We have now purchased most of what we consider the basics for the arrival of our daughter. One of the last things left for us to buy is the baby bag and I’m really not sure I can handle another trip to the shops…..
We had originally thought (I say ‘we thought’, but what I really mean is ‘Rambo thought’) of a nice designer bag that doubles up as a baby changing bag. I do have to ‘give her her due’, she’s not materialistic, but she likes her Mulberry handbags! Needless to say we have been thankfully advised that an expensive designer bag is very impractical when it comes to storing and holding all the baby items.
All this painful talk of bags got me thinking..
Could I pick a bag that we would both be happy with? It’s just like buying a gym bag, right?
So, I set about the tedious task of looking for bags we could both use as our baby changing bag. Let’s face it, most of the baby bags out there are geared towards mothers (or at least the ones Rambo has looked at are) and if I don’t find one on the internet it will mean I may end up carrying a an un-gentleman like bag.
Here we go, If I was to grade a bag…… now that’s not something I thought I’d ever write or say out loud. Anyway, if i was to grade a bag, here would be the criteria:
Size – Is it big enough to hold all the baby bits?
Accessibility – How easy is it to find and retrieve items quickly?
Carry-ibility – (I know it’s not a word) – How easy is it to carry? Especially as we’re likely to be juggling lots of things at one time?
Hipster Rating – How likely are the local hipsters to have the same bag? Basically, Is it cool?
Price – Will we need a second mortgage to buy one?
Material – Will it hold up to having baby poop and sick on it and can it be cleaned easily?
Style – Apparently bags have styles. Mad right? Who knew. Totes, Rucksacks and Duffle to name a few..
Rambo Rating – What does the boss think? Will she use it or am I on my own?
The bags I like (Click on the names for more details):
MKI 600 HOLDALL ….Click Here For More
Comments: Polyester so it clean easy, cheap price, dark colour to hide stains, maybe a little too big
MASTER-PIECE OVER-V6 TWO WAY TOTE ….Click Here For More
Comments: Good size, good price, shoulder strap, lots of compartments, easy wipe material.
SANDQVIST STIG BACKPACK ….Click Here For More
Comments: Easy to carry as you walk, If you need something in a hurry the bag has to come off the back and then you may have to dig to the bottom for an item.
NANAMICA TWO WAY DUFFLE BAG ….Click Here For More
Comments: Doubles up as a rucksack and a holdall which is very handy, great size, I really like this bag but it’s very expensive.
EPPERSON MOUNTAINEERING LARGE CLIMB TOTE ….Click Here For More
Comments: My personal favourite. I know it doesn’t have shoulder straps but the tie up top differentiate its from other totes for me. I imagine I’ll be juggling a lot at one time, phone, coffee, baby… so a tie up top will ensure the nappies/diapers don’t fall out.
STUSSY X HERSCHEL SUPPLY CO. TOTE BAG ….Click Here For More
Comments: Nice big bag and it has shoulder strap attachments.
MASTER-PIECE SERIES BACKPACK ….Click Here For More
Comments: Compartments on the side for bottles, easy to carry things when walking, zip opening makes it easy to get items out. Great bag and nice colour.
MONCLER BERTRAND QUILTED NYLON GYM BAG ….Click Here For More
Pros: Great size and looks great, material will stain and it’s mega expensive – you’ll need a second mortgage to buy this bag!
Filson Tote Bag ….Click Here For More
Comments: Just looks a bit plain in comparison to the others and the material will stain. It will match the colour of our pram though so it’s likely to be a hit with Rambo.
Barbour Wax Leather Tarras ….Click Here For More
Comments: Not sure Rambo will like it and it’s probably not big enough to carry everything in. The leather will clean easy though.
To view a wider range of bags please visit End Clothing.
Choco
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Contact: FirstTimeDad.Info@Gmail.com
Have a look at pacapod.com
The Pacapod bags aren’t the cheapest but they are really good at keeping everything organised and it’s easy to do a nappy change by just takeoff the changing pod along with you to the loo rather than the whole bag!
There are some that aren’t massively girly too – I don’t feel silly carrying ours about!
We’ve been really pleased with it since the little one arrived!
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Thanks! I’ll take a look
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The good news is that once Baby arrives you will no longer have time to overthink things like this anymore. As long as it has a diaper and some wipes in it, you’ll be happy with a plastic grocery bag.
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You forgot some criteria:
How easy is it to go on the pram / buggy? – you do not want to carry that extra weight any more than you absolutely have to.
How durable is it? Forget the spills – this thing will be dragged around everywhere for a long time, get bashed on the pram, get accidentally kicked by other people, get stuffed under seats in buses / trains / cafes
How easy is it to get into? You’ll need to operate the bag whilst holding a baby and having your hands full of other stuff too – magnetic fastenings proved good for me – will nudge open when needed, but stay shut when you don’t want the nappies and wipes blowing away down the road.
How many sections in it? It’s nicer to keep the dirty nappies away from the food/drink, and more practical to keep the food/drink away from the clean clothes. And away from your mobile phone and wallet.
Can you carry it hands free (i.e. – does it have a shoulder strap)? You’ll need one because your hands will be full of wriggling baby, clothing, bottles, comforters, dummies, shopping lists, tickets, wallets, keys, etc.
And don’t stress about the changing mat options – you’ll use that for a surprisingly short amount of time, and then you’ll be more worried about stopping the wriggling child running away mid-change than laying them gently onto a nice, clean, padded surface.
I’ll make a recommendation for Skip Hop bags – gave up on cheaper models after a few had failed and one of these was practical and lasted a good 3 years+ of daily use.
https://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417Fk7ih0cL._SY300_.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Skip-Hop-Deluxe-Changing-Black/dp/B000YDZEEA&h=300&w=300&tbnid=02VTpr_PMpwMkM:&docid=lUxznhI6iU58pM&ei=sRp1Vt2SEsqBU-XxgvAF&tbm=isch&ved=0ahUKEwidr6_0xefJAhXKwBQKHeW4AF4QMwgvKBIwEg
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Thank you for taking the time to offer some great advice. I often write silly posts like this one because I want advice and ideas, not because I know everything. Having discussed the bag and the suggestions you made, i think we may go with the skip hop bag. Thanks again
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Hey – I’m not a handbag girl, but I loved choosing a changing bag and for once indulged in ridiculous amounts of research. Happy to revisit those lovely memories, and now my little one is an increasingly bigger one, going back to my trusty handbag revealed it simply isn’t big enough for the SAS survival kit, full wardrobe, portable restaurant and kitchen sink I came to depend on carrying around with me.
One more note – make the most of having a buggy for a pack horse – you’ll miss it when you suddenly find you have to carry the picnic, water bottles, spare clothing, coats and shopping again 🙂
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Yesterday I took my husband shopping for a nappy bag. The one he decided he was ok to use was a storksak/bugaboo bag:
https://www.bugaboo.com/US/en_US/strollers/accessories/detail/bugaboo-storksak-nylonbag
There are heaps of other cheaper ones but they aren’t waterproof, durable, easy, strap over/stuff in the stroller etc..
As this becomes a handbag I considered a leather one. However, my mother is a Nanny and she said the super expensive leather bag looks great but are heavy and hard to get in and out of.
I like this lassig bag:
http://www.mamaloesbabysjop.nl/lassig-green-label-neckline-bag-black-melange-luiertas.html?utm_source=beslistslimmershoppen&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=beslist
Now we just need to decide!
Good luck 🙂
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We opted for a backpack style at first. Eventually, our kids out grew it (they just didn’t fit in there anymore!). For a while we used a regular old school backpack. No handbags for us!
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