What I Wish I'd Known: Baby Gear - Diaper Bags

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One of the most important pieces of baby gear you'll ever purchase is the diaper bag. This is where you'll be bringing along all of the essentials: diapers, wipes, changing pad, bottles, formula, snacks, spare clothes, little toys or books, your wallet, your phone, etc. Did I leave anything out?

The diaper bag is going to function as both your purse and your on-the-go nursery. So it needs to be spacious with lots of pockets to keep everything organized, comfortable for you to wear, and (ideally) fashionable. 

Below are the diaper bags that I tried and my thoughts on what I would choose if I had to do it all over again.



So I started out with a diaper bag from a manufacturer that I cannot remember the name of. (They probably don't even make it anymore.) I no longer have the bag, and here's why. I liked the bag's pattern (navy blue with white dots), but the bag really didn't hold its shape well. If I placed it on the floor, it just folded in on itself. This made it hard to load and unload things from it. 

That's why I switched to the JJ Cole Freeman Diaper Bag, which it seems they no longer make. This messenger-style/shoulder bag held its shape (well, up until the end), and it looked like a large purse. I could use this as a diaper bag and as a work bag! It came with a changing pad in the back pocket, and it had plenty of pocket space both on the outside and inside. In fact, one of the exterior pockets was basically a built-in wallet. 



I'm not sure what happened to it toward the end, but it was no longer able to stand up on its own. Like, one side just kept caving in no matter what I tried. But it served its purpose.

And, luckily, someone had gifted me the SkipHop Signature Duo Diaper Bag. Mine has a white and grey chevron pattern, and it holds its shape, too. It comes with a changing pad, and has multiple exterior pockets that were easy for slipping in a small bottle of hand sanitizer or a pair of sunglasses. These pockets, with magnetic closures, made it easy to reach whatever was inside. And the diaper bag was comfortable to wear. I always wore it as a shoulder bag.



We actually ended up using this as our daycare diaper bag, and the JJ Cole as our personal diaper bag. That way we could keep daycare things in one and not have to be taking stuff out and replacing it every other day.

But what I didn't know was a thing until AFTER I'd already filled out my baby registry, had my baby, and gotten these bags were DIAPER BACKPACKS. You guys - imagine wearing your diaper bag like a backpack and then having both hands free to hold your kid! It's so much more comfortable.

And there are so many good options to choose from. You're still going to get a changing pad with your bag, and the backpack versions have just as many pockets as a traditional diaper bag. And no, they don't always look like something you would have worn in middle school. They're still stylish and can function as a work bag - some even have laptop pockets.

I actually just reviewed the JuJuBee Be Right Back diaper backpack, which I thought was very comfortable and made organizing bottles, wipes, etc., very easy. Plus, you can get it in Harry Potter-themed styles. But the 16L Mini Baby Essentials Bundle Diaper Bag Backpack actually won my company's 2019 Best of Baby Awards. You'll be amazed at all of this backpack's features! No joke, the changing pad is built into the backpack!

So, bottom line is...

Nix:
Diaper bags that don't keep their shape
Diaper bags that aren't comfortable to wear
Ugly diaper bags
Diaper bags without ample storage space

Keep:
Any diaper bag with lots of pockets
Any diaper bag that holds it shape
Any diaper bag that could also function as a work bag
A diaper back BACKPACK

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