Diaper caddies are a great way to have everything you need to change your little one right at your fingertips.
I love them because you don’t have to go to the changing table for every diaper and portable versions can be great for on-the-go!
As you work on your baby registry or start to outfit your home for your baby, thinking about a diaper caddy is a great idea!
Here you’ll learn about what to include, considerations to customize yours, and find cute suggestions to add to your registry or buy for your home.
Ready to make your diaper changes a little bit easier? Let’s do it!
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A diaper caddy is a little life hack I like to share with mamas because it’s a very simple way to make things easier – especially in those early days! It’s basically just a basket, bin, or cart where you store essential diapering and changing supplies for your baby.
The idea is that you keep it on the main level of your home if you live in a two-story house, or in the living room/common space where you likely spend a lot of your time. Because one less trip up and down the stairs or into the nursery is a definite win.
Depending on the size and layout of your house it can even be worth it to put together a few different strategically placed diaper caddies. An “on-the-go” diaper caddy for the car is also a fantastic idea.
As far as do you need a diaper caddy in your life? Well, I definitely wouldn’t go as far as saying you have to have one of these – but why not make things easier for yourself and your partner if you can!
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Now that you know what a diaper caddy is – and why they are so great to have – let’s talk about types of diaper caddies. Because believe it or not, there are actually a lot of different kinds.
When you read through this list, you might realize that you can benefit from more than one type. Maybe you want a portable one for downstairs, one for travel, and one hanging in the nursery closet for organization purposes!
This definitely tends to be the most popular type of diaper caddy because you can pick them up and move them around easily. And because of this there are tons of options out there so that you can find something that fits your unique style!
When I talk about a basket-style caddy, I don’t necessarily mean a traditional woven basket (though that is a great choice!). Basket-style caddies can be made of rope, felt, leather, cloth, canvas – the options are endless!
To go with this option, you can get something that is specifically meant to be a diaper caddy, or you can use any basket with handles to store your diapering items.
So technically this is different than a diaper bag but essentially has all, or most, of the same items that you might keep in a diaper bag.
A travel diaper caddy is essentially a bin, basket, or another organizer that you can keep in the car or even the trunk with all your diapering needs inside.
Since most travel caddies are pretty similar to the features of a basket caddy, you can expect very similar pros and cons!
One additional pro over a diaper bag is that travel diaper caddies are often very organized and prevent searching through a “black hole” of stuff when it’s time to change your baby.
A hanging diaper caddy is something that I see a little less often, but is a great choice if you have a smaller space or want something that is really tucked away. Basically, think of one of those hanging toiletry things for adults – but filled with diapering essentials!
Most hanging diaper caddies come with hooks or buckles so you can hang or attach them to a changing table, wall, crib, pack and play, etc. You can also use hanging organizers that aren’t specific to diapers such us shoe organizers, over-the-door spice racks, and other over-the door organization systems like that.
While hanging diaper caddies are technically “portable” – they aren’t moved as easily as a basket with handles (and are usually bulkier too). So you likely wouldn’t want to be moving it around as often.
For space and organization purposes, a hanging caddy can work great when considering having it as part of the changing table. This might be a soft-structure organize or a clip-on sort of basket.
Changing table caddies can also be used on the top of the changing table if space allows. This would be a spot to keep just a few diapers, creams, and wipes, with more of these items stored in the changing table below.
Okay, so now let’s talk about some options and considerations for your diaper caddy! To be honest, there isn’t really a wrong way to do this – and you don’t have to overthink it if you don’t want to.
Anything that can hold some diapers and wipes will certainly work. But it can definitely feel good to have a cute and organized caddy, so let’s break it down!
This is probably the most important thing to consider and will vary based on your living space and where you plan to store your diaper caddy.
For example, if you have a lot of space to work with, a rolling metal cart can be a really great option. But if your space is smaller or you prefer something more discreet, a basket with dividers or one with a zip-top might be more appropriate.
You may even be able to find something that can fit inside of an existing closet or cabinet if you’d like it to be out of sight when not in use!
Just like with everything – there is a wide range of price points that could work for your diaper caddy.
There are some more “luxury” diaper caddies, like this beautiful handmade seagrass one, but there are more affordable ones as well, like this simple woven rope option or felt-like caddy.
You definitely want to consider something with enough space to accommodate a handful of diapers and a pack of wipes, if nothing else.
Depending on whether or not you go for the basket style or hanging caddy, you might prefer only dividers inside or you might want dividers plus pockets and other storage components along the perimeter.
You may also prefer a caddy without dividers! It’s really all up to you.
There are hundreds of different options when it comes to caddy colors, patterns, and styles. I know you’ll be able to find something that perfectly matches your aesthetic.
I thought it might be helpful to put together some different ideas to help inspire something that you love! Click on any image below to check it out and find similar looks on Amazon.
So, I hit you with a pretty lengthy list of items above and you might be thinking, “Diaper caddy or diaper suitcase!?”.
But when you boil it down, the most essential items are quite simple: diapers, wipes, diaper cream, and hand sanitizer.
And as far as what to keep those things in – don’t overthink it! But with the help of this guide you now know about the variety of options out there.