Okay, I need some input here. I got a new and beautiful diaper bag a couple of months ago from my mother who somehow magically got a gift certificate to an online bag shop and split it between my sister and me. (And then I ordered a more expensive bag, told her I would mail her a check for the extra money and she said “oh, don’t worry about it.” She’s a nice mom.)
Anyway, I need a way to keep this diaper bag organized. With just Elizabeth’s stuff in it, it can all be kind of shoved in there and I can just rummage when we need something because honestly, we only really need a diaper bag for about one out of every three outings and even then, we are mostly just using wipes to clean sticky fingers. But when the New One arrives, I shall need a proper diaper bag and I will need to have it organized and accessible because I will actually be using it.
So what are your fabulous bag organizing ideas? What have you found that works really well for you and what doesn’t work at all?
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I like to use gallon ziplock bags to sort things. Then if I’m changing the baby I can just grab the ziplock with diapers and wipes. I keep changes of clothes separated by Ziplock and sometimes keep one with small toys/books and another with snacks.
I need a link to the diaper bag to properly comment.
Get (or make) a bunch of smaller wet/dry bags to keep things organized. Or I’ve seen people use clear plastic zipper bags (not ziplocs, more like makeup/travel cases) so it’s easier to see/grab what you need.
I cannot believe there is no picture of this new and beautiful diaper bag. I object!
Find a space to put red wine in. The rest? Well, have enough red wine and no one will care. . .
You have good ideas. Red wine and lollipops. Then the adults will be happy and the children will be quiet.
Ooooh, I agree that we need to see the bag. I love bags. Organization was not my strong point though.
Dang it!
Here I got all excited thinking this post was about how to organize a diaper bag by YOU! You, my dear are the queen of organization, I was hoping to take YOUR tips and organize MY diaper bag! ha
Yeah, lets see the link to your new MacDaddy Bag!
Well, after I steal everyone else’s ideas, I can write that post. ;)
I use the Ziploc bag method, too. I color coded for each kid when there was stuff for more than one. And one for my stuff. You could use reusable bags too.
I don’t actually use a diaper bag this go around. I have a small 12×12 drawstring bag that I keep a couple diapers, change of clothes, wipes, etc. for Elise and I toss it in my purse. I have a couple of these and I can switch them out whenever I need to replace items. It might not work if Jacob wasn’t older, but it’s nice to not have a huge bag full of things to tote around.
The diaper bag we had was a skip hop duo. It was quite narrow. I don’t love it overall, but I did love the separated zip pockets on top. To keep it useful and to keep myself from going bananas, I put small stuff in one of those pockets and then put the least used items on the bottom and most necessary on the top. Since I packed it, I could find things very easily.
For me, with two kids, the most important part of diaper bag organization is the realization that I will have to unpack and repack the bag every single time I use it. When I do that, I always have what I need and don’t have lots of extra stuff to get disorganized. I also make sure that a poopy diaper or dirty shirt is not forgotten in there for a few days to become a problem. Since I know exactly what I need for each kid each time I can do a quick inventory and unpack and repack in a hurry. The best days, of course, are the ones where I take it but don’t open it so there is no need to unpack and repack.
So my older child has 1 change of clothes (shirt, pants, unders) and 1 pull up for times when he will fall asleep in the car and then transition to bed for his nap or nighttime.
My younger child has 3 diapers and clothes (shirt and pants).
For both I keep a pack of wipes and snacks. There are a few extra pockets on the diaper bag where I can keep hand sanitizer, kleenex, and a few bandaids.
If we are going to the beach or away on an all day event I may pack a lunch and an extra outfit for each on top of what I’ve got. But for a trip to the park with friends or running errands, that seems to be sufficient.
Of course, with a new baby you will have all the stuff they seem to need like burp cloths, and a nursing cover or bottles or both. During the first year, it’s probably not safe to travel with just one extra outfit since things tends to be messier and more explosive. So I would recommend keeping the extra stuff for Elizabeth that you probably don’t get into very much in a seperate ziploc so it doesn’t mix in. My kids were only 2 years and 3 months apart, so my older was still in diapers when my younger was born. The most annoying thing for me was every time I reached in for a diaper I seemed to pull out the wrong size. Elizabeth is older so you won’t have diapers for her and you probably rarely even use her extra clothes.
But the best thing I have found in terms of staying organized is thinking out exactly what I need to have, no more, and memorizing it. Then laying it all out and packing it up the first time. When I come home from an event where I’ve been in the bag a lot and need to see where I’m at I just dump it out. I sort out the dirty stuff. I make a pile for each kids to see what I’ve got left. Quickly grab an extra shirt or diaper, maybe change out the pack of wipes that’s getting low with a new one, add in a snack or two, then throw it all back in. It only takes a couple of minutes. We have a rule. We never leave our diaper bag in the car and my husband is not allowed to put it away without me doing inventory. So when we get home it goes on the counter until I have done my thing and then it gets put into the closet. The best was one time when my husband was left stranded without diapers when he really needed them. He complained to me. I said, “well, was the diaper bag in the closet?” He answered yes. I said, “well, then I didn’t put it there. That’s why I have my rule about not putting it away till its been repacked.” He agreed it was a good system and has never put it away since.
Zip lock bags. Definitely.
And. Ditch anything low-utility.
These aren’t new tips, but just wanted to second them after commenters above. It feels kind of weird giving organisational tips *to you* though – so I’d love to see the compilation post when you get your bag organised :)
Bea
I use a bunch of little makeup cases, but ziplocs work well. I keep a change of clothes for each kid in a gallon size ziploc, since that’s good for tossing a wet/dirty change of clothes into if necessary.