Young dad w/o a clue

[ejj]

OK--I'm the dad to be. I'm looking for a good looking messenger style bag. It seems that they are all enormous. don't most people use a smaller bag for everyday use? What do I need in a bag--a lot of people mention a bottle holder. Does this need to be insulated? Why--hot/cold which? Why? I'm considering "making" my own bag. I have two cool Patagonia bags that are quality, comfortable, and good looking, but they have no real pockets/organizers to speak of--bad idea? It seems that most of the bags out there are poorly made. Sorry this is so scattered. (state of my head right now)

Erik

[thing1andt2]

My DH doesn't mind using my skip hop in black cord, but would have much preferred a timbuk2 messenger. Often he just uses his North Face Back Pack. There is nothing wrong with having your own bag! All your friends will be jealous when they are carrying around Vera Bradleys on their way to babyswim class and you look so cool!

[thing1andt2]

My DH doesn't mind using my skip hop in black cord, but would have much preferred a timbuk2 messenger. Often he just uses his North Face Back Pack. There is nothing wrong with having your own bag! All your friends will be jealous when they are carrying around Vera Bradleys on their way to babyswim class and you look so cool!

[staceywj]

I am not sure how much you want to spend. My DH fav bag is the Coach Messenger Bag which we bought at the Coach outlet last season. I think that it is a little heavy. But, it is on the bigger side. It is also about $200 which I justified because I can use it as a briefcase when I go back to work.
Good Luck and pretty soon you will be the young experienced dad!
Stacey
Mom to Alexa born 10/25/04

[fairygodnana]

A couple of bags that I think are dad friendly are the diaper dude and the skip hop diaper bags.

[heatherlynn]

Hey Erik,

I think the Timbuk2 would be a good bag. Probably a size small. A mini would be too small for every day and the medium is HUGE. You can custom make them on their site, which I think is cool. For bottle holders, I think people are either talking about something that holds bottles (like an insulated lunch bag) or a pocket to hold a bottle. You don't want to take the chance of your bottle leaking all over your bag and everything in it. I personally like and use the insulated bottle holder from Baby Sherpa. It only holds one bottle though. But I usually just bring one cold bottle w/ me. If I need more than one cold bottle, it's usually a long day out and I use my Baby Sherpa backpack which has an insulated "cooler" in the bottom of the bag.

Oh, and pockets are good because it's just such a pain to have to dig through a bag to look for things, when baby is crying or you're holding him/her, etc.

If you get the T2, many people recommend the center divider. Helps to keep things organized.

HTH! Good luck.

H-
Heather
dd 3/98
ds 8/04

[callalillyanne]

In addition to what was already mentioned, style-wise, you may want to take a look at the Jack Spade Dad Field Bag (meesenger). It comes in cool colors, there is an awesome bright orange that my husband likes himself. It is around $90. My hubby is getting a Manhattan Portage bag, which is very cool looking- he's getting the Dana's Bag, which seems to have more organization that their other bags, but we will see how it does...

I think the Diaper Dude bags are cool, they have them in Camoflage...does that make them girly? I don't know, that's for you to judge! Also, like people were saying, the skip hop might be a good choice because of all of the organization. I have discovered it is really nice to have everything in it's place instead of all jumbled up when you have a baby. That way, even if you are completely frazzled, it won't make it worse trying to find things in your bag! The skip hop also comes in regular camoflage color, and blue camoflage (which I think is cool). they are coming out with new and improved skip hops at the end of this month, the Dash and the Expo. The Dash is the messenger style bag. You might want to check that out. As for the cooler, I just use the cooler from the bag that they give you at the hospital to keep bottles cool. (That bag can also work to use if you still haven't decided on a bag by the time the baby is born :)

Hope that helps! Good luck!

[sbjf]

Feel free to use your Patagonias!!! I think that is a great idea! All you need to do is add a couple of items to it and, viola, it'a a diaper bag.

Check this out to get an idea...

http://store.babycenter.com/product/safety_babycare/diapering/wipes/3153 I think Babies-R-Us sells something similar as well.

And this...

http://store.babycenter.com/product/feeding/solid_feeding/feeding_accessories/5326

If your wife delivers the baby at a hospital she'll most likely get a free Similac diaper bag, which comes with a changing pad and a great bottle cooler, and ice packs. If she gets that then you can just use the items from that bag in your Patagonias.

