4 Our Health

Question:

I was on another, nameless board ;), and there was a thread about diaper bags. I read it, because I'm kind of wondering if it's time to get a new one, but to be honest, those bags didn't fit "my lifestyle." (Because I walk a lot, I bf and so don't carry any bottles other than a water bottle for me and a sippy cup, and I use cloth dipes, which are bigger and don't get thrown away!) I thought maybe here I might find folks carrying more similar stuff. ;)
So how would *you* define a good AP diaper bag?
I use a regular backpack I got from REI. There's an outside pocket for my water bottle, an outside pocket I stuff the "used" dipes in, and a pocket I keep my keys, wallet, cell phone, etc. in. And there's a big inside area where I stuff my diaper roll (dipe(s), liners, spare cover, wipes), snacks, clothes, whatever. The backpack can be squished down or expanded. I like it because it works well, and the straps are adequately padded, but it's getting a bit worn...
I suppose maybe this should go in Life with a Babe?

Answer:

Okay, so I might not be the most qualified person to answer this, given that I just got my diaper bag and my baby isn't even born yet, BUT... the diaper bag I got seems so great, I just had to share.
My mom bought us the Updated Do-It-All Diaper Bag from Lands End (). It's very rugged and very roomy and has some cool features, such as a removeable "wet pouch", and a light blue lining so you can easily see whatever it is you might be searching for. Lands End also makes two different backpack styels, which it sounds like you might prefer. Price isn't bad either - about $40.
Megan

Answer:

I think that Lands End bag is my next diaper bag. Ours has been disintegrating for over a year. It really is awful. But I hate spending money on something like a diaper bag.
Looks like we'll have 2 in diapers. Ds shows NO interest in the potty. He wants to wear his underwear, but doesn't mind peeing in them.
Our diaper bag will need to be roomy, with an outside pocket for food and side pockets for sippy cups. It should have handles for dh and a shoulder strap for me. Unfortunately, it needs to be big for cloth diapers. I'm so TIRED of lugging a diaper bag around. It's so hard to chase a 2 1/2 year old while I'm slinging the big ol' diaper bag around.

Answer:

I'm usually in the minority on this one, but I hate backpack diaper bags. It is such a pain to have a toddler on one hip (or a baby in a sling or bjorn), and try to get your wallet or keys out of a backpack. It drives me insane.
My perfect bag is a cross between a messenger bag and the healthy back bag. It can be worn over my shoulder like a purse for short periods of time, but then easily tossed over my head so that it is like a sling, but the main part is resting on my back.
It would have 3 different compartments - the smallest one would have some zippers inside to hold my wallet, cell phone, makeup bag, keys, camera, and a few other odds and ends. Then it would have a section roomy enough to hold 2 cloth diapers and a change of clothes. Another smaller section to hold snacks and sippy cup.
I haven't found it yet, so please let me know if you see one!

Answer:

I use a Timbuk2 bag. I have the el ocho and it is just the right size for all my parenting adventures. I originally got it because we sell them and I try (unsucessfully most days) to be as cool as the people shopping at our store but now I love them. Also they are fun because they are custom and thier business philosophy is just cool (since everything is custome there is no ooverstock, product dumping, waste etc. . . and they can use that money to pay thier employees a decent wage :) )
Anywhoo, mine had compressions strapps so I can cinch it down and the key hook has a string attatched so no matter where your keys go you can just pull the string and they will magically appear. The only down side is that there is no cup/water bottle holder but I hook a nalgene bottle on with a carabiener and we are good to go. My kids have learned to drink from those at an early age (we have a sipper lid for them) and so Ino longer have to tote around sippy cups.
It is sturdy and while I washing it one day I relized it actually held water. So if you were ever on a boat ride and started to sink you could use your bag to bail water and you dipers to clean up the mess. COuld there be a more perfect solution. Even if somehting does go wrong with your bag they have a great warrenty and super customer service department.
Also the way the straps work is for normal daily stuff I just sling it over my shoulder or across my chest. If I need stability I can hook the chest strap on (which really accents my boobies so I don't usually use it unless I am on my bike) and no kidding, I could turn cartwheels with this thing on and nothing is going anywhere.
They are expensive but worth every penny. And thier life expectancy reaches far beyond th point of carrying diapers around.
Mine by the way is orange, yellow and red. Ih ave the center divider, hepalon liner, boot, front pockets and strap pocet and compression straps. It adjusts to all kinds of sizes.

