Best Diaper Bags, Tested and Reviewed

When you’re looking for a splurge-worthy item, this diaper bag will check all of your boxes. Technically speaking, it’s advertised for post-nursing parents and toddler-aged kiddos, but we think it could work even for the sleepy, early newborn days. There’s so much to love about this backpack—the fabric, the compartments, the storage, the chic style, and the list goes on.

We picked the medium-sized bag in camel, and from the moment we opened the box, it felt like a gorgeous, high-end buy. The material is buttery soft with a beautiful, sturdy design—and the zipper/hardware feels well-made. As every mom knows, having a spot for everything saves on stress during parenting chaos, and the many compartments make it easy to organize.

Two zippers in the front of the bag open up to the same compartment for storage of pens and other small items. There is storage for water bottles or other small accessories like sunglasses on the two sides of the bags. Two elastic bands on one side of the bag give room for additional drink storage. There is a sleeve on the back of the bag that would be useful for a laptop or a tablet if it wasn't open at the bottom.

And that’s not it: there are two additional zipper pockets on the outside back portion of the backpack. Inside the backpack is another drink holder compartment, a magnetized inner pocket, an inner pocket with a mesh sleeve and velcro tab, and two loose zipper accessory bags. To put it simply, we had plenty of room for everything we needed.

To put it to the test, we packed up the bag to take two toddlers to the playground. We could easily store diapers, wipes, sunblock, snacks and toys. We could attach our keys on the outside of the bag where they were handy—and even attached a bike helmet to one of the outer accessory hooks. When we had everything we needed to head out the door, we still had room to store additional things.

Since it’s a backpack and back comfort is critical, we wanted to test how it felt to wear the bag. We mostly wore it on both of our shoulders, but it was easy to slip off to one shoulder and grab what we needed. The shoulder straps are well cushioned, and if we had heavier items in the bag, we could tighten the straps to offer more support/less strain on our neck.

While it’s on the pricier side of picks on our list, we do think it’s worth the investment since it’s a bag that will grow with you and your baby. (It could be repurposed as a laptop backpack later, thanks to the included 13-inch laptop sleeve.) Luxurious, lightweight, expansive, easy to clean, and offering plenty of storage (including loose accessory zipper bags!)—they’ve truly thought of everything. Shopping tip: Dagne Dover has made our lists for the best work bags for women, best travel backpacks for women, and best belt bags, due to the brand’s high quality materials and stylish designs.

You’re a mom—but you’re a cool mom. And you want to carry a diaper bag, but you don’t want it to look like a diaper bag. Enter this super-cool tote bag-meets-backpack disguised as a carry-all for all of your baby’s necessities, another great design from Dagne Dover. Though you may be far away from the days you can leave the house without taking everything with you, at least with this gorgeous bag, you won’t feel like you lost your chic style.

Crafted from neoprene with cool, chunky zippers, at first sight, this bag looks very trendy. And it has storage galore. There are pockets for everything a baby needs, including wipes, bottles, lovies, diapers, snacks, toys, you name it. There’s also an exterior phone pocket, an adult-sized removable bottle sleep, a side pocket for a laptop or tablet, and interior pouches for wallets, nursing supplies, and whatever else you need to take on the go.

It’s very roomy on the inside and sits flat for stability. It comes with a fold-out changing pad, a bag for dirty clothes, and a small neoprene pouch. To put it to the test, we packed it up and took it out for a day on the town. Even after sliding my phone down in the little dedicated phone pocket, we still had plenty of room to pack more.

With the many pockets along the sides of the interior, it was easy to keep our stuff organized, and accessible. Another beneficial feature for parents is the wipeable interior since babies and toddlers always seem to be in some stage of stickiness.

The bag comes with a shoulder strap so you can convert it from the loop handles, and it also comes with straps you can use to clip it to your stroller handle. For us, the backpack style is more comfortable than the tote style since it allows us to have our hands free to tend to babies. That said, the straps were relatively comfortable on our shoulders as we carried it around.

