Ju-Ju-Be Be Prepared in First Lady

I finally got my hands on a Ju Ju Be Be Prepared bag and I'm so glad I waited to get one! I've been wanting one since I was pregnant but just couldn't commit to purchasing one because none of the colors and prints available on the website appealed to me at the time. So when the Legacy collection came out this past Spring, I knew I had to get either the BFF or Be Prepared in The First Lady print. I love the simple, classic black and white stripe design--it's looks so elegant! I chose the Be Prepared because it's perfect for the weekend when we're pretty much away from home all day visiting family, so it's big enough for extra diapers, bottles and clothes. However it's kind of big as an everyday bag, especially since I have only one in diapers and I'm not cloth diapering...so I'll probably get something smaller for everyday use but for now, this is my current diaper bag. This is actually an early birthday gift to myself. I've been noticing the First Lady BP being out of stock or on back order on several websites, so when the opportunity came up to buy one with a 10% off discount, free shipping and coupon credits that I already had to stack on top of all that, I ended up getting the bag for a pretty good deal!

What I Love:

• the classic black/white print with gold hardware--simple print and looks elegant, even for a bulky diaper bag!
• the mommy pocket--great way to stay organized and keep all of my stuff separate from the kids stuff since I don't use a purse when carrying a diaper bag
• bag opens very wide--one of my favorite features! I can easily see everything and I know my husband will be able to locate things easily as well. 
• mesh pockets--I love that they're mesh so its easy to find small things and I like how they are positioned inside the bag. The pockets go halfway 
• metal protective feet on bottom of bag--so my investment doesn't get dirty and scratched up!

What I Dislike/Would Change

• The snap buttons--I hate these kinds of buttons because they are a pain to open and close, especially with one hand. I would have preferred a magnetic button. I wouldn't mind so much if they had little taps where I can easily slip my index finger and thumb through it to easily pinch the sides of bag together.  
• Also, the bag is kind of heavy by itself...3.5 lbs!
• And fair warning to those interested in the First Lady print--this bag gets dirty so easily....it seems to be like a dirt magnet. No matter how careful I am, I always find random dirt marks here and there, especially on the white parts of the bag. Definitely need to be aware of sticky little hands and Cheetos fingers around this baby...

First Lady taking up the passenger seat!

Babymel Amanda Quilted Diaper Bag

It's been a while since I last updated. Not much has changed except my 2 yr old is finally potty trained!!! I'm so proud of him and surprised that it was pretty easy this time as it only took 3 days! But more on that another time. I wanted to share the diaper bag I'm currently using, the Babymel Quilted Amanda bag:

I bought this bag because I wanted a bag for quick trips out. It's a nice looking bag and has roomy pockets on the outside which I like, but these are one of those bags that if you have it stuffed in the main compartment, it becomes hard to fit stuff in the outer pockets.

There are 2 roomy pockets in the front (big enough to fit 2 bottles in each pocket), 1 wide roomy pocket on the back of bag with snap button closure and a side zipper compartment that is insulated for a bottle. The main compartment zips open and inside there are 3 pockets on one side, 2 pockets on the other side with a zipper pocket. The bag has an adjustable strap to wear slouchy over the shoulder style or crossbody style. I normally wear it crossbody style and find that the straps kind of dig into my shoulders if I wear it too long that way. I thought maybe I was carrying too much in the bag but as you'll see below I don't really carry that much at all. The straps have stroller straps that open/close with velcro. The bag comes with a fairly good size changing pad as well.

I love that this bag has tons of pockets but as mentioned above, it's hard to find or fit stuff in the outer pockets if the inside is full. When stuffed, the bag becomes a bit bulky. Also, considering this bag retails for $110, I expected it to be of better quality. The inside lining is nylon but is very thin and cheap feeling, like if it can rip easily if not careful or pulling too hard.  I also noticed the stitching is uneven.

See how thin the inside lining is, you can see the black quilted stitching through it:

This bothers me because the inside pockets are separated by a single stitch line, so I think over time the stitching can get loose easily because of the thin nylon material.

A look at inside my bag:

I'm one of those people who can't stand overstuffed bags as it makes it hard to find what you're looking for in hurry and I hate having to take things out to get to what I need at the bottom. For this reason I don't like to pile things on top of each other, I like to be able to see where everything is at at first glance. This is actually considered full to me (if I over stuff it, it'll be hard to get to the inside pockets or anything I put into the outer pockets is a tight squeeze) and it's not even half of what I normally carry with me. Inside I have a zip bag, my wallet, 3 size 3 diapers, a pack of wipes and a change of clothes. Outer pockets contain my phone, keys, hand wipes, sanitizer and a bottle.

The insulated zip pocket can fit 1 bottle (shown here is a Playtex Vent-Aire 8oz bottle):

It fits perfectly there with a little bit of room leftover for a baby food pouch. A full size Dr. Brown bottle can fit but would make it kind of hard to easily get the bottle in and out in a hurry.

