Oh buddies, I can’t tell you how excited I am for this weekend!
We’re headed to a Carolina beach that is within driving distance from our house – a huge change from our days in Maine where “beach” can be loosely translated to “rocky strip of arctic ocean buffer”. 
We haven’t taken a road trip with the babe since he was teeny tiny and willing to sleep for 6 hours at a time and call it a nap. Those days are long gone and now my tiny tyrant demands to be entertained while cruising. Snacks, sippy cups, toys, mirrors and loud sing alongs are the name of the game – and that’s just for our usual ride to Target.
With a 4 hour drive ahead of us, I knew it was time to get down to business and start organizing my bag. Heaven help us if I get rushed and forget the back up can of puffs… 
So, don’t be scared, but what you’re about to see is all that I deemed to be on the Mandatory Pack List for my diaper bag.

Let’s discuss, shall we?
Mama things: wallet, sunnies, lipstick, cash for Starbucks. No explanation needed.
Keys for the babe: he’s obsessed with mine. Prying my car keys from his slobbery little fingers every time I need to lock the door is not worth the battle so I caved and got him his own set.
Baby Sunscreen: this is our go to brand. I keep it with me at all times because, as you know, my son was born in Maine and therefor rarely exposed to the sun.
Scented Trash Bags: pit stop diaper changes require scented trash bags. Enough said.
Snacks: required snack foods include Veggie Straws in bulk and puffs by the can. Supplies are doled out in the Snack Keeper and in his car seat cup holder to keep the peace. 
Back Up Cell Charger: I never know when I’ll need to plug in my cell (that’s a lie – I always need to plug in my cell phone) so I carry a car adapter and a wall plug for my cell. 
Sippy Cup: this is our go to sippy these days. G is all about drinking from a straw (especially if said straw is in my drink) so Nuby hooked him up with the Flip and Sip cup. The lid clicks into place so I know it won’t leak and the straw is weighted so that he can’t pull it out and then spray my backseat with tepid water. He also enjoys banging the cup on the window next to his seat so I can attest that the handles are easy to grip and the sides are strong against abuse. I’ll load him into his car seat and hand him the Flip and Sip right away and keep the Click It Insulated Flex Straw cup as a back up in my bag. The insulated layer of the Click It makes me feel a bit more confident that I’m handing him a cool beverage half way through our trip and the locking system on the cup’s top keeps the contents of said beverage from slowing soaking every single thing I own. Because some of his fave snacks are a teensy bit salty, I make sure that he consumes a little extra H20 in combo with his formula.
Misc Toys: I pack a ton of small toys instead of a few big ones so that I can hand out the small toys constantly over the duration of the trip. He will toss one toy in seconds, so being prepared to hand over another one is the name of the game. A set of foam bath toys, these rings and these animal shapes are easy to toss into my bag and perfect for him to gnaw on and then toss when he’s over it. 
Extra Mama Things: a notebook to jot down work stuff, extra bobby pins (because a top knot is cuter than puff crusted hair) and my phone locked and loaded with videos of Peppa Pig.
Neat Cheeks for face wiping and Honest wipes for bottom wiping: Neat Cheeks are my jam – how they actually invented a product that is sweet tasting but not sticky is beyond me. My kid really doesn’t mind having his face wiped with these (just don’t try to pick his nose – that will not fly no matter how sweet the tissue). I’m not super into paying the high price of Honest products, but the $.99 packs of wipes are just so darn easy to stash in my bag that I always grab a few on my Target runs.
Actual sustenance in the form of organic pouches and the world’s stickiest teething cookies for emergency purposes only.
And finally, Tylenol for Daddy who has a low tolerance for bad drivers and screaming babies trapped in car seats
 Seems like a ton, huh?
Yeah.
It is a ton. 
Thank all the things for the Baby Bag inside of the Madeline by Lily Jade 
 
Yes, that would be every single item pictured (plus a built in changing pad) organized and tucked into a pocket. 
Even after all of that, I had a little extra room so I tossed in a Doc McStuffins ball that will entertain him for 12 seconds and an extra can of puffs that will earn me approximately 20 minutes of happiness.
 
Load that Baby Bag into the Madeline and we’re ready to hit the highway.
(along with the 12,000 other beach goers for Memorial Day Weekend) 
 
As a bonus for road tripping mamas, the Madeline can be worn as a cross body or a backpack which is ideal for gas station bathroom diaper changes – I mean, who wants to put their diaper bag on the floor of a gas station restroom (besides Britney Spears, of course)?
Thank you Lily Jade for sending Madeline and saving me from a Britney Spears circa 2005 style escapade with my infant. 
And yes, there are still empty pockets that can be filled with my road trip snack of choice:
Cool Ranch Doritos.
Sorry, not sorry.
Pray for our sanity ya’ll, we’ll need it.