Overall, it has a thoughtful design, offers the cool-factor and is functional, all at the same time. A win-win for mom!

As your baby grows, so does your confidence. You start getting more hours of sleep, and you become braver. Time is the parent’s greatest educator, and you may feel empowered to pare down what you take with you for outings once you have a toddler. For when you need a little less stuff, this super cute backpack will meet your needs. Crafted from vegan leather with thoughtful storage and gold hardware, we loved how soft and high-quality it feels right out of the box. Truly, it’s just pretty!

As expected, the main compartment has the largest storage space, including a nice vegan leather changing pad that matches the bag and a medium-sized white bag intended for messy clothes. The changing pad is a nice perk, but it could be a bit bigger to accommodate older babies and toddlers.

Even so, everything is stored inside easily! To put it to the test, we packed a change of clothes, diapers, wipes, a toddler bowl and plate, sunscreen, a portable sound machine and a sippy cup. It was easy to get things in and out and find things using the compartments, and our only gripe was the sippy cup was too wide to fit in the side pockets. As a backpack, it rests comfortably on our shoulders, even as it became heavier as we loaded in more stuff.

Is it a hiking backpack? Is it carry-on luggage? Or is it a diaper bag? It’s all of the above, and it’s our pick for the best travel diaper bag since it’s crafted of durable, machine-washable materials and expands beyond belief. And trust us: There’s always one more thing you need when you’re going on an adventure with your babe. The vast storage compartments include two adjustable and insulated cup/bottle holders, a padded laptop sleeve, mesh side pockets, three interior pockets in the main compartment, and more.

Our first impression when we opened the box was it looked just like a normal, super lightweight backpack, not at all like a traditional diaper bag. When we explored the bag, we discovered all of the places to put our baby essentials, and were excited to put it to the test.

We took it out for a day at the lake and could fit everything our family needed, with room to spare. We packed a towel, change of clothes, lunchbox, two water bottles, diapers and wipes. The big main compartment was able to fit bulky things like towels and the lunchbox easily. Even after packing everything, the backpack didn't feel huge and bulky—there was enough room to pack more if we really needed.

We particularly appreciated that we could pack our stuff with all the toddler necessities in one bag without feeling like we had a boulder on our back. The straps have a nice amount of padding and breathable fabric. During our test, we had to hike a little ways to get to the stream, and the pack was comfortable the whole way. Thanks to the adjustable straps, we never felt like it was pulling or pinching too much.

While we love the drawstring and buckles on the bag for the way they look and fit items, you will need two hands to open the main compartment. If you are holding a toddler or baby, getting to anything inside the main compartment is a struggle. It would be better if it was easier to open without using both hands.

The smallest bag on our list doesn’t disappoint on style or functionality. Crafted from vegan leather, it might not have as much storage as others on our list, but it can serve as a multipurpose investment, since it’s ideal for work or as a purse. When we first opened this beautiful bag, we couldn’t get over how gorgeous it was—every section was carefully packed and unwrapping it made it feel very special. (Albeit, probably overkill on materials and wasteful packaging!)

There is a place for everything in this bag, including compartments and extra removable pouches, ideal for messy clothes. There is ample space for travel-sized wipes, diapers, creams, bottles, toys and a change of clothes. And they also think of the parent in the design, giving space for a wallet, keys, a laptop sleeve and an adult-sized water bottle. We also like the hiding places in the back of the bag for valuables when traveling.

We packed up the bag to take on errands with our baby, and we found that even when it’s packed full, it holds its shape and remains chic. It is too small to hold multiples of everything, so it’s probably not a good pick for families with two kids or those who need a lot of additional storage. However, since everything has its space, it was easy to know where to look for what we needed when out and about.

The straps are also configured in a beneficial way that makes it easy to take off and on. However, they aren’t the most supportive compared to others we tested out. They feel more structured with appearance over functionality, but it never felt overly heavy and was comfortable to wear because it doesn't hold too much.

