MAMA PICKS: Best Diaper Bags

There are certain parts of motherhood that you just cannot escape. One is baggage. We all have to carry around stuff for our kids. Diapers, wipes, sippy cups, snacks, spare toys, yada yada yada. One thing that makes me happy is to have a diaper bag that helps me feel equipped and organized on the go. But, have you noticed all the choices these days? There are a lot to choose from. So, we did some investigating and narrowed the list down just a bit, broken down by categories. All the bags on this list are ones that we have held, carried around, and tested on the go with our kids! We hope that if you are in the market for a new bag, this will help. We feel pretty strongly about promoting "Responsible Consumerism". We think that some products are made better than others, and that some products will outlast the baby stages and continue to be used after your kids are older. These are the products we love! Because not only is this kinder to our budgets to get one bag that we love, but it is kinder to the earth (every purchase has a cost to the environment in how it was made, shipped, stored on shelves, etc...).

{Best All-Around}

Sweet Baby Creations

Leave it to a seasoned Mama to develop one of the best diaper bags we have ever seen. Jenna, a mom, took all the features she liked about her 6 diaper bags, and combined them into one bag that is stylish, extremely functional and a breath of fresh air for us mamas who know that when we are out at a park or other outing with our kids, we really want to be able to find what we need in our bag quickly and without having to set it on the floor to sort its entire contents - how many times have you done that? The Sweet Baby Creations "mommy bag" is "the ultimate diaper bag to keep you organized and in style".

{here is another view}

Lychee Line Madeline

Lychee Line now has a line of diaper bags and other baby products (blankets and beautiful hand made sweaters) that are perfect for the mom who does not need to carry her entire nursery with her! Actually, they feel more like a purse than a diaper bag, but offer some pretty nifty storage options that make it a great bag for mom to tote while out and about with baby. Lychee Line is known for making sleek totes, handbags, wristlets and clutches. But, with the Madeline bag, they have introduced their first diaper bag that is incognito. We love that inner and outer pockets keep smaller items stable and easy to grab and offer a spot for cell phones, lip gloss, and, um, well, pacifiers. This is definitely a bag you will use long after your baby has outgrown diapers. To read what else we love about this bag go here.

{Best Dad Bags}

Dadgear

Does your husband squirm at carrying your feminine-print diaper bag? Does he look like he's carrying a purse? For all the hubbies wanting to look manly while caring for their kids, DadGear has the perfect guy-approved diaper bags in a variety of dad-friendly styles. Not only do these diaper bags look cool, but the functional features make this a popular options with mom, too. We love their classic messenger bag.

Diaper Dude
Diaper Dude takes the cake on hip bags in cool colors. It has a sporty messenger style, but with functional pockets that take it from bag to "diaper bag". The front has three pockets: the middle is the perfect size for diapers and wipes, and we use the outside pockets for bottles and sippy cups. One of my favorite features of this bag are the stroller clips that allow it to hang from your stroller bar for easy access to the things you need.

{Best Hip Mama Bags}

Storksak Emily
There is nothing like finding a diaper bag that you love. I mean, this is pretty much every mom's "essential accessory" when she is out and about with baby. I don't know about you, but I have always felt that it is just a tad deflating when you have actually gone to the trouble to shower, dress yourself in real clothes (not sweats or exercise clothing), brush your teeth, and dress up your face to get "out" looking like a bit more like your pre-baby self AND then you walk out the door with something slung over your shoulder that immediately shouts to the world: "I am a MOM!" We think the Emily Sak is so cute that you will use it as a purse long after the baby graduates from diapers. This bag is a splurge, but we'll rationalize it as "responsible consumerism"! You can find the Emily Bag at Storksak's website here (they have tons of other diaper bags too).

Nest Mercer

Nest does the UN-diaper bag: sleek, hip bags that will have even your non-mommy friends asking "where'd you get that?" No one would guess that tucked in the glossy, glamourous exterior are nooks and crannies for diapers, bottles, and even a changing station.

