This post is brought to you by Boudreaux’s Butt Paste and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.

We just announced this week that we are expecting baby #5 (and maybe #6?) on Facebook via a fun family video we made. My sister is also due with her first in two months and so babies are on the brain right now. Between my sister asking for what I’ve used, readers asking for my favorite things, and I’m trying to simplify the things I need; I decided it might be handy to give you a quick list of my favorite things.

You see – I’m tired of lugging around a heavy diaper bag with too many things. I’ve run out of hands and arm strength! So, especially for a Summer diaper bag, here are all of my must have items – while also trying to make things as simple as possible. 

For 8 months this year we had FOUR children in diapers until our oldest twins finally got the hang of potty training. So I am no stranger to diapers, wipes, and lugging around a humungous diaper bag. So now that we finally only have TWO kids in diapers (which I know, sounds like a ridiculous thing to say) I’m so ready to simplify, pair down, and only bring the essentials.

My Simple Summer Diaper Bag

1) Your trusty diaper bag

This might seem like a no-brainer but diaper bags come in various sizes and types. I have friends who swear by their $100 diaper bags but I just can’t bring myself to spend that much on something that will be put through the ringer.

But my #1 requirement is lots of pockets. I like little pockets that I can store my diaper rash cream, sunscreen, or baby snacks. and lately I’ve been switching between a normal diaper bag and a backpack – it’s been a wonderful way to free up my hands when I’m carrying and chasing lots of littles.

I got this adorable Betsey Johnson backpack at Ross and it’s been fantastic (not enough pockets for my personal taste though)!

2) Diapers & Wipes

I know this is “duh!” but I had to list it anyway 🙂 I always drool over Honest Company’s diapers and wipes, but the reality is that I buy all our diapers and wipes at Costco because I’ve yet to find a better price and they work so well!

3) Diaper Rash Cream

All four of my littles have sensitive skin (they get it from their dad). We have struggled with some really bad diaper rashes and we’ve had some bouts with yeast (which is NO FUN on a two-month old little bum)!

The last struggle came when my younger twins were 6 months old and poor little Remington had a nasty diaper rash. We had just finally shaken the yeast diaper rash and the combination of teething, introducing food, and his poor sensitive skin had given him another bad rash.

I was so done at this point and I had several creams on hand that were just not cutting it. You see, I tend to like to stick with natural things, especially on my babies and little ones. And usually, they work really really well. But the few diaper rash creams I had on hand were just not working for one reason or another.

So in desperation, I was at Target to get something to help his poor little bottom and knew my mother-in-law had always used Boudreaux’s Butt Paste (you know, the one with the funny name that my husband loves to say). So I went to search for that and to my great surprise, I found that they now make an All Natural version with natural ingredients and is petrolatum free!

So I grabbed that (and the maximum strength one just in case) and literally within the first diaper change, I could tell it was starting to get better. After struggling for so long with yeast and then this second diaper rash, it was such a relief to see it start to clear up so fast.

Since then, I have been a Butt Paste fan! I always have a tube handy and it’s one of my must have items in my diaper bag.

4) A few lightweight blankets

I simply adore the Aden + Anais muslin swaddle blankets and have used them with all four kids. But I use them for a variety of purposes. The lightweight fabric makes it perfect for swaddling any time of the year (which all four of my kiddos loved).

And until about 6 months or so, I always keep a few handy in my diaper bag to use as:

1. a lightweight nursing cover (so important in the hot summer)
2. spit up rags or burp cloth
3. stroller cover
4. to use at the park or around to lay baby on

5) Sunscreen

This is my last Summer must have (maybe add some bug spray too if you live in an area with lots of bugs). My boys love being outside and don’t seem to mind the 100 degree weather, so I leave a bottle of sunscreen in our diaper bag at all times.

I’m very partial to the Honest Co. spray sunscreen. When you have to cover four little boys before they run off into the sun, I’ve found the spay to be super handy!

I usually order a bottle or two when I order a bundle from Honest and so it makes the sunscreen about $7. Not bad considering it’s organic, natural, and a spray bottle! Costco also carries the Honest Co. regular sunscreen in a pack of two and the price is fantastic (can’t remember off the top of my head) but like I said, I’m too partial to the spray!

Other things to consider:

Now of course, depending on the stage of your baby or your own needs, you might want to add some things to your diaper bag. Other things to consider:

• Change of clothing (depends for me how long we will be out of the house/where we are going)
• Nursing Cover
• Bottle & Formula
• Pacifiers
• Toys/books
• Hand sanitizer
• Wet bag
• Snacks
• Sippy Cups

What would you add to this list? 

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