baby | diaper bag

First of all, a HUGE thank you to my mother-in-law for my brand new JJ Cole diaper bag!  I love it and can't wait to put it to good use!

Even though I haven't actually used it with our baby yet, I can give you a quick review of a few of the features that I appreciate right off the bat:
1) It comes with awesome stroller grips.  These little guys are super handy and keep your diaper bag in arms reach instead of stuffed under a stroller or thrown in the back of a shopping cart.  Although they come with every JJ Cole diaper bag, you can purchase them separately here.  They will work with any diaper bag that has a way to clip them in place (rings, loops, etc.).

2) It comes with a nice, coodinating changing pad. It's pretty standard for diaper bags to come with changing pads, but I specifically like this one because it has a velcro closure so that it actually stays folded up in the diaper bag.

3) Great overall size. Some people mentioned in reviews that they thought it was a little too big for one baby, but that's exactly what I was looking for since I'll be heading back to work and taking our baby with me. The first thing on my diaper bag necessity list was something that would be large enough for baby and toddler gear but not insanely big or bulky. This bag seems to be the ideal compromise. Plus, if we decide to go away for a night (maybe even a weekend) it's plenty big enough to be the only bag we pack for the baby.

4) Fantastic pocket size and location. This bag has eight well designed outside pockets and four inner pockets. Two small zippered pockets on the front (perfect for keys, cell phone, lipbalm, pacifier, etc.), two open-top pockets directly behind the zippered ones, and two more on the back side of the bag (just the right size for a book, Kindle, diaper, umbrella, etc.), and finally two end pockets, one specifically shaped for a bottle/sippy cup and one for a water bottle/travel mug for mom. Inside the bag there are 4 medium size pockets (diapers, wipes, snacks, clothes) lining a large open compartment with plenty of room for all the things that won't fit in pockets (sling/wrap, nursing cover, blankets).

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5) I love that this bag doesn't automatically scream "diaper bag". It's actually styled a lot like a regular bag I would pick out for myself which is especially nice since I'll probably give up carrying a purse and just stick to this do-it-all bag once the baby arrives. I had originally selected a nice, man friendly, generic diaper bag, but when I showed it to Isaac he encouraged me to pick out something I really liked since I will be carrying it every single day for the foreseeable future. He even said he would happily help carry whatever "girly bag" I picked out in the evenings and on weekends when we get to be together as a family. :) While I would have been totally fine with the man bag, it was very kind of him to encourage me to pick out something fun.

6) It has stay-put handles and a shoulder strap! Not only are the handles long enough to comfortably sling over my shoulder (and not slide off!), but it has a shoulder strap for completely hands free carrying. With a newborn and two year old in tow, I have a feeling I'll be using the shoulder strap a lot.

If you're in the market for a diaper bag, be sure to check out all the JJ Cole offerings here.