Discovering Fatherhood
Reflections on everyday daddy stuff
A Man’s Bag
When we went shopping for a diaper bag I was totally out of my element. My wife understands this realm of existence better than I do, so I deferred to her decision. We bought a black Fisher Price bag that literally fit anything we needed for the baby. The bag was roomy, but not well built so after 7 months of use it started to fall apart. Also the shoulder strap was not very comfortable which is a big deal.
We were on the lookout for a new bag and this time I had some say on the matter since I had been carrying it for months. I wanted something less gigantic, but with space in it. My wife and I went to a weecycle event that had consignment baby clothes. We found the baby bag section and began to search. I found one that was a little more rugged and my wife found one that was new, but kind of girly. We went back and forth for a few minutes and finally we picked the black Kenneth Cole bag with double loops (like a purse) and no shoulder strap. When I say, “we picked” I mean I unconditionally surrendered and my wife had her way.
After just a few days of having the bag I hated it. I couldn’t carry it. The double loops made it look like a purse and I was not going to carry it like one. So I would basically grab the double loops together and carry the bag in that awkward way a husband carries his wife’s purse. It sucked.
After almost a year of carrying this stupid bag I decided that I couldn’t be the only guy who hates his wife’s choice of diaper bag and so I Googled, “manly diaper bags”. There were lots of different companies that had options but I finally settled with DiaperDude. There were several types and all were manly looking—no purse loops. I got their black bag with the three-zipper pocket front. The bag is awesome. The front three pockets are great for wipes, diapers and snacks. The bag, I believe is made for an outing with baby that could last a few hours. I don’t think it’s the type of bag you could carry everything you need for a full 8+hour outing. However, if you are going out for a few hours and require a bottle, some diapers, wipes and a change of clothes this bag will work for you.
One of the great things about this company is that they have multiple styles of bags and they come in very cool, guy friendly colors and patterns (like cammo). If you have a favorite sport team and want their logo on it you can get a bag with it. At the end of the day there are two things I need from a diaper bag: functionality and that it not look like a purse. Diaper Dude delivered.
The one thing I did not like about the Diaper Dude bag was the price. On their website they are asking $60. I think $40 is more reasonable. This is just my opinion. I tend to be very frugal so take that with a grain of salt. I went on Ebay and found a lightly used black bag with the three-zipper front for $20, which was a great deal.
I have been using the bag for about a month now and I have no complaints. It is supper comfortable, easy to access while wearing it (very important) and most importantly—it doesn’t look like a purse.
Discovering Fatherhood 