There are so many benefits of raising a child in a city: Culture, diversity, culinary immersion, increased exercise, and those essential social smarts. However, urban living usually means smaller living space and thus, limited storage. This means you need a diaper bag that’s multipurpose, compact, and highly versatile. Designed by a company that makes strollers made to cut city corners and navigate sidewalks, this diaper bag has everything you need without being bulky.

When we first opened Thule’s box, the diaper bag looked like a standard black backpack you’d take anywhere. Inside is where we found all of the parent-centric touches: Organized, zippered pockets, a drawstring bag for soiled clothes, a padding changing mat, a side pocket for bottles and a small removable carrying pack. To put this diaper bag to the test, we packed it up for a playground playdate with our toddler daughter. We could easily fit travel-sized wipes, a handful of diapers, snacks, a change of clothes, two toys and our wallet, keys and sunglasses.

In fact, what we loved most about this bag was the removable carrying pack. It’s meant to hold the parent’s essentials for quick access. We placed all of our belongings in this crossbody bag and then wore it while pushing the stroller or chasing around our toddler down the slide. It made it incredibly easy to have what we needed on hand without wearing our backpacks.

Though it is meant to be stored in the bottom compartment of this diaper bag, underneath a velcro closure, we couldn’t imagine placing it down there. Instead, we rested it on top of everything and pulled it out when we arrived.

Since it’s made by a stroller company, we weren’t surprised when this diaper bag attached easily to the stroller without making it too heavy to topple over. Even when fully packed, the backpack felt lightweight and sturdy, with room to spare. The shoulder straps are nothing special, with no padding, but were still fairly comfortable to wear for a short period of time. They were also easy to slip off to one shoulder to access what we needed.

Our only gripe about this diaper bag/backpack is the side pockets. While you could fit a slim bottle for a baby or for the parent, they aren’t wide enough for a toddler-sized water cup with handles or for an adult-sized, standard water bottle. We also think this pack is best suited for short daily errands and not an extended trip since it has less storage than others we tested.

When you become a parent, life as you know it changes. And then you add another baby to your family, and you’re faced with even more challenges. Your everyday life is full of madness, mess and lots of love, and this appropriately-named diaper bag is the carry-all you need to wrangle multiple babies. We love its functionality, featuring small designs like compartments you can open with one hand, moveable dividers, removable pouches, wide cushioned backpack straps for all body types and more.

When we first opened this diaper bag, it reminded us of a laptop bag. It feels sleek and visually appealing, as well as gender-neutral. The included storage was definitely bigger than expected at first glance. We weren’t convinced we could fit everything from my usual diaper bag for two kids in it, but to our surprise it all easily fit.

This is a modular backpack since they provided several clear storage pouches to be used as desired. We found this small detail to be a big win for parents. Several of these pouches were in different sizes, all zippered and clear on one side. They had a bit of “stretch” to them and allowed us to really organize a few things that would have been floating together in a larger pouch in my standard diaper bag. We loved it!

Inside, an adjustable insert in the middle allows you to customize the storage to fit your needs, like having more storage at the top or the bottom. We found that if we wanted to add anything extra that was a bit bulkier—like a sweatshirt or large toys—it was a challenge to get everything to fit, and we had to forego some non-essential items.

That said, after a couple of weeks of use, we still found new, small storage areas inside the bag! It feels never-ending, which is a good thing for a parent with two (or more) of everything. We mostly ended up using the “parent” zipped storage accessible from the outside of the bag.

Another note is that the bag's main compartment zippers unzip to the bottom, so you pack it up almost like a suitcase. That was helpful so that everything gets noticed at the bottom of the bag. Wearing the diaper bag was very comfortable, even when quite full. There's additional padding behind the straps along the back, which is a nice touch.

We only had two complaints: The bag doesn't sit upright independently, making it hard to access, especially while holding a kid. The water bottle storage compartments on either side of the outside of the bag don't fit a water bottle with handles. This wasn't an issue for our three-year-old since he uses a more adult-style thermos bottle, but it meant that the bottle for our 1-year-old had to be put inside the bag and wasn't as easily accessible.