What To Put In A Diaper Bag?

Two and a half weeks have gone by since our little bundle of joy arrived and I have been lucky enough not to have to venture out of the house with anything more than my little purse. How can this be possible? Well, we are very concerned about him getting sick (because he is so tiny) so we have tried to keep him at home as much as possible.

I know though, as he gets bigger (now 5 pounds 3 ounces), we will at some point have to take him in public and I will have to hall around the inevitable gigantic diaper bag. I have never been a fan of large purses, so I have a feeling this will take some time to adjust to.

When looking for a diaper bag, I wanted to make sure I registered for a good one. Below is the awesome diaper bag I received at my shower. It's from Target and it had great reviews and also came with a nice changing pad and bottle bag.

Now the only question remains, what do I put in the diaper bag? Here is a list of my own essential diaper bag items. I would love any suggestions from the readers on any other items to add.

Diapers- Of course we are packing a "diaper" bag, so this lovely little item will make it to the top of the list. I decided to start out with putting 4 diapers in the bag, unless we plan on staying at a place for a longer time. I figure this number is a good amount to get us through a few hours out on the town.

Wipes- This kind of goes hand in hand with the diapers. I was at Target the other day (yes I know Target again!) and I found this awesome changing wallet.

It's great that it is a small foldable changing pad, a wipe holder, and some space for anything extra. The wipe holder is nice that I don't have to purchase the small packs of wipes they sell in stores. I can just take some out of my big container at home. It's very handy and folds up nice and small for the diaper bag.

Extra Change of Clothing- For those fun times where things get a little too out of control

Feeding Supplies- Eventually, I might need these. Right now I am taking the "breast is best" approach so I currently don't have any feeding supplies I will need to haul around.

Burp Cloths- Great for spilled milk, burping, spit-up...really anything that a wipe can't handle.

Toys- I put a couple of rattlers in the bag for entertainment purposes, but right now he is just a little to small to entertained very much by these toys.

Snacks- Snacks for me of course! A hungry mommy is a crabby mommy! I am a huge fan of Cliff Bars and the Soy Energy nut mix from Costco.

Bottle of Water- When you are breast feeding you get SUPER thirsty. I figure the bottle holder that came with my bag would be a great thing to hold a bottle of water for me, at least until my little man is drinking from a bottle.

Tissues- Seems like I can never find any when I need them and the diaper bag seems to be the perfect spot for them.

Antibacterial Gel- I am sure there will be situations where water may not be available and this gel will come in handy quick. I already use this stuff all around out house as it is.

Antibacterial Wipes- Two very important uses for these wipes...wipe down the changing table in the restroom AND wiping down highchairs at restaurants. I heard a report the other day that the highchairs in restaurants have more bacteria on them then toilet seats. I can honestly say that when I was a waitress I don't remember wiping down the highchairs once!

First Aid Kit- I don't really see our little boy falling down and scraping his knee quite yet, but I was given this little first aid kit that fits nicely in the bag. You never know when he might scratch his face or something else like that might happen.

Well, that is my list so far for the diaper bag. I would love to hear any other suggestions on additions to the diaper bag. I am sure some of you seasoned parents could share some good advice for a newbie!

~Beth