The Short Answer: way too much.
The Longer Answer: see below.
[thanks to DT reader and new dad Bruce]
Related, in a ripped off kind of way : What's in Your Gadget Bag, Glenn Fleishman? [homage/apologies to Gizmodo]
First off, we almost never empty our diaper bag, just keep refilling it. So who knows what's accumulated in there the last 10 months?
Diapers (4 Pampers Cruisers; we usually go out with 6-8)
Wipes (A Huggies plastic case stuffed with Costco wipes, the best)
Changing pad (came with the bag)
Two books (My First ABC board book, Hello, Spot! soft book)
Cloth diaper that someone decorated with a cutesy pink edge
Flannel burp pad my mother made a million of for us
One complete change of clothes: one-piece footed pajamas is the easiest.
White Baby Gap cable knit cap, which the kid refuses to leave on her head.
Plush bunny rattle on a Velcro wrist strap (Velcro=very good to chew on, apparently)
Tiny rubber duck
Chillable figure-8 teething ring
Collapsible brush/mirror my wife got as a Clinique bonus
8-oz. First Years disposable cup of Cheerios (yes, we've gotten to the Cheerios stage)
One formula dispenser from Especially For Baby (white lid, not the leaky blue one)
Three 4-oz. travel packs of Enfamil Lipil formula
Two Ziploc sandwich bags, empty
One Ziploc sandwich bag with half a rice cake in it
One Bibster disposable bib
Four (??) First Years disposable spoons (So that's where they went.)
One Medela Quick Clean micro-steam bag for sterilizing a bottle in a microwave
One Bib'evian adapter for making a bottle out of Evian (we were happy to have it the one time we've used it)
Mylicon gas drops
Tylenol infant drops
Tiny travel bottle with baby shampoo
Tiny travel bottle of Purell Hand Sanitizer
Three anti-bacterial Wet Ones
Children's Oral-B toothbrush (Label: "NOT for chewing." The Kid: "Forget that, I can't even read yet.")
Tic-tac-sized pillbox full of OTC painkillers
One Clinique lipstick, Black Honey (Ahem. This is not a purse...)
One black plastic old-man comb, bought to deal with cradle cap
Tiny Bugaboo-logo Vaseline tub (from the maintenance kit)
Three California Baby tubs: sunscreen, moisturizer, diaper cream (I was told to point out these are all very small.)
What's not in there, but usually is:
Two Playtex Ventaire bottles with filtered water (not bottled; gotta get that flouride)
One or two jars of food
wife's cell phone (Sorry, just callin' it like I see it.)
Unread New Yorker, any date--they're all unread
Conclusion: There's probably way too much stuff in here. But as soon as you pare it down, your three-hour tour'll unexpectedly turn into a day-long adventure, and you'll be screwed.
are cruisers the slightly more grown up version of swaddlers? because we love the swaddlers after having to clean up more than our fair share of explosive poopie huggies and we hate to think there is no good replacement at the next stage. and the pampers baby dry diapers are, as my wife says, "for shit, but not in the way a diaper should be 'for shit.'"
Yeah, the size 3 is called Cruisers, but they're like Swaddlers: ie., more fabric-like than the Baby Dry, (which we have a few of, too. We buy them on the road, or when we're not within the radius of a Costco.)
I hear you on the Huggies -- never again! Luvs aren't bad for the leaks and are cheaper than the Pampers, but they smell weird. The Pampers Baby-Dry do suck -- I wonder why that is, since the Swaddlers/Cruisers are so good?
some readers might be reassured that, at six months, the minimalist baby simply has three diapers, wipes, three ziploc bags and a six square feet of a yoga-mat like changing pad and one replacement outfit (white cotton onesie and matching pants). this all fits in a bag the size of a hardcover novel ($10 from ebags).
Show-off.
The trick may be that small bag; our bag hovers right around 75-80% capacity, but it's always big enough to stick--and keep--little doodads or stuff we don't actually need.
And of course, some people store their lipstick and stuff in there...
I used to carry two diapers, wipes,a toy, and a one piece outfit. And during the summer an undershirt instead of the outfit. But since it's hot in Modesto I could have left that at home too.
And when I was potty training, a pair of undies and pants. I used my purse so there was never any extra room for his stuff.
Now that my kids are five and eleven, it's carry your own crap, or leave it home (No possible space anywhere near my purse)