diaper bags

[Anonymous]

Can someone give me the skinny on diaper bags? I am searching and hate what I see so far. All the bags on the market have diaper bag written all over them. Is it okay to buy a regular tote bag or is there something special about diaper bags (i.e. compartments, etc.) that will be necessary. My budget is between $100-250. Any advice for this first time mom is greatly appreciated.

thanks

[Anonymous]

You can totally use a regular tote or messenger bag. Only added benefit of an actual diaper bag is that they usually are waterproof, have lots of pockets, and come with a changing pad (which you can buy separately). But I agree that most are so dorky, but I have really liked a diaper bag I got at PBKids, which looks like a regular messenger bag: http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/sw1220/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1%7C40%7C%7C%7C1%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7Cdiaper%20bag&cm%5Fsrc=SCH

[Anonymous]

Best bag I have is a Kate Spade tote in black--it so looks like a real bag that I use when I am out alone. I think it was 250. I also have the coach baby bag which is also un "baby" like and I think that was around 250 as well and bought at the outlet. I do think there is another cool bag that I may get for number two--it's from storksac or storksak--you can google both--their bags are a little cheaper and very cool. I learned about them as I saw Angelina Jolie carryig one and thought it looked hip. Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

Le Sportsac makes some bags that make great diaper bags.

I really preferred having one I could wear as a backpack, because if it's just on one shoulder, it's hard to keep it from sliding off when you're trying to manage everything.

You can get a perfectly fine bag for under $50. Spending $250 on a bag is a little obscene.

[Anonymous]

Just buy any bag you like - there is nothing that special about diaper bags. You'll be setting it down on dirty surfaces more often than your purse, so make sure the material can hold up well to that. A few pockets are nice, but there are all kinds of carriers you can buy, such as for holding bottles or changes or clothes, so many pockets are not all that important. In fact, if you already have a backpack or other bag at home, I'd recommend waiting until the baby is born and you've spent some time going out with him/her to buy a new bag, so you've figured out what works for you. Oh, and don't forget that your carrying needs change over time. At first, you'll need room for many changes of diapers and clothes; later, you'll carry more toys and snacks.

[Anonymous]

Ideally, (for my money) a diaper bag can double as a purse. So I'd want extra pockets for MY stuff. My friends gave me a gorgeous bag as a shower gift, but I rarely use it because there are no exterior pockets, meaning I have to carry a separate purse; there's like an acre of velcro that keeps the flap closed, and it's actually a struggle to open it; the straps are seatbelt material, and slip off my shoulder all the time. I DO like that it has a built-in changing pad; if I ever buy a diaper bag for myself, I'll make sure it has that element.

[Anonymous]

Mom of 2 kids here. We started off with a Maclaren backpack. It is a silvery gray and doesn't look like a diaper bag at all. It has a little changing pad in it, which in my mind is the only thing essential in a diaper bag. Your hands are free, and DH will happily carry it.

In the beginning, you will drag around an entire nursery with you. However, you quickly learn to pare down to the essentials. For baby #2, I shove a diaper in my purse and that's it! Once he stopped bf, I put a bottle in my purse too if he would need to eat while we were out. That's it.

Babies don't need a ton of stuff, and you'll be happy not to lug a huge thing around. If you're taking a walk, you can always put the wipes, a burp rag or an extra outfit in the stroller. If you drive places, keep all of that in the car. My hatchback has diapers, wipes and one outfit in it for emergencies.

[Anonymous]

I second the Kate Spade diaper bag! I think mine was between $150 - $200 and it looks like an oversized purse. Since I no longer use a purse (unless I escape by myself which is rare) I find this diaper bag to be practical and stylish. I would search online.

[Anonymous]

Lands End has good ones too that don't look too diaper-baggy. I recommend getting a backpack -- it's nice to have hands/shoulders free!

[Anonymous]

I got mine from a website that had a lot of cute ones, not all looked diaper bag-y. www.leylagrace.com ( or maybe laylagrace, i can't remember! sorry!)

[Anonymous]

Personally for me, they are totally unecessary. I have a small diaper holder that fits into my purse. It holds 2 diapers, wipes, and a changing pad and folds up very neatly to fit in a medium size purse. Diaper bags are huge and clunky, would you like to carry aorund a huge laptop bag all day? because that's what its like.

However, just like the zillions of other unecessary purchases for baby #1, it took me awhile to realize that its all great marketing and babies don't really need that much.

[Anonymous]

I would recommend diaperbags.com. They actually have a really good selection. I'm a devoted Botkier/Kooba lady so I dreaded the idea of a diaper bag but found one by Loom that is tolerable and really functional for about $140. BTW, I found, for me at least, that I needed a messenger style bag because it was too much of a pain to deal with shoulder straps while carrying the carseat and later the baby.

[Anonymous]

I'm in love with mine. It's the Emily bag by Storksak. They sell it at Nordstrom's. I got one in Pewter. Here is a link to Angelina Jolie with hers.

http://www.duematernity.com/stsakemdibag.html

I didn't buy it because of her but was quite pleased to see how stylish it looked on someone else.

Here it is in Pewter:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2945305?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_pla=bags:diaper_bag&cm_ite=storksak_'emily'_diaper_bag:198380&cm_ven=yahoo_ssp

I have been carrying it even when I'm without babies. One thing I really like about it is that there are secret end pockets that are insulated and perfect to hold bottles. No need to bring a fridge bag. It comes with a changing pad and pouches inside.

[Anonymous]

You may want to get something that you can throw in the washing machine--it'll get a lot of use, and you'll have food (snacks for you too while breastfeeding!)

And it is nice to have one that is Husband-friendly!!! We had an Eddie Bauer backpack one and he carried it no problem.

[Anonymous]

I thought it was a waste of money. I just stuff a diaper and extra wipes (in a ziploc) into my purse. I took the Similac tag off of the free diaper bag from the hospital and use it when I need something more than my purse will hold - that or a Whole Foods tote! We keep a change of clothes in the car along w/extra diapers. I am still BF which means no toting bottles around. If I had to carry bottles, I might use a diaper bag to keep the bottles in position and prevent them from spilling. Seriously, I think it is one less thing to spend money on.