We got the pleasure of trying out Nest's Mercer bag, a glossy patent-leather satchel with suede details. This is not your mother's diaper bag. In fact, it looks like a high-end purse. I could decide which I liked more: the shiny leather exterior or the tiffany-blue satin lining. It was all so pretty. I think this diaper bag is the most glam bag for baby stuff that we've ever seen, and for all it's rock-star umph, it's actually really practical. Function meets fashion. It's a splurge, but for mamas who want to look hot, the Mercer is your bag!

{Best Functional Bags}

Loom Bandicoot
Up-and-coming baby gear company Loom is expertly designing functional diaper bags with all the bells and whistles, at a price you will love. Their bags are specifically designed to meet the needs of a mom's busy life without sacrificing style. Our favorite combo!

We had the pleasure of trying the bandicoot bag, which is a chameleon-like bag that moves from messenger to backpack with ease. This bag has a nook and cranny for every item. It seems like a smaller diaper bag, and yet we were able to fit all of our items in with ease due to the ingenious design. The bag also comes with a removeable clutch that attaches to the outside of the diaper bag. I loved this, because I could use it for my "purse" items without having them get lost in the bottom of the bag, and then detach it later and use it as a clutch.

GoGaga
Is the weight of your diaper bag dragging you down? GoGaga's Slide Diaper Bag may be the most ergonmoic diaper bag we have ever tried. The secret is the unique strap that expands to distribute the weight across your shoulder and back much like a baby sling. This bag has it all: a roomy size, a husband-friendly design, lots of pockets, and it converts to a laptop bag later. We are gaga for it.

{Best Non-Diaper Bags}

Aster + Sage
Sometimes the best diaper bag is not a diaper bage at all! 

Aster + Sage has some of the cutest bags we've seen. The recycled fabrics in their current product line are polyesters made from reclaimed fabric scraps and soda bottles. We love that these products are green and made by a mama! In addition to their messenger bags, they also offer all sorts of wristlets that will be the perfect thing to toss in your phone and credit card when you need to dash into the store quickly with baby on your hip!

Love Mert
Love Mert products are eco-fabulous onn-off and limited edition bags and clutches that are made with recycled and vintage materials. The Vida Sling Bag seems like the best choice of the traditional Love Mert line for a diaper bag, with its triple interior pockets and roomy interior. It is made of hand dyed hemp, dyed in small batches with low impact dyes, and a panel of collaged vintage and recycled fabrics and trims is unique to each bag. [Shown is Peacock and lined with various printed vintage fabrics.]

Love Mert also has a line of clutches and clutchlettes that are the perfect accessory for date nights, weddings and any other baby-free events you may get to attend (and be free of toting diapers, wipes and the random thomas the train engines that follow you around on a daily basis!).

And, get a load of this - Love Mert's fabulous creator was so inspired by you mamas out there that she custom made the first diaper bag in her line to feature here, on Mama Manifesto! She made the "Baby Bag" with hand dyed hemp, vintage fabric and vintage trim. The changing pad that comes inside of the bag is made out of a yoga mat materials and covered in a washable organic cotton! This bag would retail for $165, and can be purchased by contacting Melissa through the Love Mert site!  

DwellStudio

This "Charlotte Weekender" bag is a great example of the DwellStudio's sumptious products. It's intended purpose is to be packed with sweet little one's belongings as they head off to Grandma's house, but we think that many mamas could tote this on their own getaways. It is a large bag perfect for a "weekend" away for children or adults. We love this print, the detachable shoulder strap, the luggage tag, and the easy to wipe clean interior (good bye crumbs)!

AbbyRoo
AbbyRoo makes a cotton shoulder bag that has pockets every mother dreams about! The side of the bag zips open to reveal a mesh compartment for every item you and your kids could need. This bag could be used for multiple purposes: handbag, travel bag, book bag, beach bag, diaper bag, market bag - who knows? We think this is the perfect airplane carry-on, since you could easily organize toys, wipes, and snacks in the pockets. And for everyday use, you will never lose your keys, bandaids, diapers, lotion, snacks, juice box, toys, band-aids, or diaper cream again!