Diaper Bag at Disney and what to pack to take into the park

[Prince2Harper]

Our little girl will be turning 1 while at Disney in August. I was wondering what the best solution is to the diaper bag conundrum while there. My wife is used to carrying the bag...and actually likes it. Would a toddler backpack be easier? Or a bigger adult sized back pack? Diaper Bag AND another bag?

Also... what exactly are the important things we shouldn't forget to pack for our day at Magic Kingdom?!

 

[mommy2jack]

We went last year when my DS was 3.5 and DD was 16 months. After searching the web I found the Ju Ju Be BFF diaper bag. It's a little on the big size, but I wanted to have a bag I could carry everything in. It has a pocket for everything! The best part about this bag is that it converts from a backpack to a messanger bag and with the diaper clips (which I did have to buy seperately) I was able to hook it on to the stroller too. It is my absolute favorite diaper bag and I use the backpack feature almost always. It's nice to be hands free. Ju Ju Be makes several other bags too, if your wife wants something a little smaller. My kids are older now (DS 4 and DD will be 2 when we go on our next trip in May) and I am considering getting the Be Right Back, which is their backpack bag.

http://shop.ju-ju-be.com/BFF-at-Ju-Ju-Be-in-PID10858-09FM02A.aspx

I took almost everything with me in that bag (probably more than needed) and had no problems carrying it around all day and on to rides. The only thing we left behind in the stroller was a change of clothes and extra diapers.

 

[PocahontasLookALike]

For our upcoming trip to DL ill be taking a regular backpack. This way my husband can carry it if need be.

Ill have everything organized in there in separate bags so that we can just grab what we need instead of rifling through it all. Like a diaper pack, feeding/snack pack, spare clothes pack, toys/books back, etc.

 

[Tigger1221]

We took DD at 4 and 6 months and we are maybe going 3 times this year (11 months, 17 months and almost 19 months). We took a regular backpack and I put things together in gallon baggies. I had diapers, wipes, puppy pads (I used them as disposable changing pads) and cream in a baggie and could just grab it when she needed a diaper change. In another baggie I had a change of clothes and jammies. Our stroller has a cooler on the bottom so we just put the baby food in there. I had bottles of water and juice in the bottom of the stroller. If she will still be eating baby food we took disposable bowls (like dixie) and just threw them away after she ate. I did take maybe 2 toys. I also had all 3 of our rain coats in the backpack and a first aid kit. We took some bibs but I recently bought some disposable bibs so we will take those next time. Honestly one of the best things I did was make a list of what we used everyday. I put a few others things I knew we would need for the park and printed it. Every morning I would make sure I had what was on the list.

 

[DisneyJen0504]

As a fn of carrying a diaper bag as well, I prefer a bag similar toa diaper at that I hang on the stroller. I like easy access to dippy cups, snacks, activities, etc. I too used the jujube bag and loved it! I am not a backpack wearer so for me that wouldn't have felt comfortable for me in WDW. It was easy to grab when we parked the stroller to go on rides or eat.
We also only took 1 bag to hold everything including our camera.

 

[Tigger1221]

I should of mentioned we didn't carry the backpack unless we were going on a ride. We hung it on a Mommy Hook on the stroller. I love the JuJuBe bags but DH wouldn't carry it and we don't need another bag. The backpack we use has several slots and pockets.

 

[DSNY4ever]

We took our DS to the DLR at 15 months and we just used a regular small backpack that doubled as my purse. It was so much easier than having a giant diaper bag slung across my chest and easier to wear in line (I NEVER left it on the stroller- too many sob stories about that!).

I kept my wallet and our camera and sunglasses in it as well as a sippy cup, and a couple wipes and our own water bottles and a couple snacks. We kept a separate zipper bag (an old make-up bag) that we kept under the stroller that had the diapers, cream and pack of wipes and whenever he needed a diaper change we grabbed that but otherwise left it under the stroller (if that got stollen we didn't care). We also tucked a spare pair of pants and a hat for DS under the stroller and rolled up a tiny diner with a bib and spoon inside. The cast member at security asked where our other bags were and said we travelled lighter than most other parents she sees.

 

[Prince2Harper]

Thanks! It's looking like a backpack would be easier!

 

[CourtneyL]

When we took DD at 14 months, I took a small cross-body bag and my DH had a backpack. We also had a bag in the basket of the stroller. In my bag I kept a sippy cup and a small pack of hand & face wipes. In the backpack we carried the camera, ponchos, a bottle of water. We used a diaper changer (a SkipHop Pronto) which is basically a changing pad with space for diapers/wipes, and kept that in the stroller. We also kept a change of clothes for DD, snacks, water bottles, and a big ziploc bag with disposable placemats, the highchair cover, and a bib. Whenever we ate at a sit down place we would just grab the ziploc bag, a few snacks, and the diaper changer.

It was really nice to not have to carry everything onto rides. I wasn't too worried about leaving things in the stroller since we used a black zippered tote bag in the basket. I found that we were never very far from the stroller if we needed to get something.

Also, the LL Bean Stowaway backpack is a great lightweight bag and it's not huge. We've used the stowaway for several trips.