Overall it's a decent bag for a quick trip or for 1 child, I wouldn't recommend for 2 or more kids and definitely not if you're an over-packer. I have a 2 and a half yr old and a 6 month old and I can't carry everything I would like to carry using this. I think this bag will be great for when my kids are a little older when I won't have to carry as much.

The Babymel Amanda bag was purchased with my own money. I did not receive compensation for writing this review. I am not affiliated withbabymel . This review was written with my honest opinion.

Kate Spade Stevie Baby Bag

One of the criteria I wanted in a diaper bag was that it not look like one. It has to be something I won't mind carrying and goes with whatever I'm wearing. Enter Kate Spade's Stevie Baby Bag --it's comfortable to carry, very roomy and not to mention stylish. I like that it looks a lot like a purse because even after the boys are done with diapers, I know I'll still be carrying around snacks, extra change of clothes or things to keep them entertained in my bag anyways, so this bag doubles as a diaper bag and large handbag. Obviously not a practical bag choice for a trip to the park or zoo but great for formal occasions and church.

About this bag

• 2 large exterior pockets with drawstring closure (I can fit three 4oz Dr. Brown bottles in one pocket)
• 4 inside pockets, 1 large zippered pocket and a pocket for storing changing pad
• changing pad rolls up neatly and is a useful size (27" long and 15.5" wide)
• attached stroller clips
• nylon inside lining to make cleaning easy (exterior pockets are also lined with nylon inside)
• real leather on trim and handles
• 14K light gold-plated hardware 

The inside is very roomy with 5 pockets (6 if you count the pocket for the changing pad). Even with all the pockets full, it doesn't take away from the main center of the bag, which is a problem I find in many other diaper bags. A lot of diaper bags have a lot of pockets along the walls of the bag, but once their full, you can't fit anything in the center main area of the bag. I can fit a large pack of wipes, extra blanket, toys, snacks in the center and still have room to spare. Because this is a shorter diaper bag (about 9" high) it does get snug when I stack things on top.

My only small complaint about this bag is I wish there was a back zipper pocket for my phone and keys to be easily accessible, that way I don't have to use one of the side pockets that could be used for extra bottles or a water bottle. Also, this bag does not have an extra strap for the option to wear it crossbody style so I could be hands free, but it's not a big deal for me since I usually just hang the bag on my stroller.

Overall, I absolutely love this bag and recommend it to anyone looking for a purse-looking diaper bag. The Stevie bag is also available in all nylon to make cleaning easier. Mines is in the Stucco print, which is trickier to clean as the exterior is a canvas material. Kate Spade often has surprise sales on their handbags including the baby bags. If you join their mailing list, you get 15% off your first purchase. Also I've heard of ladies getting this bag for as low as $120 at Kate Spade outlets!
 
This diaper bag was purchased with my own money. I did not receive compensation for writing this review. I am not affiliated with Kate Spade. This review was written with my honest opinion. 

Storksak Olivia Diaper Bag Dupe?

I have this small obsession about diaper bags; I just can't help but stroll through the diaper bag aisle at Babies R Us and check out the bags there. Must be a mommy thing. A bag that caught my eye was the Carter's Out 'N About diaper bag because it looks so similar to the Olivia bag by Storksak--just look at how similar these look:

I don't own either of these bags, so I can't really compare the two bags in person (aside from reading the specs) but I thought I would share in case any moms are interested in the Olivia but want a cheaper alternative.

5 Reasons Why the PPB Boxy Diaper Bag Was Not the Bag For Me (and Baby)

I bought the Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Backpack diaper bag when I was pregnant with my first son. I really didn't know what I was thinking then--I just wanted cute looking diaper bag but never took the time to really research this bag. Needless to say, I do not own it anymore as have sold it. I really wanted to like the bag but it was not the bag for us. So here are 5 things I really didn't like about the bag:

1. The foldout changing pad. This seems to be the popular reason why most moms choose this bag. I admit, I thought it was a great idea too but for the whole year that I used this bag, I never changed a diaper on it. If I lay the bag on a public restroom changing table and fold out the changing pad to change a diaper, then I would eventually have to fold back up the changing pad back into the bag and that's gross. I don't want the changing pad to touch anywhere near the rest  of the inside of my bag. There are pockets in the changing pad compartment but with the changing pad folded up, I couldn't fit a lot of diapers and diaper changing essentials in there, so it gets bulky. I just ended up detaching the changing pad so I could have more room in the bag.

2. The boxy-ness. My bag was the Tea on Thames in a glazed material. It's really sturdy, I'll give it that. But it's hard to store it under my stroller because it's so...so...boxy. It doesn't mold well to fit into tight spaces and as mentioned above, it's just overall bulky and heavy.

