HOW TO CHOOSE A DIAPER BAG
DIAPER BAG REALITY
In choosing a diaper bag there are a number of things that you need to think about. You don’t really realise what you need until you realise you don’t have it. It’s so hard to choose with there being so many on the market but I’m here to help you choose the best diaper bags.
The essential features of a Diaper Bag
- Big but not too big. Sounds complicated but its simple. You want the ideal Diaper Bag to carry your essentials so it needs to be big, especially in those first few months or when you have two kids. It should however, be small enough to carry comfortably otherwise you may break your back. The Joint Chiropractic cites heavy diaper bags as a major cause of back pain in moms.
- Different compartments. It takes one awful diaper which goes all over your baby’s clothes to make you realise that you need different compartments. This will prevent the dirty things mixing with the clean items.
- Bottle carrier pouch. Maybe even two. You need a separate space to keep your bottle in so that you can access it quickly and when needed. Having to stop and rummage through a bag to find a bottle is unbelievably stressful when you have a crying baby counting down the seconds until his or her feed.
- An accompanying detachable change mat that fits in the bag. Most change areas that I’ve stumbled across don’t have a soft mat for your little one. When your little one is very little you don’t want them lying on the bare surface. Aside from the hygienic reasons it’s also for comfort reasons. Most good diaper bags have an accompanying change mat that fits into the diaper bag. Some companies sell these separately but in the same fabric or material as the diaper bag.
- A washable interior. When it comes to kids they come with a whole lot of mess which spills into your life and everything that accompanies them. This is true for diaper bags. Whether its a bottle that wasn’t fastened properly or a pouch of food exploding, a packet of wipes that is left open and makes every wet (there is SO much moisture in wipes).
- Pram compatible. Given how much you are trying to manage when you are out with your baby make sure that your pram can carry your diaper bag. Your pram may have a compartment underneath or behind make sure the diaper bag fits there. If your pram doesn’t have any such compartments look for somewhere you can clip the diaper bag onto and then make sure you get a bag that you can attach clips to.
- Suited to your body. Don’t buy a bag without looking at it in real life. If you don’t get to try it out, make sure you buy it from a place you can return it. You need to make sure its comfortable when you carry it.
- Durable. Check out the reviews on the diaper bag of your choice to see whether any moms have had complaints about the quality or durability. Your diaper bag will go through the wars. It will be exposed to the elements, water, milk, toys, food and maybe even get ridden over by the pram or sat on a few times.
- Nice Looking. Not everyone has to like it – just you! and maybe your partner. You are going to carry it around everywhere you go, make sure its not an eyesore 🙂
Helpful but non-essential features
dummy / pacifier holder
see through sections so you can find things easily
an adjustable shoulder strap
Great, now that you know what to look for in a Diaper Bag let’s look into what you need in that Diaper Bag.
What to carry in your Diaper Bag*
- Diapers. You wont believe how many times we have to search for a diaper. You need to make sure you have plenty in the bag, I’m talking 3 or 4 at least. New Kids Centre estimates that parents change at least 10 diapers a day in the first month.
- Wipes. The wipes you choose are to use is up to you. I’ve made suggestions on what to look for in What to Buy when you’re Expecting .
- Bum Cream. Don’t take a huge tube or tub because this just adds to the weight that you are carrying.
- Refuse bags for those dirty diapers you accrue.
- Change mat. In addition to our change mat that came with the diaper bag, I also use disposable change mats so that I can chuck them out when they get gross, they are usually good for a few changes before needing to be tossed.
- Spare clothes. In the first few months you want to carry 2 sets of clean clothes in case you have two bad diapers in one day. Just remember to take the soiled clothes out the bag and get them washed asap. Keep all the clothes together so you know where to find them easily.
- Dummies / pacifiers. If your child has taken to a dummy or a pacifier try have spares on hand in the diaper bag because they will inevitably drop one while you’re out and in the dirtiest place you visit. Or you will drop it and feel awful if you don’t have another on hand.
- Hand sanitiser If you’re stuck changing your baby somewhere outside of a designated change area you are going to want to clean up your hands and sanitise them before carrying on with your activity. I always carry a travel size hand sanitiser. I keep this in a separate compartment at the very front of my bag so that it doesn’t contaminate anything else and I always know where to find it.
- Spare blanket. This is especially true when your little one is still little or you are breastfeeding as it allows you to a) cover your baby b) cover your pram c) cover yourself while breastfeeding d) lay down on a surface before changing your baby
- Provisions. Spare bottle or sippy cup and snacks for your growing baby. With a four year old and a baby I am forever carrying a bottle of formula, a water bottle and some snacks because they are always hungry and thirsty.
In addition to the above, I also carry the following in my diaper bag
Sun tan lotion for the kids (travel size or small roll on).
Medication for fevers in case they start up and you’re in the middle of nowhere.
Plasters (for my son though :))
Wipes for hands.
A small pack of tissues.
*this excludes what you may need to carry for yourself in your handbag
An extra outfit and a waterproof bag are essentials!
I think a spare outfit for baby is always a necessity when packing a diaper bag
I think what you need in a diaper bag is to have enough room to bring everything you need.
A bag with lots of pockets or compartments! Room for diapers, wipes, a bottle, some toys, a snack, book, my keys, phone and of course a place to put the dirty ones!
I think that it is really nice.
The bag must have lots of pockets and compartments for sure
I think it’s cool!
I like the color of the bag.
