Diaper Bag Quest
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Just me on Thursday, March 24, 2011 10:15 PM
In a couple months we’ll have newborns in our house again, and this time I am determined: I will find the perfect diaper bag.
Over the years I’ve found plenty of great baby products, but my diaper bag quest has been fruitless. IS there a perfect diaper bag out there?
We own two diaper bags, both of which I bought before Camilla was born. (Despite doing virtual and real-life searches for a great bag, I’m too frugal to actually buy one unless I know it’s going to be incredible.)
The bag we currently use day-to-day is a diaper backpack from Lands’ End, originally “Bryan’s” diaper bag. (This is the one we have, but it’s not available any more. This is the current version, which I haven’t used.) This diaper bag is nearly perfect in terms of functionality. We use cloth diapers, and it’s still big enough for all our diapering stuff plus extra clothes, snacks, etc. It has pockets on the sides for bottles or sippy cups. It’s fully lined and came with a huge, super-durable changing pad. My husband practically sings odes to that changing pad.
But I don’t love the bag, for a few reasons: it’s hard to carry unless you put both straps over your shoulders, which is rarely possible when I’m also herding/carrying children. It doesn’t have any convenient, accessible places for me to keep my own stuff, so I often end up carrying a purse along with it. And also, it’s a backpack! I’d love a bag that was just a little more girly and less utilitarian.
With that in mind, when I bought the diaper backpack for my husband I also bought “my” bag, this Okkatots shoulder bag. I bought it because of the price, the size, and the look. It was the same price as the Lands’ End bag, it’s roomy, and it’s pretty enough that I like carrying it as a purse, but still unisex enough that my husband doesn’t mind toting it around. But unfortunately, it’s an open bag with just a few small pockets, so while it keeps nice track of my wallet, keys, and cell phone, all the baby stuff gets mixed in a big jumble in the middle. Plus, it’s open on top, which I’ve discovered is not so great with kids around - they knock it over all the time, plus they reach in and grab things out. Not cool.
(Happily, I’ve repurposed this bag as a laptop tote - it holds my laptop, a couple books, and all my other small items quite nicely when I’m heading out for a few hours of “me” time. And since it doesn’t look like a diaper bag, it’s perfect!)
I feel like there must be a bag that has everything I’m looking for: zips closed, lots of pockets, works as a purse-substitute, big enough for all our stuff, doesn’t scream “diaper bag” when you see it, etc. There are so many diaper bags out there! The perfect one simply must exist.
I’ll let you know if I ever do find it, but in the meantime: can you help? It’d be great to hear about diaper bags you’ve loved or hated. What are your criteria for a great diaper bag? Are you, like me, still on the quest - or have you found the bag for you?
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