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It’s time to update your diaper bag for the next phase of life. Solids!
Once your baby is somewhere around four to six months you may be ready to start introducing solids. As always your little one is changing before you know it and it’s time to get prepared.
I will warn you depending on your baby’s strength they may or not be able to handle sitting in a restaurant high chair. There can be a bit of an awkward period where you can more easily feed your child solids at home. Once you are ready to give it a go outside of the house it is time to get the diaper bag stocked.
Remove Items
The first step is to do a clean-out! I suggest you completely empty your diaper bag.
Remove the items you find yourself never using. Think about how often you reach for certain items and if it is time for them to go. We need the space now that we are adding solid food into your baby’s diet.
You also may find yourself needing less of certain items. For example, your baby may go through fewer diapers in a day or fewer outfit changes. Spits up may be occurring less at this point so one small burp cloth probably has you covered.
This is also a great opportunity to replace a few items. Your backup outfit may be getting too small or out of season. Keep it up to date for the size and the climate conditions. Swaps out socks or a hat for a larger size too.
Keep the Basics
Keep the basic stuff that you find yourself always needing. Diapers, wipes, etc. Your most frequently used items have earned their place in the diaper bag and are here to stay.
Diapers
Wipes
Bottles (if not breastfeeding)
Pacifier
Extra outfit
Items to Add
Bibs
You may have been using bib handkerchiefs for drool and spit-up. Now it is time to upgrade to bibs for real food. I highly recommend the silicone style with the food catcher at the bottom.
The advantage here over a cloth bib is you aren’t constantly rotating dirty bibs out into the laundry and having to pack new clean bibs. The silicone bibs can easily be cleaned with a wipe and placed right back in the diaper bag until your next outing.
I also love the food catcher because it really does its job. While out I try to avoid leaving behind a mess and these bibs make that so much easier.
Purees
If you are traveling with purees in your diaper bag the most important thing is that they are in a container that is absolutely spillproof. The last thing you need is a diaper bag covered in sweet potatoes.
Table Food
If your baby eating table food you will either need to pack food for them or give them some of your meal.
Be conscious of what you order and if it is something you can share with your little one. Also, keep in mind that the food that you order may come with extras such as salt or butter that your baby doesn’t need.
I would suggest trying a combination of planned food you pack mixed in with spontaneous food that you order.
This way you know you have foods that your will baby enjoy, but also have the opportunity to introduce them to food you may not often prepare for them at home.
This gives your baby a variety of foods, flavors, and textures.
Puffs
Puffs, teether crackers, and yogurt melts are great for keeping your baby entertained while you are trying to eat. I’ll touch more on my strategy for how to use these to your advantage during the meal.
Utensils
Don’t forget to pack a spoon for purees. If you choose to let your baby start practicing with a fork take that too. If utensils at the restaurant are appropriate for your little one that’s great, but you should always be prepared to have this covered.
Once you are done with your meal use a napkin or wipe to clean off the utensils before returning them to the diaper bag. As a water drinker, I will often dip the spoon in my glass to clean it off a bit and dry it with a napkin. Nobody wants to put a dirty spoon in their diaper bag.
Wipes, Wipes, Baby
I mentioned before that some items should be removed from your diaper bag or you should need less of them. Wipes are not one of those items. The introduction of food is the introduction of a mess. Keep plenty of wipes for hands, face, and everything in-between.
Cup
I am a big fan of water in sippy cups while out of the house. Save milk or juices for at home. If water spills in the diaper bag it is not the end of the world. Also if your baby needs a refill it is easy to top off their water.
Water isn’t temperature sensitive so it is great for traveling in all climates.
Toys
This isn’t food-related, but at this point, your baby is getting older and will enjoy having more toys. Try to rotate which toys will be in the diaper bag so your baby will be surprised.
Consider attaching the toy to them via a pacifier clip or attaching the toy to the table via a suction cup. Otherwise, all of your toys will be hitting the ground…which is gross.
Restaurant Strategy
Here is a sample strategy for say going to a restaurant.
When you arrive first start baby off by playing with some toys. This keeps everyone and everything clean for a little while.
Then once you have ordered and settled in it’s time to get out the purees. While you are patiently waiting for your food go ahead and start getting the little one fed.
Ideally, you finish up with purees right about when your food will arrive.
From there you move on to table food for the little one. This is their time to do finger food. While their little hands are busy, you take this time to eat your food while it is still warm.
And lastly, once your baby is losing interest and more food is hitting the floor than their mouth break out the puffs. This is your last trick to extend the time you get to eat your meal. If you aren’t done eating at this point you better hurry it up!
Once you are done it is time to clean up all the food and baby. Make sure you have everything! It is easy to leave something behind.
If you aren’t quite finished or are waiting on the check this is a great time to get out a new toy for the last few minutes. Make it something they didn’t get a chance to play with earlier. This way it will grab their attention for those last few minutes.
Pro-tip: Consider asking for your check fairly quickly after your food arrives. That way you aren’t waiting for it at the end of the meal when all you want to do is get out of there.
Conclusion
I hope this helped get your wheels turning on what you need to update in your diaper bag for a baby eating solids. This isn’t a complete list, but a general guide to get you started. Every baby and every family has different needs specific to them, and that’s perfectly ok.
Every diaper bag will look different for every family.
Take the time to clean out and update your diaper bag so you are prepared to handle the needs of your growing baby.
Check Out my Articles
Everything You Need to Know About Introducing Solid Food to Your Baby
Raising a Happy and Healthy Baby: Our 10-month-old’s Daily Food Routine