Once upon a time, you were a guy that was footloose and fancy-free. You had no cares, no worries, no responsibilities, and oh yeah—no children. All that changed once you became a dad. Since fatherhood, gone are the days where you could go from bed to shower, to strolling out the door with your phone, keys, and wallet in 20 minutes or less. Gone are the days where the only extras you had to remember were your iPad or your laptop.
Fatherhood means not only packing up your child when you want to leave the house but packing up all your child’s stuff as well. Who knew kids required so much? Good thing we at JuJuBe love to give moms and dads a way to do just that. Keep reading for style and feature recommendations on the best diaper bags for dads.
How Do You Plan on Using Your Bag?
There are a few things you should think about before deciding on your style of baby diaper bag. Most men want manly, yet functional, but some styles may be better suited for your needs than others.
- If you’re the active, outdoorsy type that is often on the go, and know you’ll be pushing the stroller around all day, a comfortable hands-free option like a regular diaper bag backpack might be the ideal solution. The shoulder straps will even help for those days you need to pack extra.
- If you have more than one child and know you need a lot of space, you might try a convertible diaper bag. You’ll have more storage compartments for the essentials and plenty of options on how you’d like to carry it.
- If you know you don’t need much and just want something functional but not feminine, you can go with a crossbody diaper bag. These don’t usually offer quite as much space as a backpack diaper bag, but at least it doesn’t look like a purse. You’ll just look like you’re carrying your laptop around everywhere, which is totally masculine. It’s safe to say a messenger-style bag is definitely one of our picks for cool diaper bags for dads.
Diaper Bag Features
Once you figure out how you plan on using your diaper bag, you can look at features. Some features may be more attractive to you than others, depending on your needs. Some features might be totally non-negotiable, which helps in narrowing down your hunt for the perfect diaper bag considerably. We’re sure you won’t stop until you find the best men's diaper bag, so, narrowing down to the essential features will help you.
Functional Fabric
It might go without saying, but the high-quality material of your diaper bag is probably one of those non-negotiable features. Kids are messy. Bottles leak, things spill, you might have to store a dirty diaper or two until you find a trash can.
The only sensible thing to do is look for a durable diaper bag that is made of practical fabric that’s easy to clean. That means even though that corduroy bag looks stylish, you probably should skip it for something that’s easier to wipe down and spot clean with a damp cloth.
Plenty of Pockets
This ties back into how you plan on using your diaper bag and your lifestyle. If you’re a minimalist kind of guy, which many dads are, you may not need a bag with tons of pockets. A compartment to stow the diapers, wipes, snacks and the bottle of formula, and you’re golden. However, it’s always a good idea to look for a diaper bag (no matter the style) with at least an adequate number of easy-to-access pockets for the essentials. They can really help keep your baby gear organized when utilized properly.
Look for:
- Pockets with zippers
- Insulated pockets
- Pockets with waterproof layers
- Pockets of varying sizes
- An easily accessible front pocket (think keys, wallet, and phone)
No Complicated Closures
There’s nothing worse than fumbling around, trying to open a diaper bag with a complicated closure. Look for diaper bags that are easy to open using just one hand and that have a few side pockets you can slip into quickly to find what you’re looking for. Bonus points if the diaper bag has handy hooks and loops helpful for attaching extra pacifiers or keys.
Ergonomic Design
One thing you should make sure your diaper bag boasts is a comfortable, high quality and ergonomic design. Diaper bags can get really heavy, real fast. If it’s loaded down with a lot of stuff, you should still be able to carry it without it being unwieldy.
Extras
Some diaper bags come with extra features, like stroller clips that attach the diaper bag to your stroller, freeing up extra space in the basket beneath the stroller, and even built-in batteries for charging your cell phone while you’re out and about.
While these are nice features to have (especially if your cell phone dies quickly), they certainly aren’t mandatory. Ultimately, the best diaper bags for dads combine function and utility with comfortable, gender-neutral design.
