What's In Your Diaper Bag? - Jennifer and Henry

As if parenting a little one isn't enough, today's mom is also self-improving! Jenn is a "graduate student working from home part-time in between peek-a-booing, reading, chasing, stair-climbing, squealing, and generally having fun with my buddy Henry." Phew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it! A shy kid at first, he's a very caring and happy guy when he feels safe. It's fun to watch him spread his wings as he slowly moves from mommy's lap to being one of the guys. Coming from smart and patient parents, I can only imagine how the gears turn in his own clever little noggin!

What's In Your Diaper Bag?

Name: Jenn

Baby's Name (and age): Henry (9 months)

Most Important Thing in Your Diaper Bag: 
Diapers of course, and lots of wipes. For the first 6 months of Henry's life I would have also said receiving blankets for the constant spitting up, but that seems to be resolved now.

Basic Save: 
I love to sew so before Henry was born I tried to make a few items that he would need. Making things yourself isn't always cheaper, but it's nice to be able to customize what you make. One of the most useful things I made was a small diaper pouch to go in the big diaper bag. The pouch holds 3 or 4 diapers and a pack of wipes so if we're just going to the grocery store or on another short trip, we will just grab the pouch instead of taking the whole big diaper bag. This saved me money in not buying multiple diaper bags. 

 Tutorial: http://www.noodle-head.com/2010/05/diaper-pouch-tutorial.html

Essential Splurge: 
Toys! Now that Henry is more interested in toys, I try to stash at least one that lights up and makes noise in the bag for maximum distraction if he's about to have a meltdown. 

Best Preparedness Advice: 
Consider packing an extra shirt for mom and dad too in case you get spit up on. I usually remember most of the essentials for Henry but sometimes wish I had thought to pack something for myself.

So important at the beginning. I wish I had this advice earlier on. Almost every mom I know has an unfortunate spit up (or worse) story. If it's already happened, it's a funny story, but heck, avoid it if you can!

Final words of wisdom...

Remember to go through your diaper bag periodically to make sure that everything in there still works for you and your baby. Henry seems to grow so quickly and the other day I realized that the extra pants I had stashed in there for an emergency wouldn't fit over his thighs.

L to R: Nursing cover, Booties, Sunglasses (mine), Wallet (mine), Pen (mine), Gum (mine), Hairbrush (mine), Lip balm (mine), Sippy cup, Favourite book, Face cloth, Bib, Snack cup with Cheerios, Change of clothes for Henry, Sunglasses (Henry's), Shaker toy, Light up toy, Teething toy, Extra sweater (mine), Immunization record, Diaper pouch with 5 diapers and a travel pack of wipes