If you knew THEN, what you know NOW...

[lmariana]

Which diaper bag(s) would you have bought in the begininng? (This is a spin-off from the thread in the Strollers board).

In the beginning, I had ONE diaper bag. It was my Tote Le Monde Geneva Messenger. :) I did no research, just thought it was pretty. This worked okay during the newborn stage, but had no insulated anything, medium capacity, and not enough organization. I knew the Land's End bags weren't for me, so my search began.

I started with a Baby Sherpa backpack. It was perfect for us. We could carry a day's worth of prepared feedings in the cooler, 6-8 burp cloths to clean the spit-up, extra shirts for hubby and me (to clean the spit-up), tons of diapers, and extra clothes. Sure it wasn't pretty, but it worked.

Then as baby got bigger, we needed a different bag. For Valentine's Day, all I wanted was a Fleurville Alpha 7 ($120) with all of my heart. Instead, I got a Victoria's Secret Gift card...for $120!!! (Oh the irony. I spent it all on granny panties and sports bras, out of spite. :)) So, I bought myself the Alpha 7 and in addition, a Loom Marsupial.

I'll make this a short story, because the full version would go on and on...I've tried almost all the bags out there, and here's what *I* would have wanted in the beginning...

1. Fleurville Mothership (big bag)
2. Skip Hop Duo (medium bag)
3. Timbuk2 Metro (small bag)
4. Baby Sherpa (or Shorthaul Sherpa) for long day trips with perishables

So, that's me...how about you guys?

Mariana
www.heinzandmariana.com
Mother of Gabriel, 08/14/2003

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030814/1/5/0/-5/.png[/img] ([img)

[marnay]

Hmmm.... this is kind of hard. I don't even remember what kind of diaper bag I used with my now 5 yr old. It was either just a tote bag or something like that.

This time around I bought a Baby Bjorn Clamshell, too heavy for me. A Old Navy tweed Diaper tote, nice bag but I bought it in the off season and by the time it was cool enough to use and I remembered I had it, it was too big. Mothership, loved this bag, but found it a bit too late in the game to get much use out of it as I really didn't need such a large bag anylonger. Skip Hop, I like the concept of this bag but I hate that it won't stand by itself, and I was always digging in the center section. I have owned quite a few more, some I have liked, some disliked, and some I have loved.

So If I could go back it would be the following;

Large bag - Mothership , Timbuk2 small messanger

Medium bag - Ameribag
Chester Classic Diaper bag
Kecci Bag

Small bag -Timbuk2 Mini Metro


It really depends if I am in a sporty mood or a more bold colorful mood. I am waiting on a Timi and Leslie in Mia that I hope will be added to the medium catagory for me.

Naydene

[LuLusMaMa]

I'm going through this h*ll right now... 4 months into 1st time motherhood and I already have regrets (about the bag, not the baby!).

I did the stupid thing and went right out, at 9 months prego, and bought a $250 Kate Spade Black Messenger bag from Nordstrom. While still pregnant, I proceeded to pack it with 20 diapers, a big box of wipes, 5 burp cloths, a large makeup bag for me, etc. ,etc. Ha! What was I thinking? Now after 4 months of use, it's floppy and has the black hole effect. Doing it all over again, I would have taken that $250 and bought 1 Mothership in a fun color - maybe the new red canvas to wear most days, 1 Skip Hop for when I'm feeling sporty and for use on the stroller, and one simple "medium" everyday black bag since I seem to have black in my daily wardrobe- Maybe an A7. I'm 5'8 so this would be a medium bag.

DH is buying me the Mothership for our 3 year Anniv. next week. VERY romantic! I'll find reasons to get the others. I ordered a Kecci and it's on the way. Can't bring myself to sell the Kate Spade because it would serve DH well as a bag to keep in his car. He cringes that a $250 bag will just sit in his car... And yes, I've learned what to carry in my bag and I've also learned that a single tube of good lip gloss and mascara can take the place of an entire makeup bag!

Now, I'm off to buy a new $300 stroller because I HATE the one we have!

[babymama]

OK ....total blasphemy on in this forum, I know...but if I could do it over again...I would not have bought a diaper bag. We're using our free hospital bag and doing fine with it.

I bought a LE messenger diaper bag on the recommendation of the BB book, and I hated it. It was way too big, and I didn't like having to flip that massive flap every time I needed to access something.

Understand that in my life before the baby I was and to some degree still am a total purse, bag addict. Even still, I can't bring myself to pay $100 + on a diaper bag, when our free hospital bag is working just fine for us. For quick trips out, I sometimes even go bag-less and just pack extra diapers, wipes, and clothes in my purse.

OK, now I'm preparing to be totally flamed.....

Lydia
Mama to Santiago, born 11/16/03
http://lilypie.com/baby1/041116/0/6/1/-6/.png

[stillplayswithbarbies]

If I knew then what I knew now, I wouldn't have bought anything without seeing it in person first and trying it on. I have a closet full of bags (that I really should put on swap) that I bought just because people here said they were great. Well, I didn't realized that how you use your diaper bag is a very personal thing and what one person loves another will hate.

I don't regret following the herd to the Whimsical Wears bag though. That one turned out to be my favorite and the one I use every day, even though I wasn't sure a tote bag style was for me.

