Ten Essential Diaper Bag Items

There are ten essential items that every diaper bag should contain every time you leave the house. Some babies will require other items, such as babies with health difficulties. But these ten items should apply to all infants.

1. Carry at least one diaper for every half hour you anticipate, plus two. This should be enough to cover any incidents of tummy troubles and also offer additional diapers in case you are out longer than expected. This means a minimum of three, obviously.

2. Diaper wipes are essential. They are needed not only for changing diapers, but also for cleaning up dropped toys, wiping drool or spit-up off of clothing, or cleaning your hands when no sinks are around.

3. A changing pad is another necessity. If you are in a situation where you need to change your baby in the car, you can protect the seat from soiling with the pad. If you are changing your child in a restroom at a diaper station, you can use the pad to keep your baby off of the potentially unclean surface if no paper covers are provided.

4. Toys are essential. Even if your child cannot hold on to his own toys yet, you will be able to occupy your baby with bright rattles or musical toys, or keep his attention focused on one if he starts getting fussy in public. It's good to bring at least two.

5. An extra change of clothing is always a good idea, two if your baby spits up often. You never know what could happen, and it's better to have an extra in case of spills, spit-up incidents, or leaky diapers.

6. Infant Tylenol liquid is another essential. This is in case of very high fever emergencies and also teething problems. It is very handy to have on hand as a "just in case" measure. Hopefully you will never need it.

7. Another must-have is diaper rash cream. Not much makes a baby fussier than an uncomfortable diaper rash, so having a way to deal with that is vital.

8. An extra blanket is important to have on hand for many reasons. Even if it is Summer, you may need it if you enter a very chilly air-conditioned building (think movie theater) or if it starts to rain. It can also be used to shield you from uncomfortable eyes if you need to breastfeed in public. It can also serve as a burp cloth.