Things to take when going out with a baby

Your baby may be small but the list of things that you really need to take with you when you are going out with them seems to get longer and longer! We are all about how to make travelling around with your kids that little bit easier so here’s our definitive list of things you need when you pop out and about with your baby.

Feel free to argue with us in the comments: I’m sure everyone has their indispensable item so let us know what yours is!

Top essentials when you go out with a baby

1. Nappies

Bit of a given this one as you never know when you might need a spare! A quick pop to the shops I would risk nappy free, anything over half an hour and you’re asking for trouble!

2. Wipes

I guess this goes hand in hand with nappies, however, wipes come in useful all on their own. From wiping up a quick spill, to giving your hands a wipe, to cleaning up a questionable high chair (before and after!) baby wipes are pretty essential. Most brands do a handy travel sized version so you don’t need to way yourself down- pop them in your handbag and off you go.

3. Travel changing mat

We love our Kid Transit travel changing mat as it can hold a lot of the things you need (nappies, wipes, spare dummy) and you don’t need a really big changing bag to throw onto the pram every time you go out. For a quick shopping trip or a visit to a friend the travel changing mat is all you need. Just roll it out and get your baby changed wherever you are with no worries about putting them on a dirty surface. A quick wipe with a baby wipe and then you can fold it up again for next time.

4. Clothes

I’m assuming that you have already dressed your baby (and you as well, even if that means throwing a coat on over your pyjamas- no judgement here) but a spare set of clothes really will come in handy. Even if it’s just a babygro and a spare cardigan. When your baby decides to have a poosplosion in the middle of Starbucks you can at least pop a clean item of clothing on him and just deal with the mess later.

Poosplosion top tip: Those bodysuits with the envelope necks means you can peel the bodysuit down your baby instead of trying to get it over their head. Maybe everyone already knows this, but I didn’t until too late and would struggle to remove the bodysuit without wiping poo all over my little one!

A spare extra layer helps if some milk gets split so you can keep them warm still until you have a chance to change them.

5. Dummy

Obviously, all babies don’t have dummies, but most will have something that they use as a comforter be it a muslin, snuggly or special toy. Don’t for any reason forget to bring this as all hell will break loose if your baby decides they are tired, annoyed, or upset, and you don’t have the one thing they want to soothe them. You can worry about breaking the habit further down the line when you may be able to bribe them to give up the dummy!

6. Bottle

If you’re formula feeding (or even if you’re breastfeeding and use expressed when you go out), don’t forget to take a spare bottle. It could be that you end up staying out for longer than expected or your baby may seem a bit hungry- just warm the bottle up a bit in your hands and off you go.

7. Muslins

Our daughter loved her muslin as a snuggly when she was tired and would even have it over her face to sleep sometimes (we always checked to make sure it was only loosely over her), so they were always in a bag or pocket when we went out. They are also great for burping (keeps your clothes free of spit up) and for wiping up any messes. You can also use them as a cover for some privacy when breastfeeding.

8. Hand Sanitizer

This is more for your peace of mind than anything else as usually you can wash your hands somewhere when your out. However, if you’re prepping a bottle and want to make sure you’ve got clean hands then the hand sanitizer does the trick.

9. Snack

Your baby might not be eating solids but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a little snack packed for you! Quite often as parents, we forget that if we look after ourselves, then we look after our baby even better. So remember to take along a banana or a cereal bar to keep you going when you’re out and about.

10. Entertainment

Make sure you have something with you to distract/ entertain your little one. If you have a few pram clips then you can attached it to the pram for safe keeping. Loads of baby toys have little loops making it really easy to turn them into pram toys. You can even get books that attach to the pram- great for chewing on when they are really small and for looking at the pictures when they’re a bit bigger.

There’s our list of things to take when going out with your baby, let us know what you don’t leave the house without in the comments below.

If you’re in need  of a new changing bag, have a look at a few lovely options available at Amazon: