The Older Kid Diaper Bag
**Alright, folks. This is my last diaper bag post. I promise! It’s just been on my mind lately, and I had to blog it out!**
Now that Bean and Gracie are getting a little older, the needs of my diaper bag have changed. I don’t really have to carry around bottles and burp cloths and multiple changes of clothes for each kid. Now, my diaper bag is more about entertaining the kids when we are out somewhere. Actually, just this past weekend I cleaned out my diaper bag and repacked it for this new phase.
Though I don’t have to carry bottles for Gracie anymore, I still always make sure I leave the house with snacks for the kids. Not only does it keep them busy when we’re out and about, but it never fails that the one time I don’t pack a snack, both kids start whining for one. Usually, I stick with something simple that both kids can have so that I don’t have to pack multiple snacks. Goldfish are a big hit, as are graham crackers, Puffs, and apple slices. Also, I make sure that their sippy cups are full of water. (This has a picture of a bottle for Gracie, but as of this weekend she is a sippy cup only girl! Go Gracie!)
Because Gracie is still in diapers, I carry this little travel-sized diaper case with me. Inside there are two diapers, a small pack of wipes, and a small tube of diaper cream. If we’re just running out somewhere, I sometimes leave this at home because I have a very similar travel case that I keep in my car. But if we’re going somewhere all day, I toss this pack in the diaper bag. It’s really slim and light, so it doesn’t take up too much room.
A new addition to my diaper bag these days is an old formula box filled with some small, entertaining activities that I save specifically for meals out at restaurants. I just came up with this idea a couple weeks ago, so I haven’t filled it completely yet, but right now I have a brand new pack of special crayons (different than what Bean has at home), a pack of jacks (Bean loves to collect tiny things and put them in piles), and a container of Play-Doh. Bean loves this thing. When we go out to eat, he sits very quietly and plays with all his “new” toys. I think it’s a good idea to have some things that are designated for specific times or places. It makes them seem more important and special. Plus, the formula box is just the right size for Bean to have complete control over what he plays with. It’s essentially like having a tiny toy box that he can dig through at the table.
Another new addition to our “big kid” diaper bag are sunglasses. At first, I used to buy sunglasses for the kids because… I mean, what’s cuter than a kid in sunglasses?
But living in Florida, sunglasses are almost a necessity, even for wee ones. Bean has gotten to the point now where he asks for his sunglasses in the car when it’s really bright. So, I keep these in the outside pocket of my diaper bag now partly for pure entertainment, and partly for practical use. Even little bitty eyeballs need protection.
Other staples in my new diaper bag include activities that will keep the kids entertained. I replaced all the small hand toys and stuffed animals this weekend with activities instead. I put in coloring books, animal alphabet cards, lacing cards, and a few beginning reader sight word books that my mom got Bean for Easter.
I used to carry around a lot of baby toys for Gracie, but all she ever wanted were Bean’s toys, so now I just give her whatever he is playing with. If he has flashcards out, she looks at them with us or Bean gives her a couple cards for her to carry around. If he’s playing with lacing cards, she likes to wave around the strings. We basically just adapt whatever Bean’s playing with for Gracie and that seems to keep her attention these days more than baby toys.
I should also say here that when I go somewhere with just Bean, we don’t take the diaper bag at all. Instead, he has a little backpack that he carries. I put some activities and games in there, along with his sippy cup and snack, and he’s good to go. He even likes to carry it around by himself.
What about you guys? What do you carry in your bag for older babies and toddlers?
6 Comments
Alyssa
Wow you are so organized about this diaper bag stuff…just wait until potty training begins again next year, you’ll have to change it all up one more time 🙂 I have kids the same ages as you and I barely carry a diaper bag. I carry my small bag of tricks and I keep a nice bag in my car with extra clothes, diapers, wipes, toys, more clothes (you never know), snacks, anything else I can think of. It lives in the car. I’m the type of person that I might head out for a 5 minute trip to Target and be gone 12 hours on an adventure with my kids so that’s what works for me. I can also sprint to the car and be ready to go without worrying about getting the darn bag packed, boy does that slow you down when you just want to get socks and shoes on and get out the door.
Leah
My daughter is 2 months older than Gracie so my bag looks similar with things specific to her since she’s the only one. The only thing I still use and swear by is the disposable place-mats for restaurants. She loves pointing at the colors and “talking” about the characters and shapes but it also makes me feel better about putting her finger food right on the table. The best thing was she got her first go at crayons yesterday at the restaurant and I didn’t have to worry about her coloring their table because she had the mat if she missed the kids menu 🙂
Casey @ The Baker Bee
Our “diaper bag” is pretty much the same as yours at this point. Eli is still in diapers, so we always have diapers & wipes and a change of clothes. Snacks, water or juice, sunglasses & sunscreen, toys (crayons, books, cars). We haven’t really gotten into Play-Doh yet, but I think I might pick some up soon. What I’m finding as Eli gets older is that we change what our actual BAG is often. Sometimes we use the old diaper bag, but more often than not we just throw everything into a backpack because it’s easier for us to carry. I knew I kept our college backpacks around for a reason!
Andrea
My son is 21 months, so we are trying to scale back his diaper bag as well. Where did you find the compact diaper case? I’ve been looking for one but haven’t had any luck yet. He is obsessed with stickers right now, so we have a notepad and stickers in the bag at all times!
Casey
Yay someone else who carries playdoh!!! I don’t really carry a diaper bag anymore since my girls are 4 & 2.5 but I keep little things stashed in my bag to keep them entertained since we have therapy appointments every week and we eat out at least once a week. I buy playdoh in small sizes, ya know like the party favor size and throw 2 in my bag. It’s the one thing that never gets old for them. I also always have sunglasses, fruit snacks, and little coloring books (from the $ section at Target) with some stickers. I try to keep a travel case of wipes too but they usually get left in the car which is fine since I’d rather change my youngest in the back of the car anyway. All this is going to change soon though since #3 is due in early June so I’ll be packing for a newbie again 🙂 Oh and the little diaper cases are genius! Love mine, it’s the Skip Hop brand!
Lindsay (Young Married Mom)
I love the idea of a child carrying his own snacks! My son has recently gotten into the habit of taking a cracker or two from his snack cup, giving the cup back to me, eating them slowly, and then a few minutes later asking for his cup again. This is all while he’s in the stroller and we’re walking around Manhattan or Brooklyn. I can’t convince him to hold on to the cup these days–a backpack would be awesome.