Don’t you love those “What’s In My Purse?” magazine articles? I do, too! And today, I wanted to share a “What’s In My Twins’ Diaper Bag” post because after months of struggling and making changes, I’ve finally perfected the twins’ diaper bag!
What’s In My Twins’ Diaper Bag
First of all, the bag itself. This is my third bag. I went through two different backpack style bags, but ultimately they didn’t really work for me because they weren’t WIDE enough and everything was stacked on top of itself, so to really find something I needed in the bag, I had to dig through it. With this Lassig Twin Diaper Bag, it’s wider, so the stuff gets spread across and I don’t have to dig as much. It fits perfectly in the bottom rack of my stroller, I just position it so the zipper faces the back for easy access. You can also find the single (non twin) version here in pink, mint, and grey.
As a twin mama, I need double the diapers, double the wipes, double the change of clothes, double the sippy cups, and maybe most importantly, double the snacks! I don’t know why it’s called a diaper bag, we should just call it what it is: a snack bag. I keep mine stocked with fruit cups, Bambas, cereal, and cheddar bunnies for the twins and oatmeal cups, granola bars, fruit bars, and beef jerky for me and the mister.
It only took me 3 different bags and 18 months, but I finally feel like I have a very well organized bag that holds almost everything I could need for the twins in any given situation.
Here’s what I keep in my twins’ diaper bag:
Diapers and Wipes: Ok, all joking aside about the snacks, yes, it is a diaper bag, so it’s stocked with diapers and wipes! I try to keep 6 diapers in the bag at a time which usually covers us for 2-3 outings before I have to restock. I also just keep a full size container of wipes (no small diaper bag packages for me) because I’m always using them to clean something! Butts, hands, noses, feet, clothes, the car, etc! Those wipes come in handy!
Change of Clothes: I keep 1 change of clothes (tee shirt and light weight pants) per twin in the bag in case they decide to have fun and get wet, dirty, muddy, etc. or in case of a diaper blowout. I used to keep an extra shirt for me in case of any accidental spills or someone using me as a human napkin, but now I just keep it in the back of the car.
Water: I keep two sippy cups filled with water for the twins as well as a small kids’ size Hydro Flask water bottle for me.
Snacks: The rule in my house is that we use any fresh fruit or perishable foods first before we dip into our pantry foods, but if we’ve decided to venture out on a last-minute trip and I need to grab snacks as we’re walking out the door, then fruit cups are the perfect healthy snacks to toss into the diaper bag!
I use these stackable snack cups and I really like them! They keep the snacks fresh, but because they stack, it’s so easy to keep them organized and find them easily in the diaper bag! The kids also like these “open lid” snack catchers that they can carry around and grab cheddar bunnies and bambas as they go!
Wet Bag: I keep an empty wet bag on hand to store any possible wet clothes (vomit, pee, fountains) so they make it home and into the washing machine without getting anything else wet.
Hand Sanitizer, Sunscreen, & Bug Repellant Wipes: Hand sanitizer for when we can’t find a sink to wash hands, sunscreen for both the kids and the adults, and bug repellant wipes in case we’re somewhere with a bunch of mosquitos!
Toddler Busy Bag: I keep a flat little bag filled with inexpensive toys, stickers, and gadgets (like cheap calculators or flat flashlights) to keep the twins entertained at restaurants, doctor appointments, etc. as well as a couple of these lightweight Indestructibles Books.
Pacifiers on Clips: The twins only get their pacifiers at nap time or bedtime, but I keep a couple on hand in the diaper bag in case we’re out and someone is getting tired and fussy. I also only give the pacifiers to them when they’re on clips so they can’t really fall out and get gross and dirty.
My Stuff: In the “mom pocket” I keep some mini spray deodorant, roll on perfume (for those days when I’ve run after twin toddlers and need to freshen up), a little bit of extra cash maybe $5-10, a mini first aid kit, Tylenol, and tampons. All the essentials!
Additional Add-ins: I don’t keep sunglasses, sun hats, toddler forks, suction bowls, and bibs in the bag at all times, but I will instead grab them depending on where we’re going and if they’re needed and then add them to the diaper bag.
And I also quickly want to mention what I DON’T keep in my bag.
I don’t keep my wallet, keys, or phone in the diaper bag, but rather, I carry a small cross-body purse where I keep my expensive and irreplaceable items. It stays on me at all times.
Here’s why: because I take the twins out and about by myself that means I’m loading them into their carseats by myself which means the diaper bag is often left unattended in the back of our SUV. I leave the trunk open while I’m loading and unloading the twins in their carseats (because I don’t want another car to whip into a parking spot next to us while I’m standing there tightening a carseat strap, potentially hitting me and/or one of the kids) and because I was taught to NEVER leave my bag unattended, I only keep nonessentials in the diaper bag. That way, if someone sees the unattended bag as an opportunity, well, I just hope they really, really need some diapers, sunscreen, and snacks!
UPDATE: Now that the twins are potty trained, we still have the diaper bag, but I just use it to keep an extra set of clothes for each kid, sunscreen, bug spray, a first aid kit, and a few non-perishable emergency snacks. I just leave it in the car whenever we go somewhere, but it’s nice to have those things in case we need them.
Do you keep something else in your diaper bag that I’m forgetting? Let me know!