as promised last week in my post all about the adjustment to being a working, pumping and breastfeeding mama, i’m back to share two lists of sorts: a list of what we pack for Q for daycare {and, to keep it equal, what we pack for L as well} and a list of morning and evening “farm chores” {thanks for the term, Emily Ley!} that Jord and i have taken on to ease the task of our mornings of getting two parents and two kiddos out the door.

first up, a little background: when i was prepping to return to work, i Googled my heart out to find out what items that parents are sending with their babies and kiddos to daycare. as i’ve mentioned before, i was an at-home Mama with L for the first fourteen months of his life, which means that when it came time to send four-month-old Q to daycare, i was at a loss of what to pack in a diaper bag for him {apart from the essentials like diapers and wipes, of course}.

what’s interesting, though, is that despite my Google-loving heart, i wasn’t really able to track down a list of “what to bring to daycare” that proved helpful. so, i’m hear to share my own list, which has about five-ish weeks of trial-and-error success:

here’s what you’ll find in Q’s diaper bag {which, for the record, is this one from Thirty One Gifts, which i LOVE because it’s HUGE}:

• diapers {we’re using Pampers Swaddlersright now for Q; instead of bringing in diapers every day or every week, we send about half of a large box (probably around 70-80 diapers) whenever he needs them}
• wipes {we’re big fans of the Pampers Sensitive wipes with the pop-top}
• extra clothes {since Q is still in the diaper-blowout stage of nursing – two words: loose stools {eww!}, i send two onesies, two pairs of pants, and a pair of socks}
• a blanket {since we live in South Dakota, we typically send a fuzzy + warm blanket along with Q each week}
• a SwaddleMe swaddle with Velcro{we LOVED these with L, and we are still big fans now that Q’s wearing them!}
• at least three bibs {apart from the consistent drooling that Q is doing now at nearly five months old, Q is also a bit of a spitter after he nurses or takes a bottle, so having extra bibs on hand is key}
• a burp cloth or two {see above}
• two to three pacifiers with clips {while L never took to a pacifier at all, Q prefers theJollyPop brand, which is what they gave to him in the NICU to help to promote sucking; i like this style of pacifier clip= easy on/off}
• coat + hat {again, since we live in SD, Q often wears one or both of these to school, but even if it’s a nicer day, i still send these items with him each day, just in case the temperature dips}
• sunscreen {last summer, we used the California Baby brandwith no complaints}
• bottles/baby food {depending on age; since i’m still nursing Q, i pump breast milk on a regular basis and send it – defrosted, if it was frozen – in bottles, so that it’s ready to go for his caregivers; i use this pump– LOVE IT – and these bottles, which we also LOVE}

for reference, here’s what we send for L, who’s almost 3 years old, in this much-beloved backpack:

• diapers {while we tried cloth-diapering L, he eventually needed a more absorbent diaper, so we’ve been using Pampers for him for about one year now. we’ve been working on potty-training for a few weeks, but L is not quite ready for full-time Pull-Ups, so like we do with Q, we send a bulk package of Pampers Cruisers in size 4 to school}
• wipes {Pampers Sensitive, like above}
• extra clothes {while a diaper blowout is rare for L, he does get dirty and/or wet a lot, especially during art time or when playing outside or at the sensory tables at school, so we always send one complete outfit – shirt, pants + socks – to school with him}
• a blanket {L prefers a soft, fuzzy blanket, too – his favorites are a green Minky blanket that his Grandma Patty made for him and an Elmo blanket that is big enough for me to use}
• coat + hat + mittens {see above}
• winter gear {if necessary; in addition to his coat, hat and mittens, we send snow pants and boots with L each day during the winter months}
• sunscreen {see above}

lastly, i wanted to share what Jord and i have dubbed our “farm chores.” the fun name = this super-helpful post by Emily Ley {who makes AMAZING day planners, which are on sale VERY soon – you must check them out here!}.

here are the chores that we check off each evening:

• wash + sterilize breast pump parts, bottles
• fill bottles for the next day {Fridays: freeze breast milk}
• pack Jord + Sara’s lunches for the next day {refrigerate if necessary}
• set out clothes for the next day for Lionel + Quincy {the back of the living room couch is a great spot for outfits to lie in wait in our home}
• put away toys around the house {for my sanity, this NEEDS to happen each night}

and the chores that we take on each morning:

• Jordan: dinner prep {take out meat to thaw, etc.}
• Sara: make the beds {i took this one from Emily Ley’s list, and i can’t tell you how wonderful it is to come home to made beds!}
• Jordan: change Lionel + Quincy’s diapers
• Sara: make coffee
• Sara: nurse Q when he wakes up {typically around 6:15AM}
• eat breakfast {L’s typical breakfast in the morning is one piece of peanut butter toast and apple juice}
• put away toys around the house {after a morning of play, this is absolutely necessary!}

finally, we have a few special Sunday night chores to help the week to flow smoothly:

• Sara: select my work outfits for the entire week + iron my clothes {it works so, so well not to have to think about what to wear each morning!}
• Jordan: ready garbage + recycling for the next day
• thaw breast milk + fill bottles for the next day
• pack up breast pump bag

i hope that’s helpful to those of you who, like us, are full-time working parents. or, perhaps you are eagerly awaiting the arrival of your second {or third! or fourth!} child and wondering how you’ll ever get out the door in the mornings? either way, i hope this list helps you to know that all things are possible with a plan and prep work!