Answer:

For short trips, I put two diapers, a cover, and three dry cloths in my backpack or in the bottom of the stroller. For longer trips, I have an LL Bean adventure duffle which is more than big enough for a weekend's worth of diapers and clothing for two or three small children. (A present from my sister, who still finds my refusal to carry a purse amusing).
Ebethmom; I was also against spending any kind of money on a diaper bag. I paid less than $10 for one at Toys R Us shortly after Eli was born. By the time he was 6 months old it looked horrible, and by the time he was 12 months old none of the zippers worked anymore. I think it's probably better to invest a bit of money in a diaper bag that will last, especially if you plan on having another child. One of the reasons I like the duffle bag so much is that 1)duffles are useful for much longer than diaper bags and 2)LL Bean guarantees their stuff for life (so does Land's End, right?). I've actually had my (LL Bean) Deluxe Bookpack replaced twice, because zippers broke. They're very fast and courteous, you just send the broken one back and they send out a new one as quick as can be.

Answer:

Lilyka - could you give me an idea of what you can fit in the bag? I have seen those before, and like the idea, but am not sure of the size. Can it comfortably fit some cloth diapers, change of clothes, snacks, and mom stuff?

Answer:

I'm not an organized enough person to have a proper diaper bag........after failing to maintain the one I had when I first had my daughter, I reverted to either a canvas tote for city ventures or a Jansport for other things..........I can't keep track enough to put the things in the little compartments they need to go into!! It's too much!!!!!!!:p
I just want to throw things in and not worry. I was never one to take a whole slew of things with us anyhow, though. I have a friend who's baby I watch occasionally and their diaper bag is PACKED....extra outfits, LOADS of diapers, extra bottles, medicine, just in case toys.......EVERYTHING. I usually only brought with me a blanket, snack, and a couple dipes.

Answer:

Hey KKmama! If you go over to the cd'ing board here at MDC and do a search, you'll see that we're always on the hunt for the best diaper bag over there, lol. I just got a sellinthreads tote that I think will do well for one baby and some random kiddy stuff. Beyond that, I normally use messenger style bags that aren't true diaper bags. I never had trouble getting all my cd stuff in the ones I've used. I've seen many rave the happy tushies diaper bag, mom about (or is it around?) town bags, lands end bags, and some other tote style and messenger style bags. One of our most recent threads had a link to a site where you build you own bag. I thought that was a cool idea.
Back to the bag I just bought-it's a simple tote with handles big enough for over the shoulder or to carry by hand, red toile print, magnetic snap closure, 6 inner pockets and either 4 or 6 outer pockets. I forget the dimensions but I was able to put my essentials in it (I'm more of a minimalist packer, btw, and don't like big, bulky bags), which for errands or day outings would be sippy cups for the boys, maybe a few hand sized toys, changing pad, creams, lotions, bum balms (small tin sizes), my wallet, change of infant clothes, few cd's, wipes, baby blanket, and a wet bag. I'm sure if I owned a cel phone I could have fit that in there too. :p
There is a cd'ing mama who has 3 different cd friendly diaper bags on the TP right now too. HTH!

Answer:

Here is what I can put in mine on the most stuffed day:
Change of clothes including socks and shoes, 6 diapers (PCPF or one size fitteds) wipes, several covers, lunch, sippy cup, Baby Deisle (who is about 14" and giggles), blanket or sling, my planner, my wallet, pens and paper, stash of pads for me, changing mat, wet bag, spare sposie for an emergancy and some washc loths, misc stray cheerios, a couple of teethers/shakers and what ever crap my 7 and 3 year old stuf fin there when I am not looking.
In the event that I actually get away over night without my child I can take everything I need for over night in it if i pack light. My dh has the bigger size and he can fit his lap top or pedal board for his guitar and all the accompanying cables, plus paper paraphenalia that goes with it and lunch and a Mt dew :gross . His bag is so heavy though that I can't lift it :LOL. The biog one is truely enourmous.
He also has a pork chop which is will hod a sposie, wipes case and granola bar. Or it can hook to a messenger bag for extra storage./

Answer:

Huh, this is interesting.
Lilyka, you are funny!
I definitely have to do a 2-shoulder thing (ie, backpack)... I'm on the go so much that anything 1-shoulder just winds up hurting (even the timbuktu) or swinging around.
I thought I carried a lot, but I think I carry less than most of you! (Nothing wrong with either way, though). I'll admit that if it's a daylong thing, I'd rather have a duffle or a tote in the car/bike trailer which I can use to "resupply" my bag than carry it all in the dipe bag.
Ds is almost 33 mos and still in (cloth) dipes. The changes are way less frequent than with a newborn, though, and snacks and a drink are way more important than the dipes and take up more space than the one dipe I carry for him. I *am* starting to dread carrying a bag for 2 kids... 2 sizes of dipes, lots of food and water, change of pants for ds when we start potty training, etc.

