A few months ago when Amelia was only a couple of months old I did a post all about the things I carried with me in my baby bag every time we leave the house.
I thought now might be a good time for an update since some of the things she needs when we’re out and about have changes as she’s grown.
Previously I had been using a tote bag that my mum got me and I love it, my only problem was that it wouldn’t fit in the basket of my pram and it was difficult to carry the bag and the baby without feeling like I was going to drop something.
So a couple of weeks ago I bought myself a backpack from Accessorize, I had been thinking about getting a backpack when I tried baby wearing again and found that you just can’t carry a bag at the same time. I chose this particular bag because it had two front pockets, side pockets and also a little wallet at the back held in with poppers. I probably looked like a right nutter in the shop, checking that milk bottles fitted in the side pockets and pulling out a nappy to see if it would fit in the detachable wallet.
Well it’s a game changer, for me anyway, I can fling it on my back whilst also carrying the baby, it fits in the pram basket easily and if we’re popping to town for a few hours it will also hold all my stuff too.
So here’s what I carry in my new backpack now that Amelia is getting older:
Nappies, wipes and bags – you will always need these until you’re fully potty trained so no change here other than that they are now kept neatly tucked away in the removable wallet at the back of the bag. This is perfect because I can just grab this little wallet and take it to the bathroom without having to take my whole bag with me.
Bottles – if we are just going out for a couple of hours I tend to take one bottle of sterilised water for her milk and another bottle with fresh water for her to drink. One bottle on either side of the bag in the side pockets. Also if the milk water is still hot, it stays pretty well insulated and will still be warm when we come to use it.
Formula – now that Amelia is having formula only I purchased an Avent formula pot, it holds enough milk powder for 3 bottles and you tip out the milk from the top. Inside it is divided into three sections so you always know you have the right amount for milk for each bottle.
Muslins and spare clothes – I still never go out without an emergency outfit, now that Amelia is eating her nappies are even more unpredictable so you just need to be prepare for anything. My spare outfit isn’t glamourous, it’s literally a vest and plain baby grow. It stays in my bag all the time because I just know I would forget it one day and that will be the day I need it. I tend to only carry one medium sized muslin with me now, Amelia is much better at keeping her milk and food down and we rarely have accidents but it’s good to have just in case and it comes in handy when she’s dribbly or wants something to snuggle.
Sun cream and sun hat – I love this tiny little sun cream bottle I found in the supermarket (it’s kids factor 50), it fits perfectly in the mobile phone pocket that all bags have. It just gives me peace of mind to know that I always have sun cream with me if the weather should be really nice. If I know the weather is going to be good I will also add her sun hat as I hate the thought of her being exposed to too much sun.
Food – this is a new one as we started weaning Amelia at 6 months so now we carry food with us if we are going to be out of the house when she might be hungry. I’ve taken to using a zip lock freezer bag for her food items, these include: spoons, food in either pouches or Tupperware boxes, dribble bibs, full coverall bib and wipes. It sounds like a lot but she doesn’t eat that much really so I might have an Ella’s Kitchen pouch and a couple of finger food items in a very small snack box plus the other items all squashed down and zipped up. It makes it so much easier when we get to where we are eating just to grab the bag and know that I have everything I need for her to eat.
Toys – I used to carry loads of stuff to entertain her with but now that she is so much more alert she’s actually more interested in what’s going on around her. I tend to take one of her soft toys and one of her teething toys like this matchstick monkey. If we are going to a friends house or out for coffee where we will be in one place for a long time I will cram in as many toys as I can fit just to keep her busy but if we are going to the shops or out for the day I just take one soft and one chewy so that she can spend her time looking around, talking with us and taking it all in.
Other – As always there are a few random things that we all carry in our baby bags, mine include: pram clips for shopping bags, Amelia’s red book so that I never forget it and often a water bottle for myself that I would then put in the cup holder of the pram once we are walking.
So there you have it, some things have changed, some new things have been added but some have also been taken away. I think when you are new to this and you have a new born you just want to carry everything with you just in case. That’s probably the right thing to do as you don’t want the stress of being caught out but as your baby gets older and develops a routine more you will find that there are things you either don’t need or that you know you can do without on this particular outing.
I hope this has been helpful, I will try to link as many of these products as I can below if you would like to take a look.
Rachel xx
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