3. Although the diaper bag is pretty roomy, it wasn't wide enough for me. This is the kind of bag where you would have to pack things vertically. I would have to stack things on top of stuff. I like my diaper bags to be wide enough that I can unzip it and be able to see everything at a glance. With this bag, I would have to take things on top out just to get to what I needed at the bottom of the bag.

4. The velcro was loud. I think the newer versions have a magnetic closure now, so this reason doesn't pertain to those but mines had an annoying velcro closure and I can't tell you how many times it woke up my sleeping baby when we were in the car and I needed to get something out of the bag.

5. Inconvenient design. Overall, this bag was inconvenient than useful, in my opinion. Once you get pass the velcro over flap, there was still a top zipper to unzip before you're able to get whatever you need to get inside of the bag. When you have a crying baby and you need to get to a bottle or pacifier, trust me, the velcro and added zipper gets annoying.

Marc Jacobs Pretty Nylon Eliz-A-Baby Diaper Bag

My last splurge before baby Teddy arrived was my Marc by Marc Jacobs Pretty Nylon Eliz-A-Baby diaper bag. The print/color I have here is not available anymore or is discontinued, but the bag is available in solid colors on the Nordstrom website.

When I was diaper bag hunting, I was looking for a bag that was big enough to hold newborn and my toddler's things in, one that didn't look like a diaper bag and stylish to carry around. I didn't want one that had too many little pockets that my stuff can get lost in and also no velcro!

I do like this bag but must admit it's not the perfect diaper bag for me. It's a simple bag but it does hold everything I need and I've found ways to make it work for me.

Here are some of the things that I love and some things that the bag could improve on if you're interested in purchasing an Eliz-A-baby bag:

What I love:

• it's a lightweight bag
• the nylon material makes it easy to clean, just throw in the washer
• wide and deep outside pockets with magnetic closure makes it easy and quiet to open/close
• has pockets on the inside of bag to organize things and a also zippered pocket
• comes with detachable and adjustable crossbody strap
• bag unzips open very wide
• does not look like a typical diaper bag, bag can be used as gym/travel bag after baby
• available in pretty prints or solid colors
• comes with a matching changing pad 
• bag is very big, can hold a lot of things

What the bag could improve on:

• bag does not stand well on its own when set on floor so it can get saggy if you aren't carrying much in it or get bulky and fat if you overstuff it
• inside signature black and white MJ lining makes it hard to see inside pockets easily
• no stroller grips...but it does have d-rings on both sides of bag so you can buy a pair separately and attach it onto the bag 
•  the plushy nylon material makes the bag look bulky even if there isn't much in the bag
• double straps are not padded, digs into my shoulder when bag is packed full
• changing pad is included but is very small
• no protective feet at bottom of bag so the nylon might get scratched up if you aren't careful when placing bag on ground or rough surface

Overall, this is a nice, simple diaper bag. I would recommend this bag if you are just looking for a tote bag style diaper bag. I hope this review helps!

Click below for more pictures!

How many inside pockets can you see?
This is what I meant when I said it's hard to find the inner pockets!
 It blends in with the rest of the inside of bag, which can make finding smaller things difficult. 

Everything inside the diaper bag. It holds a lot of stuff! Not pictured are my son's bottles and sippy cup, which I would keep in the bag's side bottle pockets.

This diaper bag was purchased with my own money. I did not receive compensation for writing this review. I am not affiliated with Marc Jacobs or Nordstrom (I wish!). This review was written with my honest opinion. 

Baby Teddy is Here!

I'm slowly trying to adjust back to new mommy life with a newborn. I totally forgot about the 3 hrs of sleep for me at night and frequent feedings and diaper changes but it's all worth it. Theodore was born on Dec. 12, 8 lbs and 3 ozs. I was induced and now that's it's all done and over with, the process wasn't so scary like I thought it would be. I had read all these stories of women who were induced about how the pitocin gave them  stronger and longer contractions and inductions where it resulted in emergency c-sections...totally freaked me out because a c-section is definitely not what I would want, but when it comes down to getting baby out, you really have no choice right? Thank goodness my labor was quick. I got the pitocin at around 8 am and had my baby at 1:27 pm. And it's been over a week and I feel great, my recovery was quicker this time than with my first son.

Theodore is a perfect, healthy boy. He looks a lot like his brother when he was a newborn. My 2yr old son is a terrific big brother as well. When Teddy cries, he gives the pacifier or bottle to me to give to Teddy. One day I was sucking out some boogers from Teddy's nose with the aspirator and Alex was crying because I guess he thought I was hurting his brother (Teddy does not like getting his nose cleaned). He actually took the aspirator away from me and said 'no' with the saddest look on his face.  What a caring little boy I have! My two little boys. I wonder what kind of trouble they'll get in to together when they are older :)