Fashionable AND Functional—What to Look for in a Diaper Bag

When it comes to choosing a diaper bag, there are so many options these days that it can be quite overwhelming and confusing. There are countless options when it comes to color, material, style, and size options. However, the bottom line is that you need to choose a diaper bag that best suits your needs, your budget, and your personal preferences.

Here are eight qualities that you should look for in a great diaper bag that you will love having around for your baby’s needs:

1. High-Quality Materials

When it comes to diaper bags, you really need to invest a little bit of money if you want to get the good-quality stuff. Remember, cheap things aren’t necessarily always a bargain! You will be using a diaper bag for at least two to three years, or even longer if you have more than one child. If you purchase a cheap, low-quality diaper bag, you might be saving money in the short run, but you’ll need to purchase another one soon. Low-quality diaper bags rarely last more than a year especially since you use them daily.

2. Stroller-Ready

Since you’re probably going to bring your diaper bag to the mall, park, or anywhere you go with your baby, you want to make sure that it’s stroller-friendly. You don’t want to carry around a diaper bag all day if you can help it, right? Make sure that your diaper bag has straps that can be affixed to your strollers, and the size fits well with the dimension of the stroller. If possible, make sure that both the stroller and the diaper bag can be paired together before you purchase either one.

3. Easy to Carry

Look for a diaper bag that has padded straps so that it remains comfortable and convenient to carry even when it’s full. Diaper bags that come with handles only can become very heavy when they are carried around for a long time.

4. Comes with a Changing Pad

Many diaper bags these days come with a built-in changing pad so that you can easily place your baby somewhere clean and hygienic anytime you need to change their diaper. These changing pads are removable so that you can wash and sanitize them before you use them again.

5. Spacious Enough for all your Baby’s Needs

Even a simple day out with your baby means that you need to carry a LOT of things to make sure that the trip is safe, comfortable, and convenient for both you and your baby. A good diaper bag must be able to contain sufficient diapers, wipes, tissues or paper towels, baby powder, a changing pad, and other accessories that you need to keep your baby clean and fresh through the day.

6. Strong, Sturdy, and Easy to Close

No one wants to deal with a flimsy diaper bag that looks like it’s about to burst open! You want a diaper bag that can store everything you need and still shut securely. Make sure that the seams and straps are strong and sturdy, and the zippers are easy to close even when the bag is full to capacity.

7. Pockets, Pockets, Pockets
Look for diaper bags that have a sufficient number of pockets both inside and outside the bag. Not only does it allow you to organize your items more easily and neatly, it also allows you to separate dirty from clean items, and allows for easy reach when you do need items.

8. Dad-Friendly

Most people think that designer diaper bags for women are the only ones that you would see in the market. In reality, fathers are taking a more active role in taking care of their baby. Thus, you will see a lot of neutral-colored diaper bags on the market with masculine design features.

9. Stylish

Even if a diaper bag is a functional tool, this doesn’t mean that it can’t be chic! This is actually one of the most fun parts of choosing the right diaper bag: choosing a great style! You can choose what type of color and pattern you like the most. You can even choose the type of diaper bag, ranging from the traditional bag (a simple horizontal bag with a sling that goes over your shoulder), the backpack type, or even a messenger bag (the bag is worn on the hip, with the sling going across the body).