I say, stick with them, you like them and they are excellent quality.

:-)

Congrats on your impending arrival!!

[audball]

In addition to what has been mentioned (not to over-inundate you, but if you are looking on the web), Crumpler and Chrome Bags are good messenger choices as well. You will probably want to wait until the baby is born to see what s/he will need - some babies spit up more than others (thus need a new change of clothes more often and lots of burp cloths/diapers); others like to "snack" (more bottles).

I would say, start off with your Patagonia bags and see what you need from there. If you need additional pockets, you can always start shopping for a bag that better suits your needs later.

Congrats! :)

[dules]

I agree that if you like what you have, use them. To organize, check out REI, Timbuk2, Campmor, etc. for little zippered pouches (clear are nice but you don't *need* to be able to see into everything) that you can use to organize your stuff in the bag.

If your bag has got a pocket or two on the inside that you can use for a wipes case and a few diapers, it will be easier to keep organized.

Hope this helps and congratulations!

Best,
Mary

P.S. My DH just ordered a Timbuk2 Small Messenger...for himself, not as a baby bag, lol.

[ejj]

Wow guys--thanks for the quick response!

You certainly seem to know your diaper bags--lots of great ideas here. I'll check out the Skip-Hop suggestion--I couldn't find any new models on the web, but I suppose they haven't been released yet. The Diaper Dudes is also a possibility.

I love the little "make you own" sets. That makes it a lot easier to use whatever you happen to have. And so cheap! I need to check them out in person.

Some of the bags I've seen have a little bottle pocket, but it's mesh. (Not insulated) Is this a problem? If everybody wants an insulated bottle holder, why would a diaper specific bag have something else?

TIA--you guys rock.

Erik

[Smiles81]

Hi,
I have never had a need for a insulated bottle holder. When I use formula, I use the powder, so I either fill a bottle with water and add the powder when I want to feed the baby, or just carry a poland springs, a bottle and formula. If I carry juice, there is no need for insulation either. I have a timbuk2 small and love it. It has not bottle pocket at all, and nothing ever leaked or spilled. When the bag is full, the bottles just stand up on their own, against all the other stuff. HTH
Reena
Mom to Dovi 3/16/04

[squimp]

The new version of Patagucci's half mass bag ($70) has bottle pockets on the outside, and more organization on the inside than earlier versions. I don't have it, but have been tempted. It's also on the small side.

http://www.patagonia.com/
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/22537.jpg
ETA: They have these still for sale for $55 in a few colors, if you call Patagonia's mail order (800-638-6464). I just gave in and bought one, and will post a review when it arrives.

[MamaKath]

"Some of the bags I've seen have a little bottle pocket, but it's mesh. (Not insulated) Is this a problem? If everybody wants an insulated bottle holder, why would a diaper specific bag have something else?"

The mesh pocket is perfect for a water bottle for mom or dad. The insulated ones are perfect for expresed breast milk (EBM) which is sometimes refered to as liquid gold. ;-) Not something you want to have go bad. A little lunch cooler works great for bottles however, as do the little ones that are often given out by Similac or Enfamil at the hospital (though not all hospitals participate in the programs any more). Bottles leak sometimes and the smell never quite comes out of everything it seems (and if it is formula, the color stain never quite comes out either). I found that a lunch tote of some kind (they are pretty cheap places like Target and Walmart) left me less heartbroken over a spill since I could just throw it out and buy a new one inexpensively. Once they get bigger and eat some kind of food (usually 6 months or older) you then need to carry more food stuff and may end up putting that in there also.

As for the bag, I agree with the others to hang on and use the current bags. You can add a disposable changing pad or a changing pad "kit", you can get an Escape Pod (or a wanna-be which is basically a cosmetic case that is of similar design, they are really quite perfect for diapering supplies in a messenger bag), a lunch tote for bottles and you are off to a great start. :-) You will quickly figure out if it works or not, and can move on from their. Good luck, parenthood is a wonderful journey!

[fairygodnana]

If you go and "make" your own bag using the patagoina bag you can use a bag organizer like the ones on www.purseket.com. I use these for all my bags that are just one big hole in the main compartment.