It's that time again. Our youngest baby is now six months old, and we're slowly getting back into adventure mode. This time we're doing it with 4 boys ages 6 and under (my oldest just had a birthday!). People constantly ask how we manage it, what's in our diaper bag, aren't I tired, and so on and so forth.
The answers to those questions are: coffee, snacks, I'm exhausted, and more coffee and more snacks.
Camping Diaper Bag 101
I have a handy-dandy military bag that I've taken on many expeditions. This is called a “24-hour bag” because, well, in prepper terms, it lets you bug out for 24 hours without needing to re-pack. There are also a plethora of 48-hour and 72-hour bags out there, all with a variety of useful pockets and zippers and carabiner spots. It's amazing what sort of survival knowledge you can pick up when you live in a military community. With our new baby – as with the last three – my 24-hour bag serves as the most reliable and organized camping diaper bag a gal could ask for. Let's take a look, shall we?
Mom Essentials
In the tiny upper outer pockets, I keep my mom essentials: essential oils, a sleep mask, quarters, and an emergency binky and trash bags in case things get…messy. In the biggest pouch at the inside base of the backpack, I also have a tote with spray shampoo, a travel brush, travel face wipes and moisturizer, deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and gentle shampoo (which doubles as a baby wash).
Sunscreen
This goes in the easily-accessible upper pocket on the inside. I usually stick some baby powder in here, too.
Extra Outfits
Rolled up onesies for the baby live in that next pouch down.
Medication
For the whole family, in one large pouch we keep Tylenol, Advil, allergy meds, cough syrup, cough drops, Neosporin, Band-Aids, a thermometer, friction block cream and liquid bandages (for blisters or burns) and Vicks.
The large, open inner space of the backpack is reserved for extra diapers, clothing layers and/or outfits for me depending on where we're traveling and whether or not I have the truck on-hand for backup stuff.
Diapers and Wipes
There's a special zipper space in the big outer pocket where I tuck diapers to keep them fresh, and a pouch that's perfect for wipes right below that.
Snacks
Definitely the most important thing in the entire bag! In what I believe is supposed to be a pen space, I stick coffee granule packs for me. Every single one of the remaining accessory spaces is taken up with food for the kids from our sponsor Beech-Nut.
All of Beech-Nut's products are nutritious and made with simple, natural ingredients so I don't have to feel guilty about handing my kids a bunch of bars and cereal puffs to keep the peace on the road. This is all comprised of the same stuff I'd cook with at home!
Speaking of cereal, baby Bam is slowly starting to eat real food as opposed to just breastmilk and formula. I always struggle with traveling during this phase because it can be a pain trying to mix up infant cereal on the road. Beech-Nut has solved that with their Infant Cereal, which comes in an easy-to-use canister with a built-in measuring cap and dual-sided spout. Best of all, they have the first ready-to-eat cereal pouch in the industry (finally!) pre-mixed with water and all the iron, vitamins and minerals that babies need at this delicate stage.
Sidekick is partial to the Quinoa Crispies, made with less than ten ingredients (all of which I can pronounce!).
For his part, Minion will eat pretty much anything I hand over, but his favorite is the Strawberry Fruity Oat Bars made with oats, raisins, dates, sunflower oil and dried strawberries.
Sometimes I sneak a bite for myself, too. Beech-Nut's Fruit & Veggie Melties are strangely satisfying. And they have protein. I do need protein, after all.
It can get a little windy up here on the peak, so it's a good thing we roll with everything we could possibly need to hunker down under the truck cap and snack and chat for hours on end.
I should probably see if there's a brush somewhere in my camping diaper bag, too!
With all the baby and toddler gear locked down, I can leave the the truck gear and directional decisions to Nate. We're ready for anything!
Do you have a camping diaper bag? What are your must-haves for hanging outdoors with a baby?