Top 5 items to have in your nappy / diaper bag.

Leaving the comfort and convenience of your house with your new born baby can be very anxiety provoking. Apart from the obvious spare nappies (or diapers depending on where you are from), there are a few other items that I have to include in my Baby Survival Guide nappy bag. Here are the things that I have to have, if I am to confidently leave the house with my baby.

Baby wipes

These are great for almost anything. Of course, cleaning your baby during changing time, but also great for cleaning food off hands and mouths, spills off friends’ carpets and baby vomit off your clothes. So versatile, these are a must.

Change mat

Most nappy / diaper bags come with these already. But if your bag doesn’t have one, you can pick them up fairly cheaply from any good baby supply store. Or you can even get disposable ones, which are great if you are out and you have to change your baby in a public change station. Once you’re done, you can just throw any lingering germs away.

Barrier cream / ointment

I started out using a barrier cream specifically designed for nappy rash but I found these were too thin and just came off my baby’s bottom too easily. I ended up switching to pure lanolin which was much cheaper and worked much better because it was so thick. Once I switched I never had a problem with nappy rash again.

Change of clothes

I can’t recommend this enough. You don’t want to be caught out if your baby has a messy bowel movement or spits up all over his clothes. It’s always best to have a spare change of clothing in case of these emergencies (which definitely do happen!). If you are going to be away from home for a long period of time, I would even suggest bring a few changes of outfit.

Disposable plastic nappy bags

Ok, so they are not very environmentally friendly, but they really are essential if you want to contain your baby’s messes hygienically. Most are scented and have easy tie handles. You can wrap your baby’s nappies up in them and no smells will escape. You will find they have multiple uses (storing clothes which get soiled during your outings or disposing of used baby wipes or tissues) and if you know where to look, you can pick them up really cheaply. I don’t buy the common brands from the supermarket, instead I get mine from discount stores. I can get packs of 150 for $2. So look out for them in your local bargain shop and save some money too.

Add these tips to your baby survival guide to help you get out and about confidently in those first few months - it will really help with your sanity. I would love to hear your suggestions on what you have found to be essential items to put in your nappy bag.

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