Diaper Bag Essentials: 0-6 Months

Diaper bag essentials for the first six months. What to put in your diaper bag for babies 0-6 months old!

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Anyone who has had a baby can tell you that babies need A LOT of stuff. Like, a lot. And a lot of those things you need to be able to have with you on-the-go, because babies are just high-maintenance like that. When Little J was born, I quickly found out things that I always needed to have in my diaper bag, and things that weren’t quite so important. And as he grew, I also realized that the things I needed to keep in there changed every few months! So as my son grew, so did what was in my diaper bag. I learned what I needed to keep in there for each stage, and now, I am going to share with you!

This post is focused on what you should always have in your diaper bag with a baby for the first six months. So essentially from newborn to six-months-old. I’m pretty confident this list is fantastic since these are all things I have had in my diaper bag for the last five months with Little A!

1. Diapers. I feel like I don’t need to explain this one. You never know when you are going to need to change your baby. And make sure you always have at least two or three diapers with you. You will see why if you keep reading! I recommend Pampers Swaddlers for your baby at this age!

2. Wipes. Obviously you need wipes to go along with diapers. You can’t change a diaper without wipes! And baby wipes are great for things besides wiping bums, too!

3. Changing pad. If you have changed a baby in public you know that sometimes the changing tables in public restrooms are disgusting. Or sometimes you don’t even have access to a fold-down changing table and you need to change your baby on the floor or in the back of the car. It helps so much to have a changing pad! I used this changing pad for the whole time my daughter was a baby!

4. Extra outfits. Yes, outfits. Here’s a story. Once when Little J was tiny he had a blowout at church. No big deal, I changed his diaper and his outfit (because I had an extra in my bag) and we were good. But unfortunately, when you have three hour church, your baby will sometimes poop twice while you are there. And if you only have one outfit, you are in a whole mess of trouble when that second poop also becomes a blowout. Which is exactly what happened to us. So I had to take Little J home in his car seat in just his diaper. So please, learn from my experience and always have two backup outfits in your diaper bag!!

5. Nursing cover or bottle & formula (depending on if you are breastfeeding or bottle-feeding). My kids usually like to eat every 2 hours until they are older, so if we go anywhere longer than an hour-and-a-half, things get rough. So I always bring my nursing cover with me when I am breastfeeding. If you are bottle-feeding, make sure you always have a bottle and some formula in your bag. You never know if you are going to get stuck somewhere and need to feed your baby!

6. Burp rag. Regardless of whether your baby is a big spit-upper, you will want to keep a burp rag in your diaper bag. Both of my kids have been good eaters with minimal (if any) spit-up, but every once in a while it happens, and you want to be prepared! I have made all the burp rags for Little J and Little A, and they have been incredible and well-used. You can check out that crazy popular tutorial here.

7. Pacifier. Pacifiers are the greatest when you are going out in public and your baby starts crying. Little J was always so much happier in his car seat with a pacifier. Unlucky for us, Little A won’t take one, so right now I don’t have a pacifier in my bag, but I always did with Little J. So if your baby will suck on one, make sure you have one! It can be a lifesaver in quiet places!

8. Healthy snack for Mom. Since I have Little J’s toddler stuff in my diaper bag, I often snack on his snacks, but I love having something healthy in there for me, too. I guess technically this isn’t an essential, but I promise you will love having it in there! Try applesauce, a granola bar, or even some lactation cookies!

9. Lotion, hand sanitizer, and chapstick for Mom. Yes, the diaper bag sort of functions as your purse too, so you need to keep a few things in there for yourself. I hate having dry hands and lips so lotion and chapstick are a must for me. And it’s always smart to carry around some hand sanitizer when you have a baby. Or just in general, too.

10. Wallet. Again, since the diaper bag doubles as your purse, you will want to make sure you keep your wallet in there! You don’t want to be caught at the store without your wallet! Trust me, it’s the worst. So make sure you find a space in there for your wallet!

11. Sanitizing wipes. Yes, you already have regular baby wipes in there, but you don’t want to go anywhere with your baby without sanitizing wipes. Why? I always wipe carts off at the store so it’s nice to have these. Another thing I’ve noticed is that people are ALWAYS touching babies’ hands. So when someone comes up and says “oh your baby is so cute!” and then proceeds to touch their little hand, you can make sure you wipe it off before they put their little hand in their mouth.

So those are my diaper bag essentials for the first six months of baby’s life. I hope they are super helpful for you! Check back next month to see what my diaper bag essentials are for 6-12 months! And let me know in the comments if you think there’s any essential item that I forgot!