With friends starting to have babies, I decided to set out on the quest to create the perfect diaper bag. The requirements? It must be cute and fashionable, must help mom to be organized and must hold A LOT of stuff.
When my friend Aimee was pregnant with her daughter, she found “The Everything Bag” pattern from Amy Butler’s book little stitches for little ones. Aimee picked a fun pink print and pink stripe for her bag. We loved that the bag had nice pockets and a divider in the middle to keep mom organized. This became the starting point for seeking diaper bag perfection.
After Aimee had been using the bag for awhile, we began brainstorming some modifications. The next diaper bag that I made was slightly larger and deeper. I made the interior elastic pockets shallower to prevent small items from getting lost at the bottom of the bag. I also added a large outside front pocket to hold mom’s stuff. In addition to the small handles, I added a long strap so that the bag can be carried like a messenger bag over the shoulder or in one hand. I also gave the bag a flap to keep the contents contained but accessible.
This diaper bag was made for a friend of mine to give to her sister, Libby. Libby’s favorite color is yellow so I just had to use this yellow floral print for her bag.
After seeing Aimee’s bag, her sister also wanted one! Meredith’s bag is similar to Libby’s in shape and size, but has 2 longer straps so that the bag can be easily carried on the shoulder, with baby in the other hand. The purple print was beautiful on the bolt and even better when paired with the turquoise solid. I just love the pop of this color combo!
Leave a comment letting me know what you think of these diaper bags. If you’re an expert mom, let me know what you need from your diaper bag.
I love the improvements! Elastic pockets are a great idea, as is an outside pouch for mom’s stuff. 2 things I love about my big black industrial diaper bag, 1 is the zipper closure under a whole messenger bag flap at the top ( my bag seems to tip over a lot in the car), also love the zipper on my “mom pouch” so my keys aren’t lost, and so curious baby can’t pull important things out of the bag. Also, a nice feature, a changing pad contained in an outer pocket that is easy to pull out (picture trying to change wiggly baby in restroom changing station, not let baby fall and not touch anything gross). The inner elastic pouches are a great idea.. I have them in my bag and they easily hold a few diapers in one and wipes in the other. Cool but not entirely necessary idea is a “paci pouch”, my bag has a pocket that is just big enough for a pacifier, so it doesn’t fall to the bottom and get lost. Also, a bottle holder on the outside of the bag keeps spills out of the bag and makes bottle easy to reach on the go (some I have seen are lined to be waterproof, others are like cooler packs). Hope this is helpful! I still need to order a bag from you
Love your modifications on this. Do you offer a tutorial?
Hi Angie! I’m so glad you like the modifications. I don’t currently have a tutorial available but will definitely keep it in mind for a future tutorial. Keep in touch!
Love your bags and I’m definitely on board with the changes you’ve made. I do agree with Jamie about stuff dumping out when it tips over. I like the easy access though. I just ordered the Amy Butler pattern. I’m curious as to how much bigger you made yours and how long you made the shoulder straps on the purple print/turquoise bag? How long is the flap? Thanks so much for your post. The pictures are great! This is exactly what I’ve been looking for!
Hi Shaun-
Thanks for the comments! You will like this pattern a lot! I made the bag about 3 inches taller and 2 inches deeper. The straps were 27 inches long each. I made the flap long enough to reach across the opening, about 8 inches total. If you have any other questions, please let me know!
Lindsey