Our Favorite Essentials For Your Diaper Bag

Honey, it's the end of summer, we have been inside since March, and it is time to GO. OUT. This new baby needs to see the world. We're doing it. We're packing a baby diaper bag and we are exiting these four walls. Are we taking a baby to the grocery store? Are we taking a baby to the playground? Are we taking a baby to the beach? You're going to need baby supplies. You know in general what you need to put in a baby diaper bag - plenty of diapers, plenty of wipes, definitely at least one change of baby clothes (we're going to recommend two or three, but that's us, we're preppers), some kind of baby toy, and a baby bottle or snack. You know about THAT baby stuff. But what about the OTHER baby stuff you should put in a diaper bag? The little-knowns? The mama secrets? We've got you covered. Here's seven things you should put in a baby's diaper bag that you might not have considered before.

Dog Poop Bags

Pogi's is great - from personal experience!

Ok, hear us out on this one. They come cheaply in huge multipacks, they're super compact in tight rolls so they don't take up much space, many of them are scented specifically to block poop smells, and you can even find biodegradable ones! So when you have a dirty diaper or blow out on your hands, these bags are way better (and more environmentally friendly) than using an expensive Ziploc bag. Toss a roll or two in your diaper bag and relax.

Baby Hat

If the baby hat doesn't have ears, we don't want it

The sun, it burns. We must protect baby skin at all costs. But your baby can't stay in the stroller the whole time! She wants to be held, she needs to be fed, and isn't it too hot to cover her with a blanket? Even in the winter, the sun is strong, and let's say you're babywearing - is his head exposed? All the better for baby head sniffs, but all the worse for sun damange. Dermatologists recommend SPF every day for adults, kids, and toddlers, but for babies younger than six months old, both the American Academy of Dermatology and the Skin Cancer Foundation recommend avoiding sun AND sunscreen, so make sure you get a baby hat. We love these options from Coolibar which offer incredible sun protection, but you probably already have a baby hat, because they're ADORABLE. Toss it in the diaper bag. Leave it there. That's where the baby hat lives now.

Pads, Tampons, and Deodorant

Never forget yourself, mama. You've just spent a year or more without a period. If you're breastfeeding, period-free life could still be your reality. But you never know! We have to revert back to our middle school mentality when it comes to periods right now - they could come at any time, in any place, in any inconvenient situation, and we must be prepared. Pack yourself some menstrual supplies and even a backup pair of mom undies if you haven't gotten your postpartum period yet. The Honey Pot is the hottest/coolest new thing in lady products - this Black Woman-owned and founded brand offers natural materials with soothing herbs for your most delicate places, and they are divine. Treat yourself to the good stuff! Stash pads and tampons everywhere - in the diaper bag, in every purse you use, in a stroller pocket, in the car console, in a coat jacket pocket. Future you will thank you later.

Travel Size Deodorant

Good for 48hrs? Who are these people who can go 48 hours without reapplying deodorant? They are not us.

We've thrown deodorant on this list purely from personal experience - did breastfeeding make any other mothers out there smell like a rotten onion? Did the hormones have that effect on anyone else? *cricket sounds* Ok well, just throwing it out there! A travel-size deodorant in the baby bag could go an exceptionally long way to feeling refreshed and fully human in the middle of a stressful day of errands with a baby.

 Snacks and Drinks

It's easy to remember packing snacks for your baby, your toddler, and your kid, but what about yourself? And don't forget the water! 2020 is not the year to be searching for random public water fountains when you or your kids are thirsty, and truly no one is as thirsty as a breastfeeding mother, except perhaps a 5 year old who has lied to you about drinking his water for the past 10 hours. Diaper bags are huge and they can accommodate a lot of volume. Get a big-ass Hydro Flask and fill that sucker to the top. It will keep ice frozen for hours, and most diaper bags even have a water bottle pocket these days. In fact, seek out a diaper bag with a water bottle pocket. We love this backpack diaper bag from JuJuBe:

High Chair Mat

Fling Radius: Protected

As it is not the year to be searching for random public water fountains, it is also not the year to be plopping down on any old floor or bench you find. Afford yourself an extra bit of protection with a high chair mat that folds down small and is super easy to clean. Guess what! BooginHead has one! Our SplatMat high chair mat is 52" wide and can go under a restaurant chair, on the sand at the beach, on the grass at the park, on a bench on the street, and any place you need a little extra protection from your surroundings. SplatMat high chair mats wipe down easily and quickly with just about anything, even a baby wipe that's already in your diaper bag. And it folds down super small to fit in that wide pocket of your diaper bag you never know what to do with. It used to be wasted space where pennies and band-aids went to die. No longer!

So convenient!

A Secret $20

We hope, for your sake, you're not ALSO carrying a full-on purse with your baby diaper bag. You take out your wallet and essentials and put them IN the diaper bag when you go out, right? Right. Of course. Well, one day, you might forget. And you will be caught out in the world with no money. That's why you stash a secret $20 bill in a little used pocket or pouch of the diaper bag, and maybe even a few quarters. This is another future-you battle plan, like the pads and tampons. It's going to take up zero room in your diaper bag and live there quietly until that one fateful day when you will be saved by your past self who stashed $20 in the diaper bag.

A Hair Tie

Too '90's? Don't care! Scrunchies 4-LYFE

Girl, you look so cute today. Your hair looks amazing! Your baby is sleeping peacefully, and your toddler is being so well behaved! Today is the day for an outing, don't you think? Pull on those jeans, shove in some earrings (are your holes closing up like ours did?) and let's go! Oh no, it's hot. Oh no, you're strapping a human baby furnace to your chest when it's hot. Oh no, there's no shade at this playground. Your gorgeous hair is now a blanket of sweat on your neck. Good thing you had a scrunchie in your diaper bag.

You're ready! You've got the essentials for your diaper bag AND the secret lifesavers all stashed away in your baby's diaper bag. As soon as this toddler stops tantruming and this baby falls asleep, we are outta here! <3 Let us know what works for you, and any ideas and tips or tricks for what baby stuff to put in a baby diaper bag that changed the game for you.

We love to see you out and about - tag us on Facebook and Instagram so we can shower you with compliments on what a great job you're doing. Don't forget to check the BooginHead Blog for updates on what we're up to, our philanthropic efforts, and more!