I have the jj Cole mode and dh has an Eddie Bauer back pack style that he is excited to start using soon. The jj Cole is plenty big for babys needs and there is room to throw my stuff in it too like a spare shirt...wallet...keys. the jj Cole also has stroller clips which I am very happy about. It can be crossbody or 2 shoulder strapped. I don't know how it will work for later...but we will see!!
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We have the diaper dude bag in navy. My best friend recommended it to me after having two babies one after another - said it worked great. I don't know if DH and I share the bag or need our own? This one is not very feminine but I'm not trying to make any fashion statement with the diaper bag. It will work for me.
I have a Skip Hop Dash that was good for short trips with 1 kid. I just got as gifts 2 Carter's tote diaper bags the green dot one and the pink dot one with the small flap over top. Seeing them in person makes me really approximate their size! I think they will work great for 2 kids, day care for baby, etc.
I just went to a department store and picked out a really big purse with short handles and a long arm strap. I plan on combining my purse and the diaper bag. Everything fit great and I can either carry it or hang it over the stroller.
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I've had a few -- random ones with DD that I did not like (messenger style) and then a Vera Bradley one with DS that I liked the style of but not the pattern. For this little girl, I got this JJ Cole one and I love it! I much prefer it to the messenger style bags, which I found difficult to get in to, and I also like that it looks like a bag and not a diaper bag. I also wanted something fabric.
All the brands others have suggested are good - JJ Cole, Petunia Picklebottom, Skip Hop, JuJuBe ... in my experience they all have similar features and it just comes down to what size and shape works best for you, and what you like the look of! All of those brands have options that are a lot less "diaper baggy" looking that some of the cheaper/generic brands.
I *do* recommend going with something designed to be a diaper bag as opposed to a large purse because it will have pockets designed specifically for bottles, pacifiers, etc, will most likely have an easily washable lining (as opposed to silk or something impractical!) , and will probably come with some type of stroller hook or strap to make it easy to hang on your stroller.
This is just my opinion after going through a couple options with my first baby. I had the hardest time choosing a bag at first too, so I just used a generic tote for the first few months and wow, what a difference it made when I finally picked up a real diaper bag! FWIW I went with JJ Cole last time and PPB this time. I was resistant to spending more than like $50 at first, then I realized it really is worth it to spend more like $80-$150 on a good one. Anything over $150 and you're just paying for a luxury brand!
You can always try picking up something cheap to start with (a lot of hospitals will give you a very basic bag provided by a sponsor - probably a formula company - you can try using that to start). Then once you get an idea of what you need, splurge on something nice.
Jude Wayne - Born 4/23/10
Violet Patricia - Born 12/5/12
Breastfeeding, baby-wearing work-at-home mom of 2 living in Rockville, MD
My mom got me the utility tote from Thirty-One. A lot of people here in the area use those bags as diaper bags. They have a lot of outside pockets which is nice and they come in a lot of different styles.
I had an older Skip Hop with my last one. This time I got the Skip Hop Day to Night tote. Plus I picked up a plain black Carter's tote at Ross for 12.99. Figured I could always use an extra.
My MIL got me a Coach diaper bag. It can either be cross-body or two handles. It has lots of pockets for bottles, wipes, binkies, etc., plus plenty of space so it can double as a purse for awhile. It also has the changing pad insert. The material is different from a normal Coach purse and seems like it will be easy to wipe off.
Re: Diaper Bags
We have the diaper dude bag in navy. My best friend recommended it to me after having two babies one after another - said it worked great. I don't know if DH and I share the bag or need our own? This one is not very feminine but I'm not trying to make any fashion statement with the diaper bag. It will work for me.
https://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2535491&prodFindSrc=prodCrossSell
I've had a few -- random ones with DD that I did not like (messenger style) and then a Vera Bradley one with DS that I liked the style of but not the pattern. For this little girl, I got this JJ Cole one and I love it! I much prefer it to the messenger style bags, which I found difficult to get in to, and I also like that it looks like a bag and not a diaper bag. I also wanted something fabric.
https://www.amazon.com/JJ-Cole-Satchel-Diaper-Stone/dp/B005WPPT54/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354544289&sr=8-1&keywords=jj+cole+diaper+bag
All the brands others have suggested are good - JJ Cole, Petunia Picklebottom, Skip Hop, JuJuBe ... in my experience they all have similar features and it just comes down to what size and shape works best for you, and what you like the look of! All of those brands have options that are a lot less "diaper baggy" looking that some of the cheaper/generic brands.
I *do* recommend going with something designed to be a diaper bag as opposed to a large purse because it will have pockets designed specifically for bottles, pacifiers, etc, will most likely have an easily washable lining (as opposed to silk or something impractical!) , and will probably come with some type of stroller hook or strap to make it easy to hang on your stroller.
This is just my opinion after going through a couple options with my first baby. I had the hardest time choosing a bag at first too, so I just used a generic tote for the first few months and wow, what a difference it made when I finally picked up a real diaper bag! FWIW I went with JJ Cole last time and PPB this time. I was resistant to spending more than like $50 at first, then I realized it really is worth it to spend more like $80-$150 on a good one. Anything over $150 and you're just paying for a luxury brand!
You can always try picking up something cheap to start with (a lot of hospitals will give you a very basic bag provided by a sponsor - probably a formula company - you can try using that to start). Then once you get an idea of what you need, splurge on something nice.
We got the Skip Hop Duo.
I can't comment on it since we haven't used it yet!
DH will be staying home with the baby when I go back to work, so we didn't want something purse-looking.
2 Angel Babies 9/11, 2/12