I would say lots of pockets are important for organization.
To have a removable pad to have a clean changing station and pockets for storage
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I think every diaper bag needs a changing pad and lots of pockets!
Snacks for mommy/daddy. Cannot forget about yourself
For it to have enough room and zipper pockets.
I like to have deep compartments in a diaper bag. Also, having a wet bag, or place to put soiled clothes/bibs is helpful. Packing a large ziploc bag works too. I also like the bag to be somewhat stylish, not babyish, like with characters on it.
I want something that’s both practical and stylish with plenty of space.
For me the most important thing in a diaper bag is to have outside pockets. I like inside ones too but with outside ones I can put in extra diapers, bottle and wipes. It makes it so much easier to pull on what I need instead of having to open the bag up.
Laurie Emerson
I would say that the ability to hold a lot but be easily cartable is the most important feature!
I think that a diaper bag needs to have room for all the essentials. i hate being out and about and not having everything i need.
Have to have wipes and diapers!
“WHAT YOU THINK IS IMPORTANT FOR A DIAPER BAG”
Although people above say that pockets are key, I think that more pockets = more cleaning; you’ll need to do it all separately. My thought is that you ought to get a big bag and one of those handbag organiser things with all the pockets (machine washable/ easy to clean), you pop everything in those pockets and slip it into the bag. If something spills or begins to smell, you wash it and then repack it when you’ve cleaned it.
I have always like on with lots of pockets.
I like having a cute bag that is stylish and has room for the essentials. I like to pack a change of clothes, diapers, wipes, powder, and snacks for my one year old. I’m not into the backpack style, but I have friends that love those.
Good designs and large in size 🙂
You have to have plenty of compartments for hot or cold items!
Storage pockets are important to me as well as the size of the bag
Lots of pockets are essential so you can anything one-handed! Without looking even!
The most important aspect is pockets! Lots of storage!
The most important thing is pockets! Thank you so much for the great offer!
Baby wipes, blanket, bags for dirty diapers, toy, change of clothes, lots of diapers and snack or bottle.
I want a diaper bag that is washable and something that even my husband doesn’t mind carrying.
An affordable, washable, stylish bag with plenty of room. 🙂
It definitely needs to be easily washed and multiple compartments
I think a diaper bag with a couple zippered pockets is important. I also love backpack diaper bags!
The most important thing for a diaper bag for me, is space! I always put in so much, so space is definitely needed
I need a diaper bag that is okay to go in the washing machine often because it gets dirty so frequently. I have a diaper bag, but it can’t go in the wash.
The perfect diper bag (in my opinion) should have:
* great volume
* a LOT of pockets
* awesome design
* affordable price
Nice article!
The most important thing is room and pockets. I need to stuff a lot in one so I need lots of room.
Aside from functional a bag should look good too. You can have one without the other but then it’s basically useless. So for me, looks and function must go hand in hand.
I think a diaper bag should have lots of pockets and be made of outside material that’s really durable.
It’s important to have a large volume and lots of compartments because I have to carry many items
I like a wide bag with various compartments to make things easy to find.
I think lots of pockets are important plus having it backpack style is key for me 🙂
My kids are now beyond the diaper bag stage. I could have used this before my first baby – instead, I had to figure out as I went along! I’m sure it will be very helpful to those expecting. The only thing I would add – is some may want to consider one that is less feminine, in case Dad will be helping out and needs to carry it at times.
Excellent point!!! My husband would die of embarrassment carrying a big flowery bag around 🙂
I think something with good organization! I like pockets and such to keep things organized!
It’s important for a diaper bag to be waterproof.
I made the mistake of having one that wasn’t – caught in the rain yikes!
thank you
My first consideration is storage. I also want to have a bag that has a lightly colored interior and opens widely so that I can see and access the contents inside easily. Bags without velcro are a big plus
It’s important to have lots of compartments to find everything easily, especially a sealed waterproof area for contaminated items.
If I were in the market for a new diaper bag right now (and I am, as a matter of fact) I would look for one where all the pockets and compartments (or almost all) have zippers. My current bag has lots of pockets/compartments but none of them zipper and my Doll loves going through the diaper bag. It’s been a problem that I either have to always keep it out of reach (and out of sight, if I don’t want a crying baby) or else there’s lots of stuff that I want to carry that I can’t because they’re a hazard. To get past that, I had to sew a couple zipper pouches to put all the little stuff in to put in my diaper bag.
That is exactly what I left off the post – it must close so that everything doesn’t a) fall out and b) get taken out. Thank you for adding that!!!
I think what is most important is that it holds up to all the use it gets and still looks good over time. Having a place to put snacks like crackers that if the bag bust is easy to remove and be cleaned and for drinks that leak!
This is completely relevant to my search right now! I gave. I have been researching for the last 3 weeks on this and struggling to find something that serves the purpose of nappy bag but also helps keep your identity as a woman, not just a mum! Aside from this I’ve heard that pockets pockets pockets are key!!!
Panna, I am so happy! It is so hard trying to keep that part of yourself when everything else is screaming baby! Good on you for looking for something that suits you and that you really like for yourself.
Bottle carrier compartments were always a must in all mine. My favorite diaper bag out of all the ones I’ve had for my five children was my JJ Cole one. It has everything and was super stylish.
Waterproof section sealed off from the rest of the bag for soiled clothes and nappies.
This is a great read! I haven’t even thought of my nappy bag.. thanks for the tips!