I am all about being prepared for anything!  Which means my diaper bag has got to be organized, or I will never find anything when I need it.  I carried the same diaper bag for the past two years, and have just had to find a new one in the past few months!  There are five main things I was looking for when I chose my diaper bag.  I wanted to be sure I made the right decision because I plan to be carrying this one for at least a couple  years also!


SIZE - Will it fit where I want it to?

          I did love my old diaper bag, but it would not fit in the basket under my stroller!  I had no

          problem with it elsewhere, but not fitting in the stroller was definitely a problem!  So, think

         about where you will be and what type spaces your bag will need to fit.  I usually need mine to

          fit in the grocery cart, stroller, or the floor board of the car.

POCKETS - Are there enough pockets to hold what I need?

          Since I am all about being prepared I really want plenty of pockets.  The pockets allow me to

          organize my things so that I can find them quickly when I need them.  I have extra pacis in

          one pocket, chapstick and candy (for Mom) in one pocket.  One of the front/back pockets is 

          the perfect size for a sippy cup or bottle!  The front/back pockets are also the perfect size for a
          canister of 'puff' cereal.  (While neither of my children eat those, I do re-use the container for
          cheerios!!).

COLORS - Will this color/pattern be something I can use in the future?

          When I had my first child I tried to emphasize to people that I still wanted gender neutral

          items.  I did not want to have to purchase everything new for the second child if we had a

          different gender than the first.  Some people do want very gender specific bags.  This would

          also include any monogram on the bag.  My bag is brown and has our last name on it.  We

          know it is ours, but it can be used for either child (or both). 

DURABILITY - Is this something that I will not have to worry about tearing up?

          I don't like spending money.  I prefer to save it.  So, when I do spend money I want to get the

          most for it.  I have had the bag I am now carrying for 4 years before I chose to use it for my 

          diaper bag.  I have a second bag (different pattern) that I carried back and forth to school when

          I taught and it is still in great condition.  This is a bag that I will be able to carry for quite

          awhile!

SPACE - Is there enough space to hold everything I need?

          Having all of the above does no good if your bag won't hold the necessities.  Think about what 

          you plan to carry in your diaper bag.  (I will post about what I carry in mine soon!)   Lay it all

          out so that you can have an approximate idea of how much space you will need inside your

          bag.  Every parent is different, so your bag may need to be larger or smaller than a friend or

          than mine.  That is fine!  Decide what is best for you and your children!

I ended choosing a bag that I already had on hand.  It is the Organizing Utility Tote (with Zipper Top) from ThirtyOne.  Of course, when I got my bag they did not have the zipper top option...so...I may have to save my pennies and get a new one! :)  I have been carrying it for a month or so now and it is perfect!  I began carrying it just to get me through until I could find a diaper bag that I liked.  But, the longer I carried this bag, the more I liked it!!

What do you look for when you choose a diaper bag?  I would love to hear from you!

God Bless!