Diaper bags can get complicated and too cluttered to find things in a hurry. I developed my own system to make it easy for me to be more organized, find things easily, manage refills without forgetting.
Organized, things are more accessible and quick to spot, refills are more manageable and up-to-date.
I love organizing, and apply it to almost everything in my life including my time. I think it makes life more efficient as well as aesthetically appealing.
I own a Ju-Ju-Be BFF and its super cute. I loved the amount of pockets and zippers it came with and at the price its a very well made, sturdy, quality item. Though it falls in the higher range on cost, I brought it thinking I can always use this beyond the infant stage ... as a bag for one/two night trip to pack Bubu's or even my clothes, accessories etc. As this one had so many compartments and zippers diaper bag was one aspect I did not think of organizing for some months.
Then on my trip to India when Bubu was almost 4 months old, I realized there is a missing piece of puzzle to make this bag more convenient. I found myself putting all the essentials in a plastic bag every time I had to diaper change or change clothes. The possibility of human error was more as each time I couldn't afford to forget something and come back for it. Thats when I decided I needed a system for making my life easy.
I first segregated all the contents into groups. So the 'groups' I had were diapering, extra change of clothes, toys, medical stuff, pacifiers + its clip, bottles + formula which with time got replaced with food. Then there were some items I don't want to put in a specific group as it can be used across groups like Wet-wipes, muslin wash-cloth for drools or other spills on baby, hand sanitizer usage is anytime all time :).
Additions I made
Travelon packing cubes
I added the Travelon packing cube in the color option "brights" for 3 groups - Diapering, Clothes change, Toys. These groups need to come out and be hauled to a different location at any given time. Example of what I mean is diapering essentials hauled to the bathroom with your baby for change.
Let's take a peek in each packing cube!
The diapering pack
3 diapers (night 12 hour capacity) coz when you are out the lesser you and Bubu have to visit the public restroom the better :)
hand sanitizer
bum cream/coconut oil I still haven't found a tiny bottle that doesn't leak out my oh so loved coconut oil which is much better than a rash cream with all the chemicals.
plastic sheet for baby to lie on
small plastic bag to dispose diapers before trashing ... the cheapest one I found were the doggie bags at Daiso or dollar tree pack of 100 for $1 ish
Ju-Ju-Be provides a cute spongy soft changing pad which I would take if necessary but not always. As it is more convenient to just take one package in one hand and a Bubu in another and go to the bathroom.
The change-of-clothes pack
1 onesie + 1 pant or 1 full sleep and play suit
comb
hair-tie as my Bubu had long locks and on a hot day it will feel nice to have the hair up
The toys pack
rattles
teether
torch
and small toys he is into but gets only when out so its always a novelty item
By now you must have realized these packing cubes are AWESOME! The mesh top panel provides visibility so you can see what's inside. It also has a small compartment on the inside to segregate items if need be. The colored zippers help distinguish which one is which. For example I just have to tell my husband or a third person to grab the pink square if my hands are full . And the 3 squares nest for easy storage when not in use. They are tiny but FIT-A-LOT ... just to give you an idea the small one is 6 inches, the medium one 7 inches and the large one 8 inches long.
The pacifier pack
Ok now for the pacifiers. Frankly I still feel guilty or like a bad mom to introduce pacifier to my Bubu, but #GERDbabylife it was the best thing that worked for my baby and me.
Over several travels we have collected quite a few. We literally have all the colors Philips Avent makes. I love to even match them to his outfit. I found this super cute food grade silicon pencil pouch in a airport store that houses all the pacifiers and one pacifier clip.
This is how I pack my diaper bag. The right inside pocket always has a muslin wash-cloth neatly rolled up for easy and quick access when wiping any spills, drools etc off the baby. The main compartment has a full size hand sanitizer and baby wipes on the bottom. I think if you want to make wipes more accessible you can add a baby wipe travel dispenser in the back pocket (which is empty in my case). The left inside pocket has the medical kit.
Then on top of the wipes I add the packing cubes. Every thing is still easy to grab as they are contained in their own lil cubes/home. Now thinking about it I should just buy a travel dispenser for the empty pocket next to the green cube. That way wipes will be more accessible and user friendly. Do suggest your favorite travel baby wipe dispenser.
And finally the pacifier cube is added on top.
That is it. These are all the things that go inside. I still have 3 zipper pockets that are completely empty. Do suggest if I am missing anything or can add in the zipper/s.
The milk bottles or a bottle of water go on sides. Jujube side pockets on the outside are long-chushy-soft, 3M Thinsulate bottle pockets. They house 2 bottles which is more than enough even with 20 hour flights.
So Travelon packing cubes or any tiny packing cubes are going to make any diaper bag usage very easy and accessible.
I would love to end with I am a fan-girl of my Diaper bag Ju-Ju-Be.
I love the bag shape of the model I own Ju-Ju-Be Legacy Collection B.F.F. Convertible Diaper Bag. It's a horizontal rectangle which is definitely better than a vertical rectangle. That way you don't have to dig deep to find things, its all arranged in a wide rectangle and right in your face when you open it.
The main compartment zipper opens the flap from 3 sides so you have full access to your stuff.
Its made of 100% imported Polyester. The outer fabric is Teflon treated so that stains don’t stick and Agion treatment protects the inner lining by inhibiting the growth of odor-causing bacteria, mold and mildew. To top it its Machine Washable….Air Dry!
Detachable and adjustable messenger strap as well as backpack strap. Also removable memory foam shoulder pad & can be shortened to tote strap length. Basically you can customised to your style and liking. All straps have metal hardware.
So its a nice compact bag dimensions:14"W x 12"H x 6.5"D. As I mentioned earlier inside organization includes 4 gusseted pockets, 3 zippered pockets, 2 exterior 3M Thinsulate bottle pockets, cherry on the cake it has a Mommy pocket, quick reach pocket for cell phone. So buy buy purse, coz who has 4 hands! :)
Not to forget Lifetime Limited Warranty against Manufactured defects when purchased from a Ju-Ju-Be Authorized Seller.
I will write a separate article on what I carry in the mommy pocket if you would like to see. And another post on packing solids for a infant.
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