Oh the infamous diaper caddy. What to put in it and what not to keep in it. As a first time mom, the internet will tell you that you need a mix of everything as well as little as possible. The internet is probably one of the most confusing places to be as a first time parent. With that being said, this is what I decided to put in my diaper caddy as a first time mom who really has no idea what she is doing!
What’s In My Diaper Caddy
My diaper caddy
Before I tell you what I put in my diaper caddy, I’ll share which caddy I actually chose to use. We live in a townhome with three levels. I was so stressed about what to do and where to put everything before I realized that I should just put a diaper caddy on each floor to avoid any issues. I have two caddy’s that I love
The first one is the Parker Baby Co. large caddy which has many storage capabilities. The second option is the Bebe Bask caddy. It is less practical but much cuter! I decided to choose both options! I got two of the more functional caddies. These are the caddies that I keep in the nursery and our bedroom. The cute caddy option will stay in our living room.
Both caddies will hold the same products, one just has more organization to it than the other. I won’t lie, when you work in Interior Design like I do, function and beauty tend to clash with one another. I figured if I can keep things pretty and neat in my own weird ways, it will help me during postpartum. Call me crazy, but I am who I am!
What I put in my diaper caddy
As a first time mom, it’s very hard to know exactly what you need in a diaper caddy. Unless you have friends who can tell you what worked for them, you can really only rely on the information of what others tell you. That’s what I did and used to determine what to put in mine.
I started with the essentials such as diapers and wipes. I loaded them up because I don’t know exactly how many we will go through in a day yet. If anything, I figured these are the things that we will go through the most throughout the use of the diaper caddies.
Second, I put burp-cloths and a swaddle. Babies spit while you are changing them all the time. I figured this would be helpful to have easily accessible in case I didn’t have one on hand in the moment. I put a swaddle in case it was cold or if I wanted to wrap the baby up after changing her.
Third, I keep a spare outfit just in case of a blowout. You never know when it will happen. It could be while they are sleeping or it could be as you are changing your baby! I have had a few instances where my baby pees on herself as I am changing her and it gets all over her clothes. Having a spare outfit right where I am sitting is incredibly helpful in those chaotic moments. Finally, always have a pacifier handy! Sometimes, it is the only way to calm baby down and give yourself a few minutes to quickly put that diaper on!
Products
I went very minimal with the products that I keep in my diaper caddy. I figured there are many storage options to add something if I want but I decided to keep it simple to start with. My main product that I must have is diaper rash cream. I use both Aquaphor and Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. They both work incredibly well. I don’t have a preference but my husband swears that our baby prefers the Boudreaux’s brand!
The second product I keep is lotion. There are times where I feel a dry spot or feel like her skin feels rough. I keep a bottle of Honest lotion for easy access. When you change your baby’s diaper, you feel areas of their body that are not typically exposed so it is a good chance to apply lotion to those areas if needed.
The other thing that I keep that has proven to be extremely useful is the Miss Mouth magic stain treater spray. This stuff is truly magic! It is perfect for the blowouts or projectile poop during a diaper change. You just spray on the dirty area, throw the clothes in the washing machine and let it work its magic.
Tools
When it comes to changing a diaper, you wouldn’t think you would need tools! The main “tool” that I am talking about is a windi gas passer. This helps babies get the gas out when they are backed up. We have used it once and it was so easy! You can get the Frida Mom brand or there are similar options on Amazon that look and work exactly the same for a better price! Unless your baby has trouble passing gas, this isn’t a necessity. However, it is very useful if your baby has a bad day and needs a little extra help.
I also keep a thin changing mat. This helps protect our rug in the living area where we don’t have an actual changing pad. They are very easy to fold up as well as clean if there are any surprise accidents while changing.
That is everything that I keep in my diaper caddy! Not too much, just exactly what we use during diaper changes. You can also keep a rattle or a toy of some sort to help keep your baby distracted and calm if your baby doesn’t love having their diaper changed. I have used this tummy time accordion book for when my baby is fussy and I need her to stay still.
My final thoughts…
I have discovered that parenthood is as stressful or simple as you make it. The 2 am feeds and diaper changes can pose to be the biggest threat to your marriage. Trust me, we have been there! However, keeping things as simple as you want can also be the biggest blessing in keeping these middle of the night diaper changes simple and quick. This will be better for you, your partner and your baby! My biggest take away since having a baby? If you love your baby and try to do the best for them, you are doing great! Even if it doesn’t always feel that way.