The 10 Most Underrated Items You Should Be Packing in Your Diaper Bag
Everyone knows diaper bags should have diapers, wipes, a change of baby clothes (for inevitable blowouts), pacifiers, bottles, snacks and toys inside, but we went the extra mile and canvassed hundreds of dads for their favorite least known, but most indispensable diaper bag EDC items!
Read below to up your Dad game
We took to the streets (and virtual streets) to canvass dads on their favorite inside tips on setting up their dad go bags. We loved all of their out-of-the-box ideas, but here are our 10 favorites in no particular order:
(We do not earn money from our recommendations or links, so you can trust that we actually like this stuff)
10) First Aid Kit: It might be obvious to some to carry a first aid kit literally everywhere they took their kids, but it definitely wasn’t obvious to us! The benefits of this addition go without saying, but it should be mentioned that these days first aid kits are available fully prepared in very small pouches from online stores like Amazon. These contain most of the basics, to which you can always add your personal faves, and of course your kids favorite band-aids, which always makes the hurt less painful…somehow.
9) Baby Nail Care Kit: Of course any nail clippers, files and small tools will do to trim the nails of just about any human (Im looking at you Leatherman), but baby specific kits are truly the most appropriate for kids under 2. They have smaller tools with easy-to-grab handles which makes fumbling (and painful mishaps) much less likely. Taking one with you on your adventures is a level-up that will have you thanking yourself when hangnails or broken nails rear their ugly head. Also, how pro is it to clip your kids dirty nails on the fly when their mom yells at you for not doing it earlier? (Very pro)
8) Multi-tool: We’re not breaking new ground here with the EDC dads out there, but for everyone else who doesnt typically carry a multi-tool with them wherever they go, its hard to understate how useful these tools are in many situations. Multi-tools contain commonly useful tools like screwdrivers, scissors, knives, pliers, tweezers and wire-cutters in a single, compact tool. Taking up barely any space in a pack (though admittedly on the dense side), a multi-tool can be a literal life-saver in a pinch, and depending on the situation can be make-or-break for your kid’s experience while out on an adventure. Ever pull a splinter out with pliers? Well Leatherman, the name brand in multi-tools and our favorite brand in the category, has pliers so precise that it often out performs tweezers for splinters of a certain size and location. Trust us on this. Also it looks tough to onlookers.
7) Doggie Bags: Literally designed to hold poop, and be ultra compact, its hard to ignore the utility and value in a tightly-rolled pack of dog poop bags. These bags do an amazing job of holding in smells and keeping otherwise objectionable items free and clear from the rest of your stuff or your body. Got a diaper blowout? These are your new best friend. Perfect for holding soiled diapers, clothes and other unmentionables, these bags do all the dirty work, and are frequently eco-friendly and bio-degradable to boot. Bonus tip: These work incredibly well for wet bathing suits or undies, and can be put directly in your bag without fear of getting other things wet. Especially if you have a water-resistant pouch or built-in waterproof seam-sealed case in your pack.
6) Saline Drops: As long time contact lens wearers we can attest to the value of a small bottle of saline solution for irritated eyes. But as dads we know the panic that can set in when the smallest mote of dust gets stuck in your kids eye. Well, come to the rescue definitively with a small bottle of saline drops. These do wonders to whisk away debris stuck in little eyes, and that blink of teary-eyed relief you get from your kid when that menacing eyelash is gone is all it takes to ensure you’ll always have one of these in your kit going forward.
5) Sunscreen / Sunblock: To moms, this is a well known and critical piece of kit. But for some reason this is one of the most commonly forgotten items in a dad bag. Why? Well, we may never know, but it might have something to do with the idea that our kids are babies and skin cancer usually afflicts older people? The fact is that baby’s skin is extremely vulnerable to UV rays that can result in some pretty acutely painful sun burns. We love the sunblock type of protection (the white stuff) and we always use the brands that are safest for baby skin. Take a tube, put it in a ziplock bag, and keep it in your bag until your kid is old enough to remember it themselves.
4) Ziploc Bags: Which brings us to our next under-rated diaper bag hack, the ever-useful Ziploc bag. A few caveats here though. Firstly, plastic bags can be very dangerous for kids, so we recommend using the ones that are smaller than a baby’s head. Secondly, do not count on ziplocks to reliably hold the contents in any and all situations. We have seen more times than we’d have liked these types of bags not seal properly and spill contents inside a bag or worse. Many times people keep small, non-baby friendly things like beads inside these bags, thinking their babies cant get inside them. Well, you’d be surprised at what babies can get inside of (and out of. Thanks mom!), and we absolutely think Ziplocs are within their capability of opening themselves. That said, its hard to ignore the utility of a handful of these suckers for just about anything you need collated or separated from other stuff. Keep a tightly rolled collection in a rubber band and add it to your kit. You’ll be thankful you did.
3) Stain Fighting Wipes or Spray: High on the list of things moms never forget, but dads never seem to remember (hi sunscreen!) are stain fighting pens and wipes like Shout or Tide-To-Go. Look, we’re dads, we dont care as much about stains on our stuff. But do we not care at all? Uh, we wouldn’t go that far. Babies are many wonderful things, but one of them isn’t “clean”. Its only a matter of time until your kid blasts you with yogurt, jelly, syrup, or any manner of bodily fluids that seems to shoot from them without warning. And sometimes, a drop or drizzle of that mess will get on your favorite jersey, or new leather jacket, or sweet new backpack. Thats where these beauties come in. A quick scrub with a Tide stick or Shout wipe can make your stain troubles mostly disappear (depending on the material and stain). But for their tiny footprint and light weight, their utility and place in a diaper bag is highly valued. Pro Tip: Want to earn your keep? Pass one to your baby's mama when she gets something on her shirt or pants. Thats like 2 full days worth of cred…at least!
2) Extra T-Shirt: Another from the list of things mom thinks of but are somehow impossible for dads to conceptualize is the idea of bringing along an extra t-shirt. OK, not one that SAYS “extra” but one in-addition-to-one-you-are-currently-wearing ‘extra’. This is the type of brilliance reserved for dads with the experience of like 4 kids or more, but because you read this listicle, you are now blessed with solid foresight to be prepared when the shirt you are wearing gets blasted with poop or pee or literally whatever. Pro tip: Keep your extra T in a ziploc bag that you can use to put the soiled on in after you take it off. (Thats why we get paid the big bucks).
1) YOUR STUFF: This might go without saying for many guys out there, but some of us need reminders now and again that you are still the awesome guy you were before kids, you now just have to take care of another human sometimes. That said, make sure you pack YOUR stuff. The things that make you happy, and that help you pass the time more comfortably. Bring earbuds. Bring a journal. Bring a smartwatch and a flashlight. Bring a cool pen that writes upside-down. Bring a damn camera! All of these things are what separates us from everyone else. The things we love and care about that help us in our daily lives that are exactly as important as they always were. You still need them. Take them with you. All the damn time!
BONUS: Get a Cool Pack to Hold it All: We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention this, the center of your dad carry world, your pack or bag. There are many to choose from, and each has their own benefits and drawbacks, including just repurposing the pack you already have and love. All of this is OK, just make sure youre happy with your pack, and it works for you. If it doesnt, hit us up, we have one that will.
If you have any more tips and tricks you’d like to share with us, reach out and let us know! Happy Dadding!