Organizing A Diaper Bag: What To Include & How To Organize It

Inside are tips on organizing a diaper bag so you can get to everything and not leave the important stuff at home.

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At the height of diaper-ness in our home… we had 5 kids under 5 years of age. So that was like 3 kids in diapers at once basically, give or take.

Yikes. Let the games begin.

Previously, I’ve had an absolute love/hate relationship with the diaper bag because it was unorganized, either full of more things than I didn’t need or lacking the things I did.

Plus, I kept finding month old teething crackers or banana peels in random pockets.

That had to be remedied.

I decided that my diaper bag – my lifeline while out and about on errands with little ones – needed to work for me instead of be a disorganized mess.

Diaper Bag Organization Consists Of: 

• the diaper bag itself
• inserts that help organize the diaper bag
• snacks/drinks for kids
• wallet/money for mom

Read: The No Tears Approach to Running Errands and Doing Appointments With Baby

Tips for organizing your diaper bag

If you’re looking to get yourself organized and in order with your out and about diaper bag, let’s dive in.

Read: Common Habits Of Organized Stay At Home Moms (With Printables)

1. Diaper bags

Here are some bestselling diaper bags on Amazon right now from lower to higher end. They are super highly rated which, to me, is a sign they are a good investment. 

2. Get a diaper bag organizer (or pocket system)

It’s what attracts us to the diaper bag… the pockets.

48.5 pockets of all sizes for every imaginable thing.

This is all fine and well until you don’t remember which pocket has what and you spend three minutes digging through each pocket to find a pacifier to try to comfort your baby. Pretty soon you forget about the pockets and just throw everything in the bottom.

The bottomless diaper bag pit.

Or at least, that was me.

The solution?

Diaper bag organizers.

• Organize the compartments by function.
• Store an extra onesie, undies, or outfits per child.
• Keep extras (see below step) that don’t come out of the bag.

The diaper bag organizer pouches seriously make life easier.

3. Buy lotions, potions + containers that never leave the diaper bag.

I used to just transfer what I needed from the house to the bag before exiting. This was not an effective method because I usually ended up grabbing the bag, shoving a few diapers in and then walking out.

I rarely remembered the diaper cream or the lotion or the burping cloth. 

Or, conversely, I would remember to put them in the bag and then would leave it at the front door and it wasn’t in the baby’s room when I needed it.

This time I got smart.

I purchased travel (or diaper bag sized) lotions and potions that have gone into the bag in the place they’ll always remain so that there is no forgetting.

4. Snack attacks

I can’t tell you how many times I found teething crackers, banana peels, and half-opened cracker bags in random pockets months after they’d been put there in the first place.

A great rule of thumb is to get some reusable snack bags that you keep stocked with snacks for your little ones. Veggie sticks, fruit, rice cakes, etc. can be put in easy enough on your way out the door.

5. Mom’s essentials

This is what really did my head in about the whole diaper bag issue. I had a medium to large-sized purse as well as the diaper bag.

When I was sans kids I’d take my purse.

When I was with kids, I’d want the diaper bag.

However, things like my wallet and phone needed to come with me. I’d throw my wallet or phone in the diaper bag amidst the banana peels and call it done. However, if we were out and about and I needed to separate from the hubs and kids for a while it meant I had to walk around holding my wallet.

Enough was enough.

• I bought a cutesy wallet (that also fits my phone and has a hook for my keys) that doubles as an over the shoulder purse.
• When I’m with the kids I put the wallet in the bag.
• When I’m alone, I use it as an over the shoulder purse. Since I’m usually with the kids this works for me.

Carrying two bags was just too much for this mama.

With multiple children (or even with one, for that matter), I believe organization is key.

Putting into place practices and habits that are organized and easy to maintain. If you won’t maintain it then don’t waste your own time.

So to recap…

Things to keep in your diaper bag

• diapers
• wipes
• spare clothing
• diaper cream
• pacifier (if you us one, here are the pros and cons of using a pacifier)
• hand sanitizer
• diaper bags (or a wet bag if you cloth diaper)
• snack
• sippy cups
• sunscreen
• emergency information