Answer:

i use the messenger bag i bought years ago at the army surplus store. it's plain old olive-brown and holds just what i need:
1) about 6 or 8 sposies (we have pay laundry where i live and dd is still in the habit of filling many many dipes a day, so, currently, the cost of cd'ing would bankrupt us-- it's so sad, because i've been cultivating a stash since before she was born... i suppose i'll have to wait until the next one! lol)
2) sandwich bag of wipes
3) a couple washclothes
4) cheapie gerber pre-fold (for putting under her head on those horrible public restroom changing tables)
5) waterproof lap pad (for protecting her bum from the aforementioned changing tables)
6) a couple spare outfits (onesies and socks)
7) my sling
8) a toy (since she's so young, right now it's just some rings for her to hold)
9) a couple spare pacis (hehehe... not that she's all that fond of them; sometimes they can calm her down in the carseat)
10) camera and batteries (you never know when they're going to do something cute!)
because of the type of person i am (read: disorganized and easily distracted), i keep my purse seperate from her diaper bag, mainly because i'll probably lose everything-- or forget to remove my credit card or drivers liscene when i leave the bag with dh or my parents!

Answer:

I use a bag thar i made. I have 2 sizes a small one which usually holds toys and food, then i carry my purse/diaper bag With diapers and my stuff:)

Answer:

I am anxiously awaiting my I won't be able to put it into use for a few months yet, but it seems like just what I want in a diaper bag. It has the functionality of the Land's End, but looks a little dressier. It can convert to a backpack and it's not too big, so it will keep me from overpacking it. For more than just daily use, we have several backpacks and messenger bags (including the Timbuk2) around the house. I really wanted something that would stand on it's own and that was basic black and not too sporty looking.
The downside to this diaperbag is the cost--$120:eek but for something I'm going to use every day, I think it's worth it. To make me feel less guilty about spending the $$, DH told me to buy it as a birthday present for myself.
Jill

Answer:

Just soaking in all of you knowledge and expertise...
Those of you who sling most of the time, do you prefer a backpack, tote or a messenger type bag?

Answer:

I have 2 kids in diapers with #3 on the way. I have to use a backpack because everything else was falling off and in the way. I carry minimal - 2 diapers each, somewipes, a cup each and a snack. Refilled everyday with backup stuff left in the car. I don't enjoy carrying the backpack and wearing the sling at the same time - it just doesn't work right for me but sometimes I don't have a choice. Well, I could use a stroller but I end up throwing all my stuff in it and still carrying #2 and chasing #1 so forget it. I have 4 diaper bags. When it was just me and ds I used the small lands end bag, then we upgraded to the large lands end backpack when DD came along. Too big for everyday use though. They clean up well and have never gotten messed up. With DS I carried a ton of stuff all of the time, and by 6 months was seriously downsizing. DD never got the same indulgences.

Answer:

Since my kids are older now I have gone to a regular backpack. Bought mine at Mervyns in the fall when all the bookbags were out for the start of school. It has three compartments. The front one is perfect for snacks (since it is in front they don't get easily crushed); the middle one holds diapers and wipes for the youngest + sunscreen; the big section is big enough for a complete change of clothes for each of them or PJs if we are going to be out late. This is also where I toss my wallet if I'm not taking a purse. The mesh side pockets will hold water bottles.
We really only take this if we are going to visit family or friends or stick it in the stroller if we are going to be out all day. I did use it for Disneyland with my oldest as well and just used it as a backpack.
With the babies, my favorite diaper bag was one by Fisher-Price. It had a top compartment that would hold diapers and an infants' clothing, burp cloth, my sling, etc. The front popped out and had a space to hold credit cards, keys, money, etc. The had a little compartment to hold wipes. It was perfect for a run to the store or out to the park, etc.

Answer:

I find that sling + backpack works best if the the baby is put into the sling before I put the backpack on. It works for the hip carry, belly-belly and standard nursing positions, and since those are the only positions I was able to get Eli into the sling in, it was all good to me.
Oh.. what's a "messenger bag"? Is that a duffle bag? Or a tote of some kind?