Recommend diaper bag for baby carrying petite mom?

[Mirnada]

I'm pregnant with my first, and had originally planned on registering for the Skip Hop Duo Deluxe, mostly because it's a diaper bag I'm vaguely familiar with. After reading on here, though it seems like it might be annoying to have a magnet closure on top - so stuff can spill out too easily.

I'm planning on baby wearing a lot, will walk a lot - much more regularly than drive in the car, and will go for outings with a stroller when the baby's a little bigger, probably.

I'm only 5'1" and I already know I have a tough time finding backpacks that aren't too huge on me. I have no idea how practical it is to go on an outing for a bit without a diaper bag at all. When I have the stroller, a larger messenger will be fine, because I can clip it to the stroller - and then DH can use it, too. But I know something big and heavy like that is likely to hurt my neck if I have to carry it for long.

I do have a small backpack that I could possibly use as a diaper bag at first. Will it be feasible to wear a backpack and front carrier at the same time? Is there a gender neutral messenger that people recommend for later?

I'd love any thoughts/advice from moms on here. I'm sure there are practical considerations I can't even fathom right now.

Thanks!

[mikala]

For short outings I've just put a couple diapers, paper changing pad and wipes pouch in a basic messenger bag like one of these (all either bags I've owned or seen rec'd here). If I had extra space I'd add a small wet bag, burp rag, and change of baby clothes in case of blowouts. Part of your space needs will depend on whether you're breastfeeding or need to carry bottles. You'll also need more space if you're cloth diapering and these bags will probably all be too small for cloth dipes.

http://www.amazon.com/Lug-Life-Moped...7739952&sr=1-4

http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/p...ductid=1237318

http://www.ebags.com/product/overlan...ductid=1362821

http://www.rei.com/product/805252/re...der-bag-womens

I used the Ergo's front pocket a lot when just running into the store for a few minutes and had the rest of the diaper gear in the car. It was fine for a small wallet, keys, couple tissues but wouldn't last for much longer than a quick shopping trip where I was willing to cut things short or go out to the car for a diaper change.

I don't have any great ideas for the several hour walking with a carrier trips and always struggled to find a bag that could last that long without straps digging into my neck or feeling too heavy while carrying baby.

ETA: I'd start small with one bag that will hold a medium/large amount of gear like a Skip Hop or a backpack and one bag for babywearing like the ones listed above. You can always shop around or order a few to try on Amazon after baby arrives and once you get a sense of how much gear you're actually hauling and what styles of carriers work best for you--slings, Moby, Ergo/Beco, etc.

[peanut520]

the skip hop duo got the most usage at our house and never had a problem with the magnetic closure. i actually preferred it to zippers and snaps as baby brain cause me to forget which pocket i put things in.

how long are you planning to be out of the house? are you running errands or just a stroll around the block and can return home at will?

i know people here like the little tripper from LE

i like LE totes:
small open with shoulder strap
small zippered

[lizzywednesday]

...
I used the Ergo's front pocket a lot when just running into the store for a few minutes and had the rest of the diaper gear in the car. It was fine for a small wallet, keys, couple tissues but wouldn't last for much longer than a quick shopping trip where I was willing to cut things short or go out to the car for a diaper change.
...

I've made the rounds ... and remembered today why I stopped using our backpack diaper bag!

When DD was itty-bitty and I'd spend all day in the City with her, I'd lug this backpack style diaper bag by DadGear around with us all day:

http://dadgear.com/products/79/Navy

I could totally fit a kitchen sink in that! The straps aren't too padded, but it would be fairly bulky on a petite mama (I am big.)

As DD got older, I learned to pack more efficiently, so we downsized to this:

http://www.skiphop.com/product/21020.html

I can fit 8 diapers, a changing pad, pack of wipes, bib and a change of clothes in that itty-bitty bag.

[jam224]

I do have a small backpack that I could possibly use as a diaper bag at first. Will it be feasible to wear a backpack and front carrier at the same time? Is there a gender neutral messenger that people recommend for later?

Yes, I think it's totally feasible to wear a backpack and a front carrier at the same time. That's what I had to do when I first took my baby to the zoo solo. I wore her in a wrap carrier (the K'tan) and used a regular drawstring backpack to carry our gear. Worked wonderfully. I used the drawstring backpack because it was super lightweight and the "straps" were just thin strings, so it didn't add any bulk to my shoulders (I'm also petite; just 5'0"!). In order to organize it better, I used the Skip Hop Pronto to store all the diaper changing stuff. Another great option you could use is the Ju-Ju-Be Be Quick. I used this pouch for our trip to Disney World and it was PERFECT for diaper changes. In it, I had just the essentials: hand sanitizer, diaper cream, disposable diapers, and a disposable changing pad. It was SO handy to just grab that plus my baby for quick diaper changes. If you get either the Skip Hop Pronto or the Be Quick, you can turn nearly any backpack/purse into a diaper bag, which is nice.

I'm a huge fan of messenger diaper bags, but both of the ones I use are out of production. I've heard really good things about the Diaper Dude Messenger Bag though.