Lily Jade Diaper Bag Review | Baby Essentials

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Finding the perfect diaper bag is like finding the perfect pair of shoes. It has to be equal parts fashion, function and comfort. My closet is full of beautiful shoes, but only a very small percentage of them don’t do a number on my feet. Similarly, I have a couple pairs of comfortable shoes for long wedding days when I’m on my feet for hours. But the last thing I’d call them would be “cute.” See? Perfection is hard to come by. I went through several bags when Liam was born to find the right one that suited our lifestyle. Now as a mom of two, I feel like I needed to reevaluate my diaper bag collection to make sure it works for having both a newborn and a toddler. And I think I’m on the right track. Let me tell you all about my new Lily Jade diaper bag!

I have to admit – I squealed when I opened the box. You see, I’ve been eyeing this bag (the Elizabeth) from Lily Jade for as long as I can remember. In this exact color. So you can imagine my excitement when I opened up the box and there she was. I’ve been on such a boho/indie/camel color kick lately. Which once I’m done decorating Caleb’s nursery, I think you’ll totally agree with me. But basically, I’ve been wanting to decorate my life with camel-colored accessories. It’s such a rich color and this diaper bag didn’t disappoint. It’s current, yet timeless. Meaning it shouldn’t go out of style no matter how many years we have babies around here.

It’s such a unique color that I’ve been stopped several times by people commenting on how pretty it is. And then they’re shocked to find out that it’s actually a diaper bag and not a purse.

Speaking of which, one of the things I love about my Lily Jade Diaper bag is that there’s an insert inside that’s removable. So when you’re not using it as a diaper bag, you can, in fact, use it as a purse.

But with the insert, there’s a ton of space in this bad boy. There are 12, yes TWELVE, pockets in this removable organizer. I’ve been trying to keep it crumb-free as long as I can. But with as much goldfish and other snacks Liam consumes, that’s probably not realistic long-term. But that’s okay, because this insert is machine washable. Win!

We cloth diapered with Liam and it was hard to find a bag that gave us room for both diapers and his milk and bottles. I’m still on the fence about whether we’ll cloth diaper Caleb – I can barely keep up with our laundry as it is. But what I really like about the Lily Jade diaper bag is that it’s super roomy. There’s plenty of space for cloth or disposable diapers and everything else you need.

I plan to do another blog post at some point with a better look at exactly what I keep in my diaper bag. Mostly because I’m still getting used to carting around two kiddos and don’t feel like I have a routine yet. But at the moment, here’s a quick run down of what I have in the organizer and inside pockets:

diapers
wipes
Bottle for Caleb (or more than one if we’re going to be out for more than a couple hours)
wallet
keys
cellphone
tons of snacks for Liam
changing pad (which comes included with the diaper bag)
burp cloths
change of clothes for Caleb

Depending on what we’re doing while we’re out, I’ve actually started putting my camera (a bulky dSLR) in the middle of the organizer. It’s safe as long as I’ve got the diaper bag zipped up and we’re not knocking the bag around. And it sure beats carting around a second bag or worrying about hitting the camera on something while I’m wrangling a toddler.

In addition to the space inside our Lily Jade diaper bag, there are several pockets on the outside too. I use the two pockets on the ends for water and bottles. Usually I have a water for Liam in one and then either a bottle for Caleb or my own water in the other.

There are also four large pockets on the outside that have a magnetic closure. So they fit extra things you may want access to and you don’t have to worry about things falling out.

The only thing that doesn’t fit in its bag that I wish could is the small cooler I pack Caleb’s milk in. We’ve been blessed enough to be giving him donor milk at the moment. We’re so thankful for the dozen or so women who have all played a role in allowing us to do so. But logistically, it does make things more difficult. I ran into the same issue when Liam was a baby (if you don’t remember, I exclusively pumped for him). But because Liam was a fall baby, I could easily toss a bottle of milk or two in my bag and know that it would stay cold because of the colder temperatures. I can’t do the same in this summer heat.

Honestly, though, I don’t know that I could actually find a diaper bag that would allow me to carry the cooler too. What I’ve found that works is only taking milk in the diaper bag if I know for sure we’ll use it in the next hour. Just so that it doesn’t get too warm. And I’ll leave the cooler in the car where I can access it when I need it. So far, it’s a system that has worked without too much inconvenience. Once late fall hits around here, I’ll probably go back to carrying more milk in the diaper bag.

I’ve decided that there’s no single right way to wear a diaper bag. I actually find myself carting it around several different ways, so versatility was also something important to me. When I just had Liam, I liked using a cross body strap because it allowed me to chase after him a little easier. But now that I wear Caleb in a baby carrier, cross body obviously doesn’t work. Our Lily Jade diaper bag can be worn several different ways.

It comes with at long cross body strap, so you can either wear it messenger-style or rethread it to wear the bag as a backpack.

Or you can wear it on your shoulder with the shoulder straps. My personal preference a lot of the time is to actually wear it on my shoulder but with the longer strap. Mostly because it’s summer and so hot and humid out. If I’m already wearing a mini baby-heater on my front, I don’t love the idea of carrying my diaper bag so close to my body. The longer strap gives me a little more distance, if that makes sense.

I also like that the longer strap makes it possible to throw over our jogging stroller for times when I don’t want to carry it at all. I’m going to be sad when we finally break out the double jogging stroller and I can no longer do that. But for now, it’s great.

If you’re not a fan of the camel color like I am, Lily Jade has this particular diaper bag in seven other colors. Of course, they have several other diaper bag styles too if you’re looking for something different. You can see them all on their website or check them out on Instagram or Facebook.

I saw that Lily Jade currently has their diaper bags on sale. If you’ve been thinking about getting one, now might be the right time!