DW’s 8 months big now and every weekend we go out with him, even if its just to BDW’s parents’ house in the south. I keep a mental checklist always of what we should bring and of course, there’s always that one thing that I forget to bring.  One time, we forgot to bring extra diapers, I know,  of all the things to forget right? (*facepalm*). We really had no choice but to borrow a diaper from DW’s cousin, who is a big two year old kid  and by big I mean the kid can pass for a 5 year old. DW ended up wearing XXL diapers, which we had to fasten up high and around his chest. So yeah, our little boy was in a party looking like this:

DW for a day. Of all the things to forget din naman kasi, DIAPERS pa. Duh!

After what happened, I told myself that I needed a diaper bag checklist but knowing me, I know I’d just lose the list in my big bag (aka the black hole). So, I took pictures of the essentials that I should bring during baby’s day out. Yes, moms, dads and yayas, I made flashcards for us! Hooray for visual aids!

First up, the toys and books and what have you to keep baby occupied and fuss-free

We rotate DW’s books and toys and we try to bring different things along with his favorites. 

Next up are his change of clothes because babies need to make a mess always. It’s their job and they actually get bonus points if they can smear mom’s shirt with mashed carrots and biscuits. Plus 10 if they pee on you from 10 feet away!

We always bring an extra t-shirt, a tank top, shorts, a onesie, two bibs, a pair of socks and his jacket.  The jacket has a hoodie which is important especially now that it rains almost everyday.  Also, sometimes malls can be too cold so we zip DW up whenever we have to.

Just as baby needs a change of clothes, moms, dads and yayas could use an extra shirt or blouse as well for those moments we get caught in the cross fire.

Next , the Stinky Baby Kit! 

• The changing pad – DW’s changing pad is actually a bag in itself and is great for quick trips when we don’t need to bring baby’s maleta.  His diaper bag has a smaller changing pad but we’ve chosen to bring the larger one because it provides coverage when changing him over a countertop of the ladies’ washroom, an actual changing station (who knows when those things were last washed) or over a sofa.
• The plastic bags - We always bring a couple to so that we have something to throw the dirty nappies, wipes, cotton balls, and tissue paper in. Remember to tie the bags tightly to contain the baby stink
• Wet cotton balls – The lock n’ lock container is the best! No leaks whatsoever even if you drop it or keep the container in your bag upright the whole time.
• Johnson N’ Johnson’s Messy Times Wipes Hands and Face – My most recent and most favorite discovery to date. It keeps DW’s face clean all the time without having to resort to wetting a wash cloth. Definitely keeps the cookie crumbs at bay!
• Diapers – I bring at least three: one for peepee, one for poopoo and an extra one just in case.

The Drool Patroool

DW’s baby blanket, cloth diapers for wiping anything and everything and bibs

Next up is my most favorite of all of DW’s stuff: 

We bought these Precious Moments milk containers after DW was born and we were preparing for his first trip. The usual containers are round and bulky. When we saw these, we bought them right away. The containers are slim and stackable and so they don’t take too much space in the diaper bag. Each unit can hold up to 7 ozs of powdered formula. I usually pack four units along with 4 bottles.

DW’s assembled bags

 His clothes are in the backpack while the rest are in the brown bag. We try not to pack a lot in his brown bag so that it won’t get too heavy to carry. Also, separating the clothes keep it safe from accidental spills in the brown bag. They’re both small bags anyway and can fit under DW’s stroller with room to spare.

So, after you’re done packing and before heading out the door, there’s just one more thing to remember…

DON’ T FORGET THE BABY!