 

[NorthernGrl]

When we took DD at 14 months, I took a small cross-body bag and my DH had a backpack. We also had a bag in the basket of the stroller. In my bag I kept a sippy cup and a small pack of hand & face wipes. In the backpack we carried the camera, ponchos, a bottle of water. We used a diaper changer (a SkipHop Pronto) which is basically a changing pad with space for diapers/wipes, and kept that in the stroller. We also kept a change of clothes for DD, snacks, water bottles, and a big ziploc bag with disposable placemats, the highchair cover, and a bib. Whenever we ate at a sit down place we would just grab the ziploc bag, a few snacks, and the diaper changer.

It was really nice to not have to carry everything onto rides. I wasn't too worried about leaving things in the stroller since we used a black zippered tote bag in the basket. I found that we were never very far from the stroller if we needed to get something.

Also, the LL Bean Stowaway backpack is a great lightweight bag and it's not huge. We've used the stowaway for several trips.

I'm another one who uses a small cross-body bag. I have stroller organizers that hang off the double stroller. I make up little "kits" that have a few wipes in a smack-size ziplock along with a folded diaper in a sandwich sized ziplock. There's always a dozen kits (we had 2 in diapers our last 2 trips) in the stroller along with a few baggies of snacks, take n toss sippies, a small first aid kit, sunblock etc. In my bag, I keep our room cards, the kids' gift cards, the camera, my phone, pretty much anything that we worry about getting lost/stollen.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I find a diaper bag easier to get in and find what I need more than a back up. It just hangs on the stroller anyway.

In the stroller I had in zip lock bags -

Spoon, bib, burp cloth (enough for the number of meals we would be eating)
Diapers, wipes, disposable changing pads, diaper cream (enough for the usual number of changes in that time frame plus two extra diapers just in case)
Snacks for him
Bottles or cups (depending on the age)
A change of clothes (could be something for the evening if it was getting cooler)

In the pockets of the bag I had -
Sunblock
Purell
Handiwipes
A couple of small board books
A small toy

The ONE time I didn't bring an extra set of clothes, ds vomited all over himself (and I mean all over) at the start of the Candlelight Processional. We were going right back to the room obviously, but I just wanted to get him cleaned up as best I could first at the babycare center (we were encouraged to leave first aide and go there instead by the nurse who was not happy to see us).

I wore a cross body purse that held the camera, extra battery, wallet, annual pass, etc..

 

[AKL_Megs]

When we went with our then 13 month old DD, I brought maybe five diapers, a pack of wipes, a disposable Munchkin "smelly diaper" bag in case she pooped, her bib, her sunscreen, a change of clothes, a Ziplock in case she got soaked (for the wet clothes), and her sippy cup. We didn't need for anything else.

This time, she will be 21 months old, and I'm throwing a couple diapers and wipes in her stroller and bringing her sippy cup. Like I carry with me every day. I hate overpacking.

 

[kam1011]

I took all of my kids as infants and never took a diaper bag into the parks. I brought an insulated bottle bag with a ice pack slot and packed formula, juice, water, whatever was appropriate at that time, plus a baby food jar, under the stroller. Then I put three diapers and a ziploc baggie of wipes in the pouch of the stroller. We had everything we needed without clutter or worries of bags.

 

[christymarie]

We have a special needs child who is not potty trained so we have been traveling to WDW with diaper bags for a long time, lol.

The biggest thing we keep in mind is that they have to search every bag so we tend to go with the less is more approach. I try to keep it to one bag and we usually use a backpack as opposed to a diaper bag due to us not having to open as many compartments.

 

[PrincessTiggy]

When my eldest was little, I carried an enormous diaper bag... now for number 2 I have whittled down to a makeup bag wih three diapers a small sample pack of wipes (refillable by huggies- you can find in target by the travel size) and a sample of diaper cream which honestly I never use... I just found some disposable bibs at the dollar store and added those... for WDW I will likely throw this little pack into the stroller or my husbands backpack...

 

[aprilbabes]

When it comes to bags I feel less is more. Find one comfortable bag that you don't mind carrying or hooking to stroller handle that accommodates all of your basic needs. Plus, I recommend one insulated cooler bag for drinks and snacks or baby food. We will be bringing a jujube bag also. As another person mentioned these bags are lightweight and great for organizing everything. So are lesportsac bags and kipling bags. They all hold a ton of stuff. I purchased a smaller size jujube but it holds everything and more - called hobobe .
In the cooler bag, we bring two sippy cups, two bottles of water and some snacks for kids.
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that you will be folding and unfolding the stroller when traveling to and from parks. The fewer bags you have to deal with the better off you'll be!!!

 

[2binak]

We've always carried a backpack in the parks so when we had DD, we saw no reason not to keep using one. When she was an infant/young toddler, we had a small bag attached to the stroller handles that held a couple of diapers, wipes, disposable change pads, her snacks & sippy cup to keep them in easy reach. We kept extras of those items in our backpack and just refilled the stroller bag as the day went on.

For personal items (tickets, room card, camera, etc.), I always carry a small cross-body purse.