Along with being a great, fashionable accessory a diaper bag needs to primarily be functional. Let’s face it: Babies take a lot of stuff. When out and about most of that stuff will be carried in a diaper bag and in most cases it needs to be easily accessible. When your baby has a blowout you don’t want to be holding them with one hand and digging through your diaper bag for some wipes with the other. You need stuff to be very accessible.
So what features make diaper bags useful? I asked a number of moms and here are some of the more common responses:
1. Pockets – By far this is what most of the moms I polled said was a key feature on a diaper bag. Both interior and exterior pockets were important. Pockets help help keep everything organized and within easy reach. You do have to be careful that you don’t have too many pockets because you will forget which pocket everything is in but you do want enough pockets of different sizes to hold all the items you need.
2. Waterproof pocket - Babies make messes. We all know that. When you have a befouled outfit do you want to shove it in with everything else in the diaper bag? Of course not. A big, waterproof pocket on a diaper bag makes a lot of sense. If you cloth diaper this is an awesome feature to have. Of course a couple gallon sized ziploc bags would do the trick also.
3. Washable - Most people I asked really liked diaper bags that can be thrown in the washing machine. Or at least it needs to be able to rinse out in the sink. Many diaper bags are just “spot clean” type of bags which when you are dealing with dirty diapers, soiled outfits, half eaten food, and the like doesn’t make a lot of sense. A diaper bag should be easy to clean.
4. Pocket for a water bottle – When you are carrying around a baby, a diaper bag, and a purse you don’t want to have to lug a water bottle around as well. A nice, big pocket on the end of a bag will usually hold most water bottles. Most of the new metal bottles will fit in these end pockets nicely.
Here are a couple different designer diaper bags that incorporate most of these features:
JJ Cole System 180 Diaper Bag – This great looking diaper bag by JJ Cole is roomy enough to carry everything you need for your baby but also still keeps a great style. Some of the cool features about this diaper bag:
- Included water bottle and mp3 player pockets
- Included stroller attachments
- Included changing pad and pacifier pod
This JJ Cole diaper bag also contains a wallet organizer under the front flap so you can probably get away without carrying around a purse in addition to your diaper bag. Read more about the JJ Cole System 180 Diaper Bag.
Skip Hop Studio Diaper Tote – Black – You want pockets? This diaper bag by Skip Hop has 14 pockets so there will pretty much be a place for everything. There are two side water bottle pockets so you can have one bottle for you and one for your baby (or other kids or husband or whoever).
The whole diaper bag is made out of water proof material so it will be easy to wash. This Skip Hop bag comes in a number of different colors and patterns also so you are sure to find one that fits your style and will match your stroller, car seat, nursery, etc.
One great feature about this diaper bag is it includes a changing pad which you will always be happy you had. Have you seen how terrible those changing tables in public restrooms can be? Just lay out your changing pad and you will be good to go.
And with 14 pockets you can use a couple of them for your keys, credit cards, license, and other stuff that would normally fill up a purse. Read more about the Skip Hop Studio Diaper Tote.
Ju Ju Be PackABe Backpack Diaper Bag – If you are looking for an easy, hands-free diaper bag a backpack style bag like this one from Ju Ju Be is a great option. It allows you to have both arms free to wrangle your baby, stroller, shopping cart, other kids, food, or whatever.
This backpack diaper bag has two outside bottle pockets and other big exterior pockets to help keep everything organized.
One really cool feature is the “crumb drain” that lets you easily get all those bits of cheerios and goldfish crackers out of the bottom of your diaper bag. And this bag also has a special picture pocket so you can keep photos of your little one super handy.
Read more about the Ju Ju Be PackABe Backpack Diaper Bag.
Most people will be looking for different features in a diaper bag. But take some time, read some reviews, do some research, and see what other people like about their diaper bags. There are thousands of styles, models, and colors to choose from (we have over 1600 diaper bags on this site) so take the time to make sure you get one that has all the features you want.
