What to put into a changing bag?

[GuernseyFrench]

Following on the threads about baby's essentials, I wonder what need to be carried around in the bag?

Also, I'm aiming to use reusable nappies, how do you store the wet/soil inserts in the bag?

Thanks for your advices!

The reusable question is a good one as I'm panning on using them this time round.

As for anything else, with Ds I alway's make sure in the changing bag I have

About 3 Muslins,
A spare change of clothes for Ds. (I've never needed them, but you can guarantee the one time I don't have them he will have an explosion. lol)
Obviously nappies, cream, cotton wool and nappy bags. A bottle of cooled boiled water that I make up before I go out to use with the cotton wool.

Ermmmm, sure there's more. My changing bag is full to the brim. lol.

What are muslins for? And on the topic of reusables, I'm thinking of using them at home and disposables when out and about. Don't really fancy carrying pooey nappies around with me!

Muslins can be used as a bib, towel / mop, wipe...

There is a bag that lots of the mum's that use re-useable nappies where raving about i'll see if i can have a look.

like this

Some people put in mini first aid kits, prob not really needed when baby is tiddly, but def for a toddler.

I used one of those, cookielove. Definitely did the job! I used to put the stinkiest nappies in a nappy sack, and then in that bag.

I'm a bit rubbish with my bag and take stuff out of it all the time, but I would also recommend a sachet of calpol when your baby is teething.

Tissues and a pen

Breast pads too - which can also be handy to mop stuff up

I was shamed at a recent farm visit with a friend who has a enormous changing bag when we had lunch and she pulled out plastic plates, cups and cutlery!!!

DD1s sandwich was in a plastic bag

for resuables you just need a wet bag (from any nappy supplier eg here) - like a swimming bag, to carry the soggy ones home in. Then just turn inside out, bag and all, into nappy bucket once you get home.

cooled boiled water for bottoms waste of time imo, just stick it under the tap. If you are useing washable nappies take washable wipes.

so for a newborn I'd take:
mat
wet bag
clean nappies and wipes
clean babygrow for emergencies (not complete clean outfit)
dd never needed nappy cream so I never bothered

she's now 2 and I take exactly the same thing but no babygrow.

And I never had a 'nappy bag', just one of these slung in a normal handbag or stuffed under the pram

I used reusable for a while with dd. I used to use normal nappy bags for the dirty liners and if the outers were dirty I would put them in a carrier bag or I bought a messy bag for them.

I only used reusable if I wasnt going to be too long. If was an all day trip I would use disposable.

Once you have been out and about a few times you will know what you need.

We also leave nappies and clothes at my mums house as we are there quite a lot. It saves us taking it all then.

If you use flushable liners in your reusables then most poo goes down the loo, so only a slightly soiled/wee soaked nappy goes in the wet bag. If you are using wraps and nappies, then I'd say make up one or two all ready in the layers, so no fiddling when it comes to nappy changes.

Nappy bag

• 2x nappies (including wraps and liners)
• cotton wool (or resusable wipes as you'll be washing anyway) and a bottle of water
• a changing mat(you can get ones that fold or roll up)
• a change of clothes (there's always a poo that goes up the back)
• a barrier cream
• a wet nappy bag
• one of those mini handwash things (like in hospitals) in case you have to do a wash without a sink near
• finally, handcream. You will wash your hands many many times every day and they will get chapped and sore.

You might also want a couple of disposable nappy sacks for the discarded cotton wool.

Muslins are good for when your baby has just finished a feed and possets up a fair bit of it. Posset here being nice word for projectile vomits. Not all babies do this, but if yours does you know about it.

I just want to add that we use disposables on holiday and they are very pongy once soiled as people tend to leave the poo in them, whereas in a reusable we always put it in the toilet. Although I don't think of little breastfed baby poo as pongy, actually I try to get whiffs of newborn poo when I can...