// In partnership with Jeankelly Baby Bags //

Our little guy’s finally had his 6-week vaccinations, which means I’ve started getting out and about a little more. The freedom is equal parts exciting and terrifying and I didn’t think the simple task of visiting a friend or going to the shops could be so daunting. That said, each time we manage it my confidence grows and he seems to become more predictable. Leaving the house quickly is something I’m getting better at and I now have a fully-stocked baby bag packed and on the ready at all times. You’ll only forget a spare change of clothing or an extra diaper once. If you’re a new mama or about to become one, here’s the list of nappy-bag essentials that work for me. If you’ve got any genius additions, please comment and add to my list. I’m also giving away one of these gorgeous South African-made leather nappy bags and a feeding pillow from Jeankelly, so do read on.

20 things I keep in my nappy bag

1. Nappies. One for every hour you’re out and a few spare for good measure.
2. Portable changing mat. I have one of these Jeankelly changing clutches and it’s a life-saver! It’s got a few nappies, cotton wool, a bum-cream sample and a dummy in it just in case.
3. Bum cream. I use Bepanthen (the only thing that actually got rid of his nappy rash) and buy a small version to keep in my nappy bag.
4. Cotton wool. Don’t put a fragranced baby-wipe near your baby; we learnt the hard way and we were using one of the market’s leading ‘natural’ kinds. Newborn skin is incredibly sensitive and all you need is cotton wool and water to do the trick.
5. Baby wipes. For your hands or any mess/spills that need attention.
6. Water. I keep a small bottle of water in my nappy-bag for wetting the cotton-wool with during nappy changes. An old pump-action nail-polish remover bottle works a charm because it’s easy to use with one hand and gets the job done quickly.
7. A change of clothes for baby. I keep both a long-sleeve and short-sleeve onesie in our nappy bag in case. I find South African weather can vary quite substantially in a day so it’s a good idea to have both options.
8. A spare top for you. I learnt this the hard way last weekend when I also learnt what a number 3 is.
9. Dummies. If your babe takes a dummy, stash a few in different, easy to reach pockets. I’ve got one permanently attached to a pocket with a dummy-clip to make finding it easier.
10. A towelling nappy or face-cloth. I have tons of those old cloth/toweling nappies which I use for burbing, spills etc. They’re cheap and super useful for a variety of things; don’t ever leave home without one.
11. Your babe’s food. If you express or bottle-feed, then make sure you’ve packed enough milk for your small human.
12. Your pump. I express and my Medela Mini goes everywhere with me. The Mini takes batteries which allows for it to be portable (win!) so I pack it into a Zip-Loc with spare batteries and a spare bottle for when it’s time to get my milk on.
13. A swaddle and/or blanket. Handy for shielding your babe from the sun, covering up while breast-feeding, keeping them warm or for putting them to sleep with. I keep both with me and use them to make a make-shift bed with if I’m putting him to sleep at someone else’s house.
14. Toys. If your babe’s still little you don’t need much because the world around you is stimulation enough. I keep a rattle and a small stuffed-toy with me in case.
15. Plastic bags. I keep a few Zip-Locs and some scented nappy bags with me always; you never know what you’re going to need to conceal or throw out.
16. Baby sun-screen. I’m hyper aware of my babe’s beautiful new skin and the harsh African sun, so this goes everywhere with us. I do also have a couple of swimming nappies packed in for when we make our swimming debut. I was going to make a joke about a floater but LOL. We’re sooooo far from seeing anything that could potentially float in his nappy.
17. A hat. As above.
18. Meds. I keep Flo-Baby nose-spray and Olbas with me for aiding sleep. My babe sometimes gets congested and I find these two products really help. I keep Infacol and gripe water on hand too however I don’t use them much.
19. Snacks for mom. Breastfeeding has given me a hunger and a thirst of Herculean proportions and snacks and hydration are key to keeping that milk supply up. I usually keep water, a sachet of Rehidrat and some Woolies seed-bars nearby.
20. White-noise maker. This one isn’t a non-negotiable, of course, but it’s come in handy a couple of times when I’ve gone out later in the day and have needed to put my babe down at someone’s house. I have an old iPad Mini that I’ve loaded with this amazing noise app and I use it to play the sound of rain when he’s sleeping. It definitely does the trick in a noisy environment, and I reckon it creates a little familiarity when he’s in a new place. Ewan the Dream Sheep is another good alternative.

Jeankelly baby bag giveaway

I searched high and low for a plain, tan leather baby bag while I was pregnant and finally found what I was looking for in the form of Jeankelly. I have a bit of a tan obsession and who doesn’t love plain, classical leather? I got myself the caramel two-pocket shopper and what I love about it is it doesn’t really look like a twee baby bag. It’s got all the pockets and compartments one could ever hope for, handles and a convenient shoulder-strap. It’s gender-neutral and something I think is going to keep getting better with age, as leather does. Another unexpected win from Jeankelly is their feeding pillow which is small and designed to slide ones arm into. I use mine at every feed and it’s such a clever little hack; certainly cheaper and less obtrusive than a giant feeding pillow. It’s one of those items I didn’t think I needed and now can’t live without. Check out Jeankelly’s range of leather baby bags, changing clutches, feeding pillows, dummy clips and pram clips.

The amazing folk at Jeankelly have graciously decided to give one lucky Brandslut reader a genuine leather nappy bag, as well as a nifty feeding pillow. Winning is easy, all you need to do is…

1. Visit Jeankelly’s website here, and pick one of their gorgeous leather bags for yourself/a friend or loved one
2. Comment on this blog post letting me know which bag you’re lusting after; please be sure to leave your name and e-mail address so I can contact you if you’ve won, and don’t worry your e-mail address will not be published.
3. For another chance to win, tag a mama or mama-to-be close to your heart in this Instagram post. Note, you can enter multiple times via Instagram and each tag will count as an additional entry, however please make sure you tag additional people in separate comments in order for these to count as extra entries. Note, the prize will be awarded to the mama you’ve tagged. If you want the bag for yourself, simply let me know which Jeankelly baby bag is your favourite via the same Instagram post.

Entries close at midnight on March 31st and I will announce the winner within the first week of April 2018. Fingers crossed!

Brandslut xoxo