Today is Nora’s 1/2 birthday. Happy 2.5 little girl!
To celebrate, I’m talking “diapers” here on the blog… because over the past 2.5 years, I’ve changed A LOT of diapers 🙂
For the most part, when it comes to changing diapers, Dave and I change them on the changing table in the nursery. I would say 98% of the diapers I’ve ever changed in our house have been on the changing table.
I know some people find it easier to change diapers on the floor, but for me, it’s easier when I can stand up and have all the necessary supplies at my finger tips. Plus, I like to keep any potential poop and pee leaks in one place for easy clean-up and sanitary purposes.
This was never an inconvenience with Nora because when she was a baby, we didn’t even use our upstairs. We only lived on the main floor so the nursery and changing table were always just a few steps away.
However, now that Nora is “living” upstairs and now that the playroom / toys are all upstairs, we find ourselves further away from the nursery and further away from the changing table. And since newborns go through a ton of diapers each day, I was getting tired of walking up and down the stairs 10 times a day to get to the nursery for diaper changes.
So instead, I created a portable diaper changing basket (it took me all of 5 minutes to put this together!) We leave it upstairs in Nora’s room and it has everything we need to change a diaper on the 2nd floor of our house. We also have another changing pad up there but that isn’t pictured below.
As you can see by the photos, I simply took an old picnic basket I had gotten from a garage sale years ago and stocked it with our necessary supplies.
Diapers for both kiddos, wipes, powder, lotion, cream, hand sanitizer, etc. It’s all there in one convenient location, ready to go whenever and wherever necessary.
The basket looks great sitting out in the open, it’s big enough to hold everything we need for even the messiest diaper changes, it’s small enough to be easily portable, and best of all, Nora can’t quite figure out how to twist the front latch to open the basket (although that doesn’t stop her from trying every day!)
This super simple (and free) solution has saved me MANY trips up and down stairs these past few months… so it’s definitely worth the 5 minutes it took me to pull everything together.
Are you a strict “on the changing table changer” or do you have other portable diaper changing methods?
Nicole says
I am expecting my 4th baby in Sept and have never owned a changing table (or a crib, for that matter!). I change diapers wherever I am–couch, bed, floor, lap… BUT that’s not because I don’t like changing tables per-se. It’s just that it is really uncomfortable for me to change a diaper sideways. Maybe it’s because I cloth-diaper, but I just can’t seem to get the diaper on right if I’m standing at baby’s side (or at his feet with a changing table against a wall). So I usually just change diapers on the bed even though the height is awkward.
I also do infant potty training (I hold my bBies over the toilet every time I take their diapers off), so I’m able to catch most poops in the toilet instead of finding a mess in the diaper (the holding position with baby’s knees to his chest facilitates waste removal). So the sanitation issue isn’t such a big one for me.
kathy w says
That is such a awesome idea! Thanks for sharing.
Alissa says
When our boys were in diapers I kept a small rubbermaid container in the car with diapers, wipes, small trash bags, and an extra set of clothes. That was the best thing EVER for diapers on the go!! I don’t have any advice on potty training girls, but with boys I found that the closer they were to 3yrs old the easier it was! {they can be rather stubborn} :/ GOOD LUCK!
Kalyn Brooke | Creative Savings says
This would make a great gift idea for a baby shower too!
Karen says
I have another thought for this handy basket! You can stock it as you have done and put it in the car. You could add a change of clothes or pj’s and you will be all set for any unexpected needs while you are out. I would have been quite happy to have one of these for this purpose when my children were little! 🙂
Andrea says
that IS a good idea Karen 🙂
Victoria says
Same as above, nursery is upstairs so use a pack n play
With attached changing table attachment until the diaper changes “slow down.” Not a big living room for it but very much worth it. Bassinet he’s outgrown but I use to corral supplies in baskets and misc blankets, burp cloths, etc.
Erin says
We’ve had a similar dilemma, although it was because my daughters (2 years old and 3 weeks old) and I spend most of our time downstairs, and the changing table is upstairs. We ended up setting up a pack and play downstairs to keep the baby safe from her older, curious sister, and we attached the changing table attachment to it. I love not having to go up and down the stairs for each diaper change, and I’m also glad I don’t have to change the baby’s diapers on the floor!
Verity says
This is really smart. I had something similar, but it was also a breast-feeding basket.
My older three children sleep in the room that has the normal changing table so when they were taking naps were sleeping at night, I had everything I needed to breast-feed and change the baby.
I also ended up using the basket during the day because I wanted to keep an ion the older three in the living room or playroom or wherever we were.
The additions to this basket that were in a breast-feeding/changing basket were breast pads, lanolin, and a book or Bible to read for while I fed baby. 🙂
Mine wasn’t nearly as cute though! This is just adorable!
AshleyB says
I don’t have kiddos yet, but I’ve still changed a lot of diapers! At just under 5′ tall, it’s more comfortable for me to change on the floor. So…I’ll have a changing table if my husband wants one, but I’ll have baskets around the house with supplies which will probably include a ‘portable’ changing pad that’s waterproof 🙂
Katherine says
In the newborn/bazillion diapers a day stage we also keep a basket on our main floor. Now that “the baby” is almost 2, we just do it all upstairs in his room.
Laura says
Hi Andrea
I was always a bed or floor diaper changer and our change table was never used! I also kept a stocked wicker basket on each level of our house for easier changes.
Amy O says
Potty training Nora – the next challenge!
Marsha says
My daughter lives in a 2 story townhouse and has two boys 15 1/2 months apart. Before the second one was born she bought another changing table (yard sale like the first) so she could have one on each floor. The downstairs one stays in the closet under the stairs. With two little ones so close in age, this was definitely one of the best decisions she ever made! Whether upstairs or downstairs the boys can be easily changed.
Debbie says
Just curious why Nora doesn’t have a changing table in her bedroom upstairs. Am I correct that she also uses diapers?
Andrea says
I guess there are a bunch of reasons why…
– I don’t want 2 changing tables
– Nora’s room has slopped ceiling so if you put a changing table or dresser against the wall, an adult couldn’t stand by it
– she will be potty trained soon — so again, no need for 2 changing tables
– our house isn’t THAT big that we can’t walk downstairs if we just want to use the changing table in the nursery
– Nora only goes through a couple diapers a day so we aren’t changing her that often anymore
So those are just a few of the reasons — and as I mentioned in the post, we DO have a changing pad upstairs — it’s just not on a traditional changing table so it doesn’t take up much room but still offers the comfort for the kiddos 🙂
Katie says
Very much a changing table family here. Being all on one floor has probably encouraged that as well 🙂
Rachael says
Love this idea! (and the picnic basket is so cute) We live in an apartment so diaper changes are confined to the change table.
Andrea says
yeah, we never had a need for anything like this until we started using the upstairs more. Now it’s really handy!