A fralda da bebê está na bolsa, ao lado da chupeta.

Because bebê can refer to either a male or female baby, and the article shows the gender here.

• da bebê = de + a bebê → of the baby girl
• do bebê = de + o bebê → of the baby boy or of the baby if masculine is being used

So in this sentence, a bebê tells you the baby is feminine.

Portuguese usually expresses possession with noun + de + owner, not with an apostrophe construction like English.

So:

• a fralda da bebê = the diaper of the baby = the baby’s diaper

This is very normal and natural in Portuguese. You could sometimes use a possessive like sua fralda, but that can be less clear, because sua might refer to different people depending on context.

Fralda means diaper in Brazilian Portuguese.

A few related notes:

• In Brazil, fralda is the normal word for diaper
• fralda descartável = disposable diaper
• trocar a fralda = to change the diaper

Because the sentence is talking about location, and in Portuguese location is normally expressed with estar, not ser.

• A fralda está na bolsa = The diaper is in the bag
• estar is used for where something is
• ser is generally used for identity, characteristics, origin, time, etc.

So está is exactly what you would expect for is located.

Na is a contraction of em + a.

• em = in / on / at
• a = the (feminine singular)

So:

• na bolsa = in the bag

This kind of contraction is extremely common in Portuguese:

• em + o = no
• em + a = na
• em + os = nos
• em + as = nas

Ao lado da chupeta means next to the pacifier or beside the pacifier.

It is built like this:

• ao = a + o
• lado = side
• da = de + a
• chupeta = pacifier

The fixed expression is ao lado de = next to / beside.

So:

• ao lado da chupeta = next to the pacifier

Portuguese uses definite articles much more often than English does.

Here you have:

• a bebê = the baby
• a chupeta = the pacifier

In English, article use can be a little more flexible in some contexts, but in Portuguese it is very normal to include the article with nouns like these, especially when referring to specific known things.

No. The ending does not determine the gender here.

Bebê can be:

• o bebê = the baby boy / the baby
• a bebê = the baby girl

So the article tells you the grammatical gender in the sentence.

This is important because English speakers often expect noun endings to predict gender, but in Portuguese that is not always reliable.

It can mean both, depending on context.

In Brazilian Portuguese, bolsa often means:

• purse / handbag
• bag

In this sentence, it could be understood as the bag or the purse, depending on the situation. If you wanted a more specific word for a shopping bag, you might hear sacola. If you meant a backpack, that would usually be mochila.

Chupeta is the normal Brazilian Portuguese word for pacifier.

A few useful notes:

• In American English: pacifier
• In British English: often dummy
• In Brazil: chupeta

So this is a very common everyday word if you are talking about babies.

Not strictly. The comma is mainly a punctuation choice here.

Without the comma:

• A fralda da bebê está na bolsa ao lado da chupeta

With the comma:

• A fralda da bebê está na bolsa, ao lado da chupeta

The comma helps separate the extra location detail ao lado da chupeta. In everyday writing, both versions could appear, though the version with the comma may feel a little clearer.

Yes, but the original order is the most neutral and natural.

The sentence starts with the topic:

• A fralda da bebê = the baby’s diaper

Then gives the location:

• está na bolsa
• ao lado da chupeta

You could rearrange it for emphasis, for example:

• Na bolsa está a fralda da bebê
• A fralda da bebê está ao lado da chupeta, na bolsa

But these are less neutral. The original sentence is the most straightforward everyday wording.