Skip Hop and Sally Spicer messenger bag Owners needed for comments

[sunflowerseeds]

Hello all,
I'm getting ready for my 2nd baby due in May 2005 and I already have a toddler now. I want a new diaper bag. [this board can certainly get your mind going on bags!! I love it!]

I'm currently carrying a backpack...just your average backpack. It's no fun and I can't get to things easily if I'm wearing it on my back.

I'm looking at the Skip Hop and Sally Spicer's Messenger bag.
I like the messenger bag style, the cross the chest wearability. Can the Skip Hop do that?

Please...any comments [pros/cons] on both would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[MMEand1]

I don't have a Sally Spicer, so maybe someone else can help you there. I do have a Skip Hop, but I only use it on the stroller and on shopping carts when we go out. I can put a lot of stuff in it, but it is very narrow and does not stand up on it's own very good. I like the organization and the pockets on the outside, too.

I hope this helps a little. With my first we only used a backpack, too, but for this one I wanted something a little more "mommy-ish". We are having our new baby on 13 Jan (1 week from today!!) and I just recently bought a Kecci off of the co-op. I LOVE the bag (the fabric is beautiful and it seems really practical), but I don't know if I will be able to fit all my DS's things in there as well as the newbie's (I am somewhat of an overpacker).

I don't know if there is really such a thing as a "perfect" diaper bag, so my search continues...

Good luck and I hope you find something fun and practical.

Mariah P.

[sunflowerseeds]

Mariah, you got me researching the Kecci bag! I think I'm hooked. So you don't think you'll be able to fit all the Skip Hop items into the Kecci? Have you tried yet? Measurement wise I thought they were pretty similar. I'm a overpacker too.

Are the straps comfy? Is it long enough to wear across your chest?

So now I've got the Skip Hop, Sally Spicer, and the Kecci bag to think about...I thought shopping was suppose to be therapeutic.

Congrats on your upcoming birth!

Rachel

[heidi_timms]

I like the Sally Spicer messenger, but it has only ONE pocket inside. It's long and goes the length of the bag. It's very pretty and durable, but I don't really use it due to the lack of organization.

I have a Kecci and really like it though. Great organization and what a great price! My other favs are the Bumblebag messenger. It's awkward as a backpack, but I like that I can hang it on restaurant chairs with the backpack straps. I have the larger messenger (not sure if they still carry both sizes) and it holds a lot! The inside has two deep pockets plus a seperate area for the changing pad with more deep pockets. It also has two smaller side pockets for a cell phone or thin items.

~Heidi
Mom to Kailey
4/03

[MMEand1]

Well, I actually already fill up my Kecci with all of my (2 yo) DS's things, so I really don't think I can put a whole lot of extra new baby stuff in it. With that being said...When I ordered my Kecci, I also ordered another one for my SIL. I liked them SO much, that I am keeping the one I ordered for her, so now I have two (the red w/dragons and the navy). I have since re-ordered her one, but I just could not resist keeping the other one since they are so beautiful and practical.

I keep the Skip Hop on our Valco Stroller and we just put a few necessary items in it for when we are actually inside the stores. I have to re-organize the Skip hop this weekend so as to make it 2 yo and newbie compatible (if you know what I mean!!).

The straps are long enough to wear over my chest if I so desire (I am 5'7 and have a somewhat smallish frame - about 110-115 lbs pre-pregnancy). I have not even tried to use the backpack straps, however, so I could not tell you how that works, but I have heard that they are long and tend to make a person wear the bag rather low. But, I don't know for sure...

I don't even think of shoppong as being therapeutic anymore because there are a whole lot more choices out there than I ever realized and it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming!!

Good luck on your bag search...there are a lot of them out there!

Mariah P.

[EagerlyAwaitingBaby]

Hi - I'm an FTM too (due Jan 21) and I bought both the Skip Hop and the Kecci (and I have a Vera Bradley baby bag). Many people think one stroller isn't enough. I don't know if that's true (yet) but I certainly think that one diaper bag isn't enough. I mean, we all have various purses for different occasions. Diaper bags are also accessories. So, I think of the Skip Hop as a great every day bag. It has tons of pockets and hangs from the back of my P3. It seems perfect for the mall and walks. The Kecci is dressier (I might get another one - I bought the beige) and for me, that's a great diaper bag for going out to dinner, to people's houses etc. when I am looking a little more dressed up. The Vera Bradley is really big - too big IMO to use all the time, but maybe not if you have 2 kids. But anyway, it is also more casual, so I see that bag as great for packing lots of stuff when I am going somewhere casual for a long while. I plan to use that, for example, for when I go to my in-laws 6 hours away. It is casual, goes nicely with jeans and sweaters, and fits loads of stuff. I don't think I'd want to schlep it to the mall, but it seems great for longer trips.

Anyway, the skip hop and kecci are both pretty affordable and if I were you I'd get both.

[mcdonald29]

Ditto this recommendation. I have the Skip Hop and Kecci (in Charcoal and black fireworks, respectively -exciting colors, I know). When I discovered them at the same store for a great price, instead of deciding between them I got both!

Anyway, I would echo PP's comments on their descriptions and purposes (everyday vs. dressier). I bring the Skip Hop when stroller will likely be used and the Kecci when I'll require more convenient access -it is a little easier to find stuff inside b/c of bright interior color, it stands alone, and is not as narrow. Every time I go to Gymboree someone compliments it. I have worn both messenger style, but haven't used the Kecci backpack style yet.

At "only" around $50 each, you can get 2 bags for the price of one of the others frequently mentioned on these boards.