I wish I had waited until after the baby was here and just used the freebie bag from the hospital until I figured out how I would use a bag and what I would want to carry.

...Karen
DS Jake Feb 91, DD Logan Mar 03
http://members.aol.com/khowe14494/superpower.gif http://members.aol.com/khowe14494/borntobebreastfed2.gif

[Buzymommy5]

good question...after looking at all the bags i've purchased in the last 3 months(about 30) i've finally come to an end! i was looking over my obscene collection and realized that i'm never going to be satisfied. what really did it for me was that i recently bought an isabelle fiore diaper bag that was about $300 and realized that i'm starting to spend as much as i used to with handbags. (i previously had a very bad handbag collection and thought my obsession was over until i hit this forum)

anyhow, despite all my pretty diaperbags, i keep going back to my marsupial? so here's how i am solving my diaper obsession.(i hope).:) this is what i plan on doing and how i wish i would have
done it to begin with...

for me:
1) use my own handbag/purse. this is my first true love...i'd much rather invest $100's of dollars on a bag that i can use ten to twenty years from now. plus, the one thing that REALLY bothered me is that no matter what diaper bag i use, they become so heavy with all of
mine and baby's things that i can't hold it on my shoulders...and then when i put it on my stroller, it practically tips it over even with baby in it.

for baby:
2) have a stroller bag. i finally caved in and bought a skip hop! it took me a long time to think this one over. been fascinated with it but didn't think i would ever need one....WRONG!

3) have a separate diaper bag when not using stroller. wanted a "diaper looking" bag so it wouldn't look like i was carrying two handbags so i bought a cantini bag called the colorado midi tote. this is similar to the original le tripper. not too big, so i can still carry my own handbag with it.

well, thanks for all the great tips and information! and my warnings to all who are new to this forum...beware of mariana...she's dangerous!!!(heehee)

chris

[Tori_s mom]

Well, I wouldn't have bought the LE do it all bag from heck. It was very reassuring for the first few months, though. It stays in my minivan waiting for me to need it. Sigh.

Mostly I rely on my Winnie the Pooh backpack from Disneyworld. I bought it when my DH and I were there last year. I was 4.5 months pregnant and needed to carry my anti-nausea meds around as well as sunscreen. It works great to carry an extra diaper, toys, baby food, and wipes.

I'm waiting for my WW coop bag. I've ordered the Elizabeth, and I think it may replace Pooh. ;)

Tasha

[Chelsey333]

I think the perfect combination for me would have been the Mothership and the Alpha 7. Before the Mothership, I used to travel with 2 smaller diaper bags when out for a while. I love the Mothership, but also need a smaller bag that can be worn comfortably on my back or messenger - like the A7. I have to say, I love bags that clean easily. My skip hop looks dirty after one outing out.

[Chelsey333]

duplicate

[murpheyblue2]

I think I'm finally satisifed with what I own (not that I"m not tempted every day!).

Big Bag - The Mothership. I should have gotten over the whole vinyl thing a long time ago. Took me a while to warm up to it. I got the Indigo at the Right Start fire sale and have been pleased with its versatility. I never worry that it doesn't match what I'm wearing.

Medium-sized, super versatile bag - Alpha 7 (red). It's a backpack, it's a messenger, it's got a pocket for everything.

Smaller, fun bags - WW totes (2). Super study. Totally unique. Plus, a girl's gotta have a little fun!

[jasabo]

I think I'd second Ali's post -

Big bag - Mothership: I held out getting one of these because of the huge size, but I finally bought one during the co-op and used it for vacation and it worked great. Yes, I'm selling it now, but just to finance a PPB in the co-op next month :) I've never had a PPB and want to try one out.

Medium/everyday use - Alpha 7: LOVE this bag. It's the perfect size for my needs right now. I just wish they came in more fun prints.

Small bag/tote - Ella's, WW's, etc. They're a lot of fun to design and great bags, though I don't use them as often since I got my A7.

Lisa - mom to 15 month old twin boys

[writeleigh]

I'm still not sure. I love my Angelo Isaac bag, which I used from the time Liam was 4 months old. I suppose that would have been fine for the first 4 months as well, but as a new mother, I wanted to bring three million things with me. So, I wonder if the Fleurville Mothership would have been good for me because of all the organizational features. I'm not positive I'd like the design though, because I prefer it to not have the flap type opening.

And now I have transitioned to my new 2 Red hens Rooster bag, which I really like a lot. But I'm also awaiting one from WW, which I hope I'll love equally :D

Anyway, what I would have done differently is not buy the two cheaper bags I initially bought and hated in actual use. But I think it was a learning process, and I had to go through a couple of bags I did not like to know what I needed and do like.

[anutalp]

Big bag - Loom or Mothership, not sure.
Medium/small - small Timbuk2 - now it's my favorite!
Fun topic :)

[JenCA]

I wish I'd started out with my Fleurville Mothership, because it's the absolute perfect large bag for my needs. Instead, I started with a Kate Spade medium tote, which is quite sleek, but not terribly practical (heavy even when empty and has a tie closure rather than snap/zipper closure). I absolutely adore my PPB toddler tote, which is my small, daily-use bag.