My Diaper Bag Essentials (+ A Life Update)

People are consistently asking me what I feed my little man (who is now 20 months old, can you believe it?!) and whether or not I am making my cute food art for him. The truth is that this can be a really tricky topic for me (and no, I do not make the food art for my son…yet. I’m just lucky if I can get him to eat some form of protein). I will try cute food later but for now I just want to get him into the basics, which means I deeply rely on great snacks options to get him the nutrients he needs. And now that I am living in Chicago (surprise if you didn’t hear about that. We uprooted from Los Angeles and moved to the Midwest almost a year ago!), I can continue shopping at ALDI, which makes me so happy! Believe me, this place has saved me, not only because of its exclusive line of baby essentials, Little Journey (that includes all the necessities like diapers, wipes, formula, baby wash, organic snacks and baby pouches), but also because it’s as good as or better than name brands with half the cost! ALDI is the reason why I can share with you a post on what my diaper bag essentials are* because let’s face it, now that I am a mother, what is inside my purse is a completely different story.

*Though this post is sponsored by ALDI, I’ve been such a fan for years! I only choose brands that I love and trust for sponsored posts.

Being a mom has been such a fun journey but it has come with a lot of growing pains as well. Not only is my purse different but my life is too. My routine, my bedtime, even *I* am different. I can’t sweat the small stuff like I used to because there is no time or space for that. Everything is all about how to maximize the most out of life and learning how to make room for creative bursts of time. If I work, I only get an hour here or there in the day as opposed to the entire day but believe me, I actually work harder now than before! This is why I am dependent on trustable brands, like Little Journey, to help me with my daily needs as a mom. 

Here are the typical items you can expect to see as my diaper bag essentials:

1. Diaper changing pad | 2. Extra pair of clothes and cute animal socks (you just never know when you need it) | 3. Diapers | 4. Wipes (in a reusable holder) | 5. A few organic baby food pouches | 6. Variety of organic portable snacks | 7. Water bottle | 8. Toy cars (never leave home without them!)

Now that Jax is 20 months old, he is starting to grow more teeth. He’s had his front 8 only for a while now but his side molars are finally deciding on making their arrival! What I didn’t know coming into motherhood was how off and on my child would be when it comes to food. One day he will eat everything in sight, the next day he’s throwing it all on the ground. What has remained rather consistent is his love for baby food pouches. And because he’s still getting those back teeth in, we are dependent on softer foods to nourish his body until he can start adding more hard to chew foods. He LOVES these baby food pouches because they are easy to eat, super delicious (they actually are backed by the PTPA’s Seal of Approval)* and because they come in a wide variety of flavors, he never gets bored. I love them too for their see-through packaging so I can make sure of their freshness. I also love how they are the perfect organic and portable snack option that I can throw into my diaper bag when I’m on the go. I’m all about efficiency! 

*The Parent Tested Parent Approved Seal of Approval (PTPA) is determined by surveying a sample drawn from more than 75,000 North American families. The PTPA survey asks respondents, who are primarily moms, to evaluate food and other merchandise in the context of their daily lives.

Now that we are getting accustomed to these Midwestern warm and humid summer days, we’ve been known to roam around the house in just a diaper, eating snacks. For Jax, not me, just for clarification. Plus these diapers are light and breathable, which inevitably keeps him cool (not to mention that having him roam around with just a diaper on makes for an easier clean up on me). And since Jax is a BIG snacker, I try to keep a wide variety of options for him to rotate every day. He’s currently loving anything strawberry-flavored so these Little Journey Yogurt Bites are his summer go-to snack. Some days it seems like I am starting my own grocery store with the amount of food in my cupboards!

With all that to say, we are all doing so well. We love our new life here in Chicago and are taking this parenthood thing one day at a time and with a lot of compassion and gentleness on ourselves. I had so much fun sharing with you what my diaper bag essentials are, I need to do more personal posts! To find all these amazing baby products for your own diaper bag essentials  (even this baby safety gate and those cute animal socks in my diaper bag), shop at your local ALDI. To find a location near you, click here. Keep your eye out for ALDI Finds, like the safety gate and animal socks, which will be available for a limited time starting September 5th. 

This post has been sponsored by ALDI. All text and opinions are my own.

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