What to pack in the diaper bag for a successful day in daycare

Are you trying to figure out what to pack in the diaper bag for a successful day in daycare? Are you a childcare provider writing a daycare packing list for a new parent? Let me share with you what my daycare clients pack for their children every day for my home daycare. I have run a thriving home daycare for 14 years and I have perfected a list of what to pack in the diaper bag so that you can be confident that children have everything they need for a prosperous day at daycare.

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What to put in the diaper bag

I’m going to give you lots of suggestions on what to put in the diaper bag. But first, I’m going to go over what NOT to put in the daycare diaper bag. The first recommendation I will give as a childcare provider is to have a separate daycare diaper bag and personal diaper bag. A daycare diaper bag should only have items in it needed for daycare. Sometimes personal diaper bags will have teething medicines, snacks, and other items that no one would want to fall into the wrong tiny hands. Any medicines, teething gels, or ointments should be carefully labeled and given directly to your childcare provider.

Diaper Bag Essentials

Let’s start with a list of diaper bag essentials. These are the items that are needed every day so that you as a childcare provider or parent can rest assure the child has everything they need.

1-Diapers

This is the ultimate diaper bag essentials. Please do not leave your child in someone’s else care without diapers! Children need around 6-8 diapers a day for daycare. It’s better to send too many than not enough. Some daycare providers prefer clients bring in a labeled package of diapers and then let you know when your child’s diapers count is getting low. This can be a great alternative to packing diapers every night. For potty training children, I recommend you still pack 3-4 diapers a day and a couple of pull-ups. For parents who choose to cloth diapers, I recommend bringing 4-6 AIO cloth diapers and a wet bag to place the dirty diapers in.

2- Wipes

Infants go through a LOT of wipes! I have my daycare parents place one container of wipes at the beginning of every week into the diaper bag. Toddlers do not go through wipes as quickly as infants. In my what to pack in toddler diaper bag, I recommend parents place one package of wipes into the daycare diaper bag every 2 weeks. Now I have a lot of experience with wipes, and not all wipes are created equal. My favorite brands are WaterWipes and Huggies Brand Wipes. Be good to your daycare provider and send them a quality wipe, it’s really hard to change a diaper with cheap wipes.

3- Ointment or Creams

I personally do not allow ointments and creams to be left in daycare diaper bags. This is a safety issue to me and I would not want a child to somehow get ahold of the cream in the bag. If I have a daycare client who wants me to use diaper rash cream, I have them label the bottle and I keep the ointment up and away from children’s reach.

What to put into a diaper bag

What to put into a diaper bag after you have the essentials covered? Let’s go over that.

4- Complete Change of Clothing

Asking what to put into a diaper bag? Children are going to get messy. Daycare is fun! They will be playing, doing crafts, and going outside. As a childcare provider and parent, I would be concerned if a child was spotless at the end of a daycare day. One helpful tip you can do for a childcare provider is to place in a gallon size bag, one complete outfit. Infants seem to go through outfits a little quicker.

If you are wondering what to pack in diaper bag for newborn? Place two complete outfits for a newborn in the diaper bag. If the child needs to be changed during the day, the dirty outfit can be sent home in a gallon size bag, keeping your diaper bag nice and clean.

5- Jacket and Hat

In addition to an extra outfit, I like to have my clients pack a sunhat during the warmer months and a jacket and winter hat during the colder months. Especially for infants. Infants are usually brought into daycare in a car seat, with a blanket on them. If I want to take the children on a walk during the day, I like to know I can grab their hat and jacket from their diaper bags.

6- Pacifier

Please oh please, don’t forget to send the pacifier. I have cared for children who are attached to pacifiers and they were forgotten at home. This makes for a very long day! I have my clients pack a couple of clean, sterilized pacifiers in a ziplock bag and place them into the diaper bag.

7- Special Lovies

If the child has a special lovey, blankets, or another item they need to feel safe and secure, always pack that item at the top of the bag. Better yet, once your child is attached to an item, go buy another of the same item to leave at daycare. This will then be one less thing you have to remember each day. It is no fun to get that call when you are 20 minutes from work that you will need to turn around because you forgot “snuffy the elephant.”

What to pack diaper bag

To finish up that daycare diaper bag, the last thing to to pack is food and milk.

8- Food and Milk

Most daycares provide food for toddlers and up. With infants, you will probably bring milk and foods that you have already introduced at home. For formula-fed infants, the best thing I recommend is to buy a large container of formula, label the container, and let your provider tell you when you need to resupply. For breastfed babies, I have found fresh milk is easier to use than frozen. Now I understand this is not an option for everyone, so really do what is best for your baby. I also recommend making sure your breastfed baby takes a bottle well at home, before the first day of daycare. For my daycare packing list for toddlers, I recommend packing a water bottle.

What to put in a diaper bag

I hope this helped give you ideas on what to put in a diaper bag for daycare. Keeping your daycare supplies organized, will be so helpful to your provider, and ultimately helpful for your child.

Let’s Share Ideas!

I absolutely love sharing my ideas with other childcare providers. We can all learn from each other, let me know some essential daycare items you have your clients pack in their diaper bags. I would also love to also follow other daycare provider blogs, so please message me or add your blog below. Head on over to my Instagram to see more insights into my own home daycare and how I implement these strategies.

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