Hi Guys,
Yes you read right!? What is in my CHANGE bag NOT my make-up bag! As soon as you have a baby you are unable to go out without at least half of the contents of your house in a bag. It's so hard to narrow down what you actually need in the bag as I always wanted to take everything just in case. I did gradually shorten the list down to a few must haves so I thought I would save any mums-to-be the hassle of having to go through the same process. Just read on and you will learn what the essentials are.
1. A good bag!
Firstly, getting the change bag right is half the job! The variety in change bags has come along so much recently. The most important thing to me is the amount of space the bag offers and obviously it helps if it looks nice too. You can get ones now that look like they are straight of the runway. I came across Change Bag Boutique online and they have a great range of bags for all budgets. Here are a couple I really liked.
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| Babymel Ella Stripe Navy Changing Bag (£60) |
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| Storks Lucinda Black Change Bag (£175) |
2. Nappies & Wipes
I usually take one nappy for every two hours I am going to be out and then two extra for just in case. I use Pampers. I have tried other brands but honestly just prefer these over others. Not to sound like a cliche but I find them more absorbent and they feel quite soft so don't irritate the baby's skin. For wipes I carry straight forward normal wet wipes for cleaning baby. I use Purebaby unfragranced wipes from Home Bargains. I also carry Tommee Tippee Soother , Teat and Teether Wipes (£2.25 for 30 wipes) which are basically anti-bacterial wipes great for cleaning dummies or a dropped bottle top when you have no access to water.
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| Tomme Tippee anti-bacterial wipes (£2.25 for 30) |
3. Change of clothes
After all it isn't called a 'change' bag for nothing! I usually take two spare outfits including vests for any poo explosions, vomit, or spills that may occur. As baby gets older I tend to just carry one spare outfit.
4. Medication/Remedies
Firstly I always carry my baby's red book in the change bag (medical record), as you never know when there may be an emergency so it is I always good to have it to hand. I carry a bottle of Calpol in my change bag too as you never know when baby may get a temperature etc. I also have Nelson's Baby Teetha Teething granules (£4.50 for 24 sachets)* and gel as my baby is teething currently and this just seems to soothe and calm her.
A must have for me is *Sudocrem Care & Protect cream (£5.99, 50g). This isn't just your normal nappy rash cream as it can work to soothe nappy rash, but also as a barrier cream by preventing nappy rash from occurring altogether. Thirdly it conditions the baby's skin as it contains vitamin E. It can be applied on every change however I tend to use it every other change just to allow the skin to breathe. When you feel the cream it is not like the Healing cream (Round tub) at all. It feels more silky to the touch and highly moisturising. Good enough to use on my face (seriously, I'm tempted!).
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| Sudocrem Care & Protect (£5.99, 50g) |
5. Food & Drink
Depending on baby's age, taking feeds with you is important. I was breast and bottle feeding so would take a milk powder dispenser. This is just a tub that carries around three feeds of formula powder which can then be mixed with boiling water when needed. I would carry two bottles with me too. Aptamil also do these fab ready to drink bottles which are great in an emergency or if you don't have access to boiling water. As my baby got older and started to feed I would carry a baby food pouch or two, some baby snacks and water too.
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| Aptamil ready to use bottle. |
6. Finally these are optional depending on whether your baby needs these but with my youngest I always carried a spare dummy in my bag and a teether. Both my children started teething from around four months so it was a must have for me.
And that is it. Now you know why the size of the change bag is so important! I hope you found this helpful. Is there anything you carry in your change bag that I've missed out? Comment below.
Amina xx
*PR sample - all opinions are my own
