Packing a Diaper Bag for Cloth Diapers

You may be asking yourself, what do I need to pack in my diaper bag now that I use cloth diapers?

To put the answer simply, not a whole lot different than a standard diaper bag. The only thing that’s different is the type of diapers you have, and that you need to carry a wet bag for any dirty diapers or reusable cloth wipes!

In terms of what the best cloth diaper bag is, that really depends on how many things you need to pack and what your budget is. There is no one "best bag for everyone" because everyone has different needs and budgets. I will share that my favorite is a backpack bag that has a built-in wet bag that you can zip out and put in the wash,It also has a handful of other great features, and I used it as one of my main bags before starting cloth as well! Truly you could even use a simple tote bag as long as it holds all of your things inside. There are no rules!

The basic supplies that you need in a diaper bag are truly just diapers, wipes, spare clothes, diaper rash cream, something to put dirty diapers in, and something to change the diapers on like a mat or blanket. You can also add things like bottles or snacks or toys, depending on the ages and the needs of your kids. They really is not a big difference between a diaper bag for someone who uses disposable diapers and uses cloth diapers aside from a wet bag to hold them in which is relatively inexpensive and almost always can snap onto the outside of any bag with their practical snaps on the straps.

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The real "essential" items:

1. Diapers

2. Wipes

3. Extra clothes

4. Diaper rash cream (cloth safe! coconut oil is great if baby doesn't have an allergy!) with applicator/spatula if you want one.

5. Wet/dry bag to hold dirty diapers

6. Something to change the diapers on

7. Bottles/snacks etc

I like to use a bag that has a built in wet bag, that zips on and off for washing. There is only one company that makes these, and that's Cleverly Bags. They have an old (retired) bag called The Pack 1.0, I have two of those, the Ellie Backpack which is also retiring and on sale until gone, I have two of those, and they have just re-released The Pack in an updated version with new material. I have ordered one of every color. The one pictured there is on the new bag I have not received yet, I borrowed this pic from their owner, Shelby. She's awesome!

This is one of my Pack 1.0 bags, one of my absolute favorites! As I type this update I am awaiting the arrival of my Pack 2.0 backpacks.

Additional note about wet bags: I will never use a wet bag that I have for my breast pump supplies for dirty diapers and vice versa. I have specific pumping wet bags and specific diaper/poop wet bags. I will never cross them over, I don't care how clean they are. I cannot bring myself to do it. This is a personal preference.

Trying to figure out how many diapers you need to bring with you is relatively easy, for the most part.

You should be mostly familiar with how many diapers your child normally goes through at home in the same amount of time. A certain number of pees and poops, and then I would bring extra because more often than not, the vibration of the car and angle of baby car seats really gets things moving, if you know what I mean! I normally bring what’s called a “pod “outside of my diaper bag with a few extra diapers, just in case, and I end up needing some of them!

For example, as I write this post my son is 3 months old. He typically gets changed around every 2 hours unless he fills the diaper sooner, so when we go out I plan the normal number plus I quite literally fill an entire pod with backup.

This is one of my pods, by Cleverly Bags. These cost $35 full price. Inside are some of my favorite diapers, the Cleverall Pocket Diaper. These are $10 not including the cost of inserts. (That's a good price for a pocket diaper, I've seen some well into the teens or higher just for pockets!)

UPDATE: These carry pods are retired and completely sold out, but I have been notified by the brand that makes them that they are re-releasing a new version soon! Also, the diapers are on sale for $2.99 each, as far as I know they will stay that price until gone.

Other brands make pods that are made of PUL (the same material as wet bags) that cost less money than this one, but I do really like these for other things aside from cloth diapers so they're versatile and worth their price.

These are unique for a number of reasons- I can't tell you how much I hate using 'cookie cutter' diapers that have nothing to prevent leaks and don't fit all sizes of babies very well (including mine, apparently). Most companies these days use a standard 'diaper mold' with pretty prints on the fabric. These ones are specially designed with double gussets, hip snaps, extra rise snaps, thick back elastic, tummy elastic, and front and back insert snaps and openings. For anyone who doesn't know much about cloth diapers I'm sure that sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, but if you know what any of those features are you'll greatly appreciate them!

My personal favorite diaper bag for cloth diapers is called the Ellie backpack, which retails at $179 (for options with prints on them) and $189 (for options that are all vegan leather). Both types are all identical in features. Zip out wet bag that you can toss in the wash, sidewall pockets for easily accessible gear, elastic bands for changing roll or blanket, a ton of useful pockets, and more. The Pack is the larger version of this bag! The Ellie backpack is being clearanced out until gone, and to make room for the new, larger diaper bag called 'the pack' I mentioned above. The sale price on these is phenominal, I would certainly grab one if you want to test the waters. They have a space print that's priced the lowest, I think it's around $20.

This bag has a ton of other practical pockets as you can see in the photo below, they lined the sidewall of the bag so you can truly access everything that’s in it once you open the front pocket flap.

The inner front zip-down (which takes up the bottom half of the image below) is the removable wet bag I mentioned previously. I have never seen this in another diaper bag and I find it so handy for cloth diapers.

Inside of my bag you can see the following items:

1. 6 pocket diapers

2. 1 wipes container

3. 3 spare outfits

4. 1 rolled up blanket

5. 1 diaper rash cream

6. 1 burp cloth

Another one of my favorite features about this bag is the very wide-expanding exterior side pockets for bottles. I usually carry a fancy milk chiller with me when I go out (I'm a pumping mom), and it fits very well in the side pocket where some other bags do not hold it as well. Additional features that I’m a fan of include the very large front pocket for extra things like keys and wallets and other mom supplies, and the secret pocket on the back that you can fit a flat changing pad inside if you have one. The straps are very comfortable and padded and overall it’s a very well thought out bag- it was designed specifically with cloth diapering parents in mind!

But remember, you don't absolutely need a fancy bag just for cloth diapers!

If you are on a lower budget, you can use pretty much anything as a diaper bag, I would recommend a large, inexpensive tote style bag that you can put everything inside of, and carry it easily. I always prefer a backpack for ease of use, but typically they are a little more expensive than something like a simple grocery tote. It's up to you! Cleverly bags sells these really large sized zipper tote bags for around $30, and diaper pods/wet bags to make it a whole set. I think grabbing all three will total out under $50.

If you need to be walking while carrying your bag 100% I recommend a backpack so you can stay hands-free. But if it’s something you just need to carry from your car to a building and then set it down somewhere, a backpack is not a requirement.

Looking for more information? See these related posts!

Cloth diaper learning process

Diaper/pump bag reviews

Diaper bag checklist (non cloth)

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