time to let her tummy settle before putting her in the car seat, getting myself dressed and smearing some concealer under my eyes, I sometimes forget to put on deodorant. And sometimes, even when I’ve put deodorant on, my hormones or my anxiety kick in and I get a case of the Mom Sweats, so I always keep a travel size deodorant in my diaper bag (and really, all my bags). The Native charcoal deodorant is my personal favorite.

Snack Bar — I try to stock up on the chewier Kind Bars (always the chocolate chip/chunk flavors) and keep one or two in my bag for me or Brandon to snack on while we’re out and about.

Hydro Flask — If you’ve read my blog over the years, you know I looooove my S’well bottles. But I got a 32 ounce Hydro Flask for Christmas and it is game changing! I love the size of it and that it has a leak resistant straw lid. It’s great for getting a one-handed drink of water, which is a must with a toddler in tow.

That’s everything I carry in my minimalist diaper bag! Even with two kids, this is enough to cover our needs. I loved reading through these kinds of posts when I was pregnant, so my hope is this brought you some inspiration and some assurance that you don’t have to carry a whole nursery on your back when you decide to leave your home. 😆

If you’re curious how I pack my diaper bag, you can check out my YouTube video where I show you how I put this all in my backpack!