How to Set Up The Perfect Car Diaper Changing Station
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Before I had my son, if you had asked me where all his diaper changes would take place, I would look at you sideways and say, “On his changing table, duh.” Bless my little naive heart.
Pre-baby me would probably be a combination of appalled and impressed if I saw all the crazy places I have changed diapers at this point.
The car is one place I have probably changed the most diapers aside from at home. At first, car diaper changes stressed me out and were super chaotic. My first attempts were laughable.
Over time I learned the art of being prepared and how much of a difference it makes not only for changing a diaper en route, but just being on the go with a little one in general. Here are my top five tips for starting your traveling diaper changing station!
1. Portable Changing Pad: A Must-Have
A portable changing pad is a must. This one rolls up compactly and has worked great for us! It’s made of super soft percale cotton, and is machine washable. Whichever portable changing pad you choose, I recommend picking one that is comfortable and easy to clean.
2. Dog Poop Bags: Unconventional Mess-Management
The next item I recommend for your portable changing station is a little less conventional. Hear me out: dog poop bags. We always keep a roll of these in our car, and they have come in handy dozens of times. When you are on the go and have to change a turdy diaper, it is so nice to be able to throw all the wipes and the diaper into the dog poop bag. It is easy to throw away, and it fully contains the entire mess. Plus it keeps the smell from leaching out, so it makes for a much more pleasant drive home.
3. Wet Bag: Handle Blowouts Like a Pro
Speaking of mess, do yourself a favor and make sure to pack a wet bag. Blowouts are inevitable. My son was the little blowout king back in the early days when he was pooping 20 times a day. When a blowout happens in the car, these wet bags are the perfect place to put all the nasty stuff you don’t want to be smelling on the way home. It doesn’t leak, and it is machine washable so you can use it time and time again. Also, they are so cute. I’m always a sucker for a organizational bag in a cute print.
4. Change of Clothes: Always Be Prepared
Next up is a change of clothes! I keep Levi’s change of clothes in the wet bag so it’s a simple swap if we ever need to change his outfit. As he’s grown, there have been lots of reasons we have needed to do so; spontaneous trip to the splash pad, a messier than anticipated lunch, etc.
5. Behind-the-Seat Organizer: Keep Your Car Tidy
Is it just a mom rite of passage that our cars are messy AF all the time? I’ll be real, I was messy before and the kid and all of his baggage just added fuel to the fire. Between him throwing his shoes and toys all over the place, and me trying to dig through diaper supplies whenever we needed to do an on-the-go change, the mess was irking my soul.
Enter the not-so-cute behind-the-seat hanging organization thing I never thought I would use, but now love. It is such a simple fix, but it really helped me establish a system so that everything always has a home. Is my car always clean? Absolutely not. But it makes it totally manageable to do a quick reset often.
All of these things have made it so much easier to change his diaper or deal with outfit changes on the go. I much prefer changing him in my car than in a bathroom stall, and these things were all so easy to implement. Let me know in the comments what wisdom you would add for a vehicle changing station. I wish you the most simple, clean diaper changes on your travels!