What’s In Amelia’s Nursery Bag

I’m not going to lie, in the run up to starting nursery I was convinced that it would be the hardest thing in the world to get her organised in the morning and was so sure that I would spend all night every night making sure she had everything ready for the next day.

Well the reality is that I don’t actually have to take that much for her on a day to day and that’s because I am able to leave a box of nappies, wipes and a tub of formula at the nursery for her so that I don’t have to provide them each day.

That doesn’t leave a huge amount of other things left to remember to pack in her back pack. I’m currently using the same back pack that I use as her changing bag when we go out. Mostly because it’s easy to throw on my back when I carry her in but it’s also got half the stuff I need already in it and I’m at less risk of forgetting things.

Here’s what I need to include each day:

• Spare clothes – do not underestimate just how messy your child will get at nursery. Amelia has never been an overly messy baby and that’s partly because she is often spoon fed (rightly or wrongly) and doesn’t make much mess with her food. Well it’s a totally different story at nursery. They encourage her to explore her food, to play and touch and feel it before eating and that’s great. I’m all for it, and for messy play. Let them have at it as long as I don’t have to clean it up. That being said it means a change of clothes is inevitable and so far we have lost outfits to nasty nappies but it’s mostly due to lunch. On a daily basis I include a pair of trousers, two t-shirts, a vest, and a full baby grow.
• Sun hat and sun cream – whilst it’s meant to be summer I need to provide sun protection for her, she has a sun hat in her bag at all times and her sun cream has her name on and is being stored at nursery. At least I hope it is, it wasn’t in her bag when she came home after a day in the garden. I imagine there is a cupboard full of bottles of sun cream. Obviously once we hit a change in weather the requirements will be to have a rain coat and wellies in stead but I’m hoping we will have some nice sunny days before then.
• Water bottle – the nursery do have some spare but they prefer you to provide your own as you know what your baby likes to drink from. I always pack it empty so that it can be filled with fresh water and we will know how much she has had during the day.
• Milk bottle – again this is because all babies prefer different bottles, we have MAM bottles and I’ve not tried Amelia with anything else since she was a tiny newborn so don’t know how she would fare without it. I only pack one although she has two feeds in the day the nursery are happy to clean it in-between.
• Comforter – whatever your baby is attached to, if it makes them feel safe and they have a love for it then stick it in the bag. Amelia is particularly attached to her bunny muslin and she snuggles it for all her naps and when she is feeling tired or sad. I always put this in her bag and she has it for her naps at nursery.

Not really that much is it, now here’s what makes it even easier. Say you don’t need the spare clothes, leave them in the bag. You don’t need to wash the sun hat, leave it in the bag, Amelia isn’t allowed her blanket over night so, leave it in the bag.

The only things I have to really remember each morning are her freshly sterilised water and milk bottles. All of her food is provided by the nursery so none of that to think about either. Everything else just stays in the bag until it needs washing or replacing. Once her nappy, wipes or formula supply is running low the nursery will tell me and I can take another box in so I don’t have to worry about that either.

I hope this has been helpful, I’ve actually found that because there is so little to provide each day all I really need to do is make sure I put the bag in the car, oh and remember to pick up the baby of course.

Rachel xx

N.B. – the handle on the car seat is always in the up right position when the car is moving. It is down only to take this photo whilst we were parked up at home because she was chatting to me and I couldn’t see her.