Diaper Bag Decisions

What To Carry To Contain the Clutter

• What: Diaper Bag decisions
• When: Birth to potty training
• Why: Keep the stuff organized, find things quickly
• Where: Amazon

I’ve been through a collection of diaper bags, and I found things I loved and things that didn’t work so well for each of them. Here’s hoping you can benefit by choosing one to best fit your current needs.

Sashay Satchel: After my third child came along, I splurged and bought a brand new diaper bag from Petunia Pickle Bottom. I loved their design aesthetic, but the new style I sported on someone else’s arm really sold me. This bag switched from a shoulder bag to a backpack with ease. With a toddler and preschooler in tow, and two kids in diapers (and one only recently potty trained), I appreciated the extra roomy bag. I also loved the backpack feature, which meant it didn’t swing around and bop any of my kids at inopportune moments. It had plenty of pockets for storage, but also lots of easy access to grab things I needed quickly, like keys or wipes. I still carry this bag on outings even though my kids have long passed the diaper stage, and I get so many compliments on its appearance to this day.

Reese Li Changing Purse: I scored this tiny changing purse on sale at a local store. I found it perfect for the toddler years, when I wanted diapers and wipes handy, as well as a credit card, hand sanitizer, and some chapstick for myself, but didn’t need all the extra clothes, toys, and other stuff that comes with the infant months. The adjustable strap fit over a shoulder or easily onto my stroller hook LINK, and it also spent a lot of quality time riding around under the stroller. My favorite feature was the easy access to wipes, since I only had to lift the flap to grab a wipe from the container.

Orla Kiely Changing Bag: I love Orla Kiely, so when someone finished with their changing bag and put it up for sale secondhand, I jumped at the opportunity to own one myself at a fraction of the retail price. I loved this bag! Much like her popular sling bag, this one features the same shape but with additional storage underneath for diapers and a changing mat in a zippered section. I still love this bag, and can carry it even now with no one the wiser that it is meant for diapers. But the bottom compartment needs to be packed evenly or the bag falls over when you set it down. And my weatherproof canvas coating started cracking where the straps folded over when put down. The main compartment only had a snap closure. But I prefer zippers for extra security, especially when traveling via public transportation or leaving my diaper bag hanging on the back of the stroller at the park. For those reasons, I still wouldn’t pay full retail for this designer type bag, but I loved it and it treated both me and my kids very well for years.

Skip Hop Versa: I started off my diaper bag years with the affordable Skip Hop Versa. I fell in love with the stylish pattern in easy to clean material. But the bag’s expanding zippered middle section made it impossible to resist. It looked great in both sizes, but I found I never  used the smaller option after a few months, so I probably ended up hauling around more stuff than necessary. It boasted a great assortment of both internal and external pockets, but my second favorite feature were the stroller hooks, which made it super simple to attach securely to any stroller and keep the contents in easy reach. I finally upgraded my diaper bag after the rivets on the stroller straps started coming off. 

Skip Hop Pronto: No matter which diaper bag I chose to carry, I never left home without my Skip Hop Pronto changing clutch. I preferred the zip off changing mat included in this set to any other mat from any of the diaper bags, no matter the price point. And the included pockets held my cloth diapers as well as disposable diapers and a change of clothes with room for extra belongings as well. It tucked away easily inside any of my bags, with or without the included storage pockets.

Of course you don’t need a bag made specifically for babies. While I love the just the right size pockets and the plethora of pockets in most diaper bags, you can easily toss what you need into almost any tote sized bag.