My work has kindly offered to buy me a Nappy Bag as my gift when I have my baby. I have been looking around and some bags that are bascially just massive hand bags. But I thought I should ask some experts what I should be looking for in a nappy bag? Will an oversized handbag do the trick or should I really get a bag that is designed to be a nappy bag? If so, what features did you find best / not necessary??
It depends on a few things. If you are going to be breastfeeding then you might not need something to keep bottles warm but if you are bottle-feeding then that might be a feature you are interested in. Do you want a change mat for use when you are out and about? Are you using cloth or disposables? What sort of wipes and how are they going to be stored? Really, a big bag could work and most features in a nappy bag could be bought seperately or might not be neccesary depending on your circumstances. Nappy bags are usually made from a water proof type material on the inside which can be good. Are you going to be using it exclusively or do you need a bag that your partner won't be embarrased to carry?
I have a nappy bag and I love it. I use the bottle cooler/warmer for my own water (as I am breastfeeding) and it keeps it chilled for a good few hours. I use the portable change mat in the car, on a friend's bed, in the Mother's room etc and I like the way it is seperated into sections. It looks like a normal oversized handbag, too as many do these days!
The main thing is you want to have enough space for everything you need. That is important because you only want to have to deal with the one bag. Another thing to test is how much it weighs before you fill it with your neccesities as you don't want to be lugging around something too heavy!!
I would say the main feature I owuld look for would be size and pockets on the inside to keep everything neat and tidy, and a wipeable lining inside it- some of the gunk that ends up in my nappy bag is gross. I splashed out a bit and bought a really funky nappy bag- it was $100 but I've used it evey day for the last 18 months, so well worth the money. i figured if I wasn't going to have a handbag, I wanted a funky nappy bag
Wow Jitterbug I am glad I asked! There are so many things I hadnt considered.
I plan to breatfeed, but you know it might not work out. I was given a bottle warmer as a baby shower present.
Will need a change mat, but happy to buy one seperatley if required.
I will be using disposables as we leave in Cairns and apparently cloth doesnt work to well in the tropics!
I have bought the Huggies baby wipes that come in little plastic travel case.
I will probably use it exclusively and get a nappy bag for DH get a bag that he is comfortable using.
I have found a really big normal handbag that I love with lots of pockets, but it is not plastic lined and the handles wouldnt fit over the pram, so I am thinking it might not be too practical.
Kyles - I actually find cloth works better in the tropics than they did in Adelaide I use modern cloth and because most houses in the tropics have ceiling fans in every room you can hang them under a fan on a wet day and they will be dry within a couple of days And their bums dont sweat as much in the humidity. Do a bit more research before you make a final decision
But if you decide that sposies are the way to go then you wont need quite as much room in your bag. You will still want a wipeable lining though!!! Some of the things that end up in nappy bags.... well.... A machine washable handbag would be ok too, but then you need something that can fill the gap when you need to wash it.
Many nappy bags are a little small for a FULL day of cloth with more than 1 in nappies, but I can fit plenty for a few hours, like grocery shopping or even playgroup followed by a coffee with friends.
I've just bought my nappy bag - two actually as they were on sale direct from the Storksak website I did A LOT of research before I made my mind up though. The things I found really important were:
- size
- weight - super important in my opinion! Some nappy bags are quite heavy before you put anything in them!
- internal & external pockets. I wanted somewhere separate to put my things (purse, sunnies, phone, etc)
- strap(s) - big enough to hang the bag over my pram
- inclusions - insulation pockets (for food or drinks), change mat, wet bag, wipes container, etc. Both my bags came with change mats, removable small bag and bottle cooler/warmers (one has a removable bag and the other one has two hidden pockets on either side)
- the look - nappy bag, backpack or handbag?
- colour
- fabric - easy to clean
I did quite a bit of research online but looked at all the ones I liked in person too. I was surprised at how big and heavy some of them were in real life!
definitely second the pockets recommendation. You want lots of separate places to put all your bits and pieces. a couple of small pockets are good too - the small pockets in my nappy bag are always filled with spoons, hair clips, packets of tissues, paper soap, hand sanitiser etc etc. I have a Kapoochi mini backpack - not that I'm going all out to recommend that one - it suits my needs perfectly but there is some great variety in nappy bags these days so lots to choose from. I just mention it because the size of that one is fine for us. Even for twins and when I had 3 in nappies (which I did up until a few months ago). You do need a large-ish bag - but at the same time, the smaller the bag you can use, the better. I'm not a fan of these enormous, suitcase-like bags you see some places. Especially as you don't always have a pram to hang it off so you'll be carrying it sometimes too. At least that's my opinion. I also love the backpack feature of mine. nice to be able to give it to DH to carry on his back when we're not using the pram.
I think it's worth spending a bit of money on it as you'll be able to continue using it if you have another bub - I have been using mine for 3 years now - it goes everywhere with me - even if we're just going out for a little while, I leave it in the car in case of unexpected accidents etc! Of course, since work is buying it for you, you don't need to worry about that. Yay!
kyles - I'll second that using cloth in the tropics is very effective. I'm in Cairns too, and I initially thought the same as you, that cloth would contribute to nappy rash or over-heating here, but have been using cloth successfully. There seems to be quite a high proportion of cloth users up here - as an example, about 60% of my mum's group use cloth full time. There are many good stay-dry fabrics and this helps immensely. Not trying to convince you away from using sposies if there are other reasons that you'd prefer to use them, but just letting you know that cloth can be used successfully in the tropics in case that it's the only reason that you've decided not to.
Another thing to think about with a nappy bag is how you think you'll be getting around. Will you be driving a lot, or walking/using public transport, or predominately using a pram or using a baby carrier. Will the trips away from home be mostly short, or will you be away from the house for an entire day (for example).
If you mostly drive, and can leave the bag in the car, or clip it to the pram, or won't have to carry it for extended periods, then a 'kitchen sink' type bag is an option - the type of bag that fits everything - but remember that 'everything' will weigh a ton, so you can just throw a nappy, some wipes etc into your handbag or a smaller bag when you duck into the shops and leave the main bag in the car. I have an Isoki - it is a typical kitchen sink bag - huge, great quality, but quite uncomfortable to actually carry.
If you plan to be out and about a lot, or to use a baby carrier more than a pram, a messenger type bag or back-pack style can be useful - something that is comfortable to carry, and not too heavy. Even though they are not specifically designed as nappy bags, Crumpler bags make great nappy bags if you are out and about alot or baby-wear. There are also some good WAHM bags, and the Onbag is a bag specifically designed to complement babywearing (a WAHM based in the UK). The pattern is available online if you sew, or she does custom orders.
What makes a good Nappy Bag / Baby Bag?
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I use modern cloth and because most houses in the tropics have ceiling fans in every room you can hang them under a fan on a wet day and they will be dry within a couple of days 
A machine washable handbag would be ok too, but then you need something that can fill the gap when you need to wash it.
I did A LOT of research before I made my mind up though. The things I found really important were:
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