There isn’t much I have taken out of our diaper bag as my daughter has gone from baby to toddler. If anything I may have added more! I didn’t think my toddler would need as much as she does but everything we do have in our diaper bag is the essentials (simply because I don’t want to carry around a heavy and bulky diaper bag)
Once my daughter reached the toddler stage I upgraded our diaper bag to a bigger one. The diaper bag I had before was getting really bulky so I was hitting a few people when I turned in places.
My husband one this amazing backpack at work and I asked him I could use it because it has a lot more space than my other one did! This bag is a backpack, not a diaper bag but I love it so much more than my actual diaper bag. It has great pockets and I am able to put all diaper bag essentials for my toddler without it getting bulky!
Below I have listed all the essential diaper bag items for toddlers and moms because let’s be honest. It’s a mom’s bag too!
Make sure you read all the way to the end so that you make sure you don’t miss anything!
Essentials Diaper Bag Items For Toddlers
1. Diapers
Forgetting to put diapers in the diaper bag is the worst! It sometimes seems when you forget diapers your child knows somehow and they have a blowout or poop and you go to change their diaper and you don’t have any!
I have ended up in that sort of situation one too many times and it was not a fun experience. Give yourself an extra 2-3 minutes before leaving the house go through the diaper bag and make sure you have diapers!
2. Wipes
Wipes have become my new best friend! Those tiny fingers get sticky and dirty really easily and it is so much easier to pull wipes out of the diaper bag and wipe their little hands off instead of trying to find a bathroom to wash their hands.
Plus changing dirty diapers would be a real challenge without wipes! I have an extra pack of wipes sitting at the bottom of the diaper bag for emergencies!
My favorite wipes are Huggies Sensitive. I don’t know about you but I hate it when I try to pull out one wipe I pull out 4-5 and all I needed was one! These Huggies Sensitive wipes to great at cleaning dirty bums and sticky little fingers!
3. Change Of Clothes
Yes, toddlers need a change of clothes too. My toddler seems to get dirtier then she did when she was a baby. Toddlers love to play in things that get them dirty (who doesn’t right?) plus as they are still trying to master hand-eye coordination when eating or drinking spills are common.
4. Snacks
Toddlers always seem to be hungry. My toddler could eat all day if I let her. When you are running errands and you’re away from home you will want to have a handful of snacks in the diaper bag.
Having a hungry toddler is not fun for you or them. I have a gallon plastic bag full of some of my daughter’s favorite snacks. Having snacks in a baggie makes it easier to get to them so you are not having to dig around the diaper bag.
5. Portable Potty
If you are potty training your toddler you are going to want to make sure you get a portable potty. When you are at grandma’s house or even a restaurant your child can easily go to the potty with their portable potty.
When I was looking at portable potties for my daughter the ones I was finding looked really big a bulky. I really didn’t want to carry a potty everywhere I wanted one that would fit in the diaper bag.
After doing a lot of research I came across this portable potty! It folds right up and fits perfectly into the diaper bag. My daughter is scared of being held over a toilet with a big hole (I would be too!) so this silicone foldable travel potty works perfectly!
6. Lotion
If your toddler has dry skin make sure to keep some lotion in the diaper bag. My daughter has really bad eczema due to her food allergies so I am putting lotion on her 2-3 times a day!
My favorite lotion I get for my daughter is from Stone River Soaps. It is packed full of oils and creams and is the only lotion that works really well for her.
7. Hair Brush and Ties
I’m a mom of a girl so of course, I have these in the diaper bag. If her hair tie breaks I have extra and a brush to help calm her curly hair! But if you’re a mom of a boy then you obviously don’t need these in your diaper bag.
8. First Aid Kit
You never know what might happen. It is better to be prepared than not prepared. Toddlers easily trip and get scraped knees or hands and having a first aid kit easily assessable makes fixing boo-boos easy.
This small hand size first aid kit is perfect to add to your diaper bag. It has the essentials that you would need, to deal with small cuts and keep things under control. Plus care for bigger emergencies until you get to a hospital.
9. Wet Ones
These are perfect to sanitize different surfaces and help keep your child from catching germs. I use Wet Ones to wipe down restaurant tables (because you never know how clean those tables really are) high chairs, seats, and a lot more.
Wet Ones are great for helping your toddler not get any unwanted germs!
10. Bibs
Bibs are a must! There have been a few times I have forgotten to grab a bib for my daughter and we ended up either taking off her shirt while she ate or trying to keep napkins tucked into her shirt (which did not work out well)
My favorite bibs that I keep in the diaper bag are these waterproof silicone bibs. They are super easy to clean and they help catch any food that my daughter may not get in her mouth.
Before heading out the door take a quick look in the diaper bag to make sure you have your toddler’s bib!
11. Gallon Plastic Bags
Keeping a few gallon plastic bags in the diaper bag was one of the best pieces of advice I ever received! With spills on clothes, blowouts (oh..those lovely newborn blowouts…), and dirty diapers gallon bags came in handy.
The gallon bags gave a place to store dirty items that I didn’t want to be put in the diaper bag and risk getting other things dirty.
12. Toys/Books
Keeping a few toys and items to entertain my daughter has been life saver! I keep a few of my daughter’s favorite books and small toys in the diaper bag so when she gets restless I can give her something to entertain herself.
Grab a few smaller toys that your toddler loves and keep them in the diaper bag so when your little one gets bored and restless you can pull out some of their toys.
This list covers some of the basic essentials that you should put in your toddler’s diaper bag. You can add more or less because you know your toddler the best! Okay, so we covered what your toddler needs but it’s also mamma’s bag as well!
For Mamma
- Wallet
- Phone
- Feminine Products
- Gum
- Lotion/Chapstick
- Portable Phone Charger
- Hand Sanitizer
- Snacks (yes! mamma needs snacks too!)
- Keys
Before leaving the house take a look in your diaper bag to make sure that you have everything for your toddler and you! Stock up and add extra items if you know that you go through them pretty quickly. For example, I keep an extra package of wipes at the bottom of our diaper bag because we go through them so quickly!
By following this list your diaper bag is sure to have the toddler diaper bag essentials. You are going to be one prepared mamma!
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