What to Look for When Buying a Diaper Bag

Tap to Read ➤ Snehal Motkar

Choosing a diaper bag may not be as easy as it seems. Out of the endless patterns and styles of diaper bags, you have to pick the right one. We have jotted down a few tips to enhance your diaper bag purchase.

Cloth Diapers Require a Bigger Bag

Unlike disposable diapers, wet or dirty cloth diapers stay with you until you get back home and throw them in the trash. Hence, you may have to look for a bigger bag that can accommodate the dirty diapers along with the unused ones.

A diaper bag is one of the most important baby essentials for parents of newborns. It is an essential baby item when you step out with your infant. It helps you carry all your little one's necessities with style and minimum fuss. However, choosing a good diaper bag is crucial, and hence, given in the following AptParenting excerpt, are a few important factors to consider before you buy a diaper bag.

Select a Suitable Type

Today, there is a huge variety of diaper bags in the market, with the most common ones being a backpack, messenger bag, and tote-style diapers bags. All these bags have unique features that cater to different situations.

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 video. For instance, messenger diaper bags are trendy and convenient for short trips. On the other hand, if you want to keep your hands free for other work, a backpack diaper bag would be the ideal choice. This bag is good for long-distance travel, and allows the individual to perform other tasks while carrying the diaper bag.

Number of Pockets and Appropriate Fastener It is important to have many pockets to keep things organized inside the bag, but not so many that they obstruct easy access to stuff stored inside.

An external bottle holder on either side of the bag can save space on the inside for other items. It can also hold the sippy cup and baby's bottle. Certain diaper bags have waterproof compartments to keep wet or soiled clothes.

Fasteners are also an important factor to consider in a diaper bag. The common types of fasteners are magnetic, zippered, and Velcro. While magnetic fasteners may not close when excessively loaded, Velcro zippers tend to be noisy enough to wake your sleeping baby.

Velcro fasteners tend to wear out early, which can be a major concern if you are looking for a diaper bag that can last for quite a few years. Hence, zippered fasteners are a better option among all the types, because the items in the bag stay in place even when the bag falls accidentally while handling a crying baby.

Materials Used

Before falling in love with that colorful bag in the top left corner of the store shelf, check out the material used for that bag. Look for the material that is durable and easy to clean. If you want to maintain the look of the diaper bag, look for a bag that has a transparent plastic coating over the fabric. The materials that qualify for the above concerns are vinyl and faux leather.

Essential Features

Although diaper bags are made of different materials and patterns, there are a few basic features that every diaper bag should incorporate. For example, it should have wide, non-slip shoulder straps that stay in place as you walk around.

You can take a walk around the store to see whether the straps stay in place, and whether the size does not hinder while walking. Also, if you want to dump in some of your items along with baby essentials, consider a diaper bag that includes key clips, small pockets for cell phone, wallet, and other items.

This will help you keep your belongings safely, and find them easily when required. The bag should have a wide opening for easy access and visibility of stored essentials.

If yes, you will need to consider a bag bigger than the normal size. This is because twins means double the essentials, double the space required. Also, a diaper bag doesn't only contain nappies and wipes, but several other baby necessities, and hence, the size of the bag should be finalized accordingly.

Lastly, look for bags that can withstand moisture and dirt, and are easy to clean. It is also important to choose a diaper bag that can be used for other purposes even when the baby no longer uses diapers.