Carter's Pop Floral Tote Diaper Bag vs J.J. Cole Method Stroller Bag vs Gap Bella Tuno Diaper Bag

Carter's Pop Floral Tote Diaper Bag:
Price: my bag is no longer on BRU website but you can find it on other sites for $25-$30

Mine is very similar to the picture except it's all brown. I basically wanted something neutral in color that was easy to keep clean and has many pockets. This bag has 6 pockets on the outside, 1 zip compartment on the inside, and a divider in the inside creating 2 large compartments, and it zips shut. It also comes with a changing pad and an accessory pouch. Overall I really like it. It's a nylon material, so it's very easy to just wipe clean. The only problem I have is that sometimes the straps will slide off my shoulder and the bag will fall down to my elbow. This can be a pain when I'm carrying my son in my other arm. I think next time I will go for more of a messenger-style bag or possibly even a back-pack style.

Would I Recommend: Sure. It's been a great bag. If you're looking for a tote-style diaper bag, this one is great.

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J.J. Cole Method Stroller Bag:
Price:$49.99

This diaper bag was purchased as "ryan's" diaper bag. I (Alicia) had picked out my own more girly bag (see below), so Ryan and I headed over to BRU to find one that he would be comfortable carrying around when it's just him and Jude (if you ask Ryan though, he'll never admit that he 'tried on' a variety of bags to find the perfect one).

Pros:

- made of a very durable (gender neutral) nylon material

- ooddles of pockets for storing multiple items inside and out of the bag

- perfect size for a quick trip out and about (not good for a full day trip)

- we have used it for purposes other than a diaper bag. It does not look very baby-ish so was perfect to tote things around on our own personal day trips.

- came with a changing pad (we didn't know this though and purchased our own changing pad)

- has attachments to easily hook to a stroller

- messenger bag style makes for easy access into the bag while holding baby

Cons:

- on the smaller side of diaper bags so not good for long trips

Would I Recommend: Yes. If you won't be gone for long day trips, this is a great bag.

Gap Bella Tuno Diaper Bag:
Price: $69.99

I saw this bag while shopping around Gap Maternity and just HAD to have it. So, of course, I got it. It came in two color options (brown and green and blue and pink) and looked rather large.

Pros:
- Large enough to fit four (cloth) diapers, a changing pad, extra clothes, toys, sun block and much more.
- Very attractive! (in my opinion)
- I have it in the brown and green, so it’s pretty neutral and doesn’t “clash” with a lot of stuff.
- Wide straps spread the weight out on the shoulder, so it doesn’t weight you down
- Top can tie closed with ribbon, but doesn’t zipper for easy access into the bag.
- Large pockets on the outside for mom’s personal items or other supplies

Cons:
- Didn’t come with a changing pad or anything - I had to purchase these items separately (and for the price of the bag, I feel it should have had something)
- The shape of the bag is designed so it’s wider on the bottom than the top. It’s convenient for stacking items inside, but makes it more difficult to get things OUT of the bag.
- Shoulder style bag in general makes it more difficult to get things in/out with baby in your arms

Would I Recommend: I’m torn. Part of me says no, but part of me says yes. I carry this bag more often than our black messenger bag, but that’s mostly because of looks (and it’s usually prepacked). In general I love it, but I would also recommend that you look around at other options, try them on and think of the items you might be carrying with you on a regular basis and how easy it is to get in and out of the bag you’ve chosen before selecting one.

Nursing Tank Tops and Bras

Alicia's Take:

I purchased 3 glamour mom nursing tanks from BRU ($19.99) before Jude was born and basically I rotated them for the first couple weeks or so of Jude’s life. I loved them. Since I was only wearing yoga pants, cotton skirts, etc. for the first week or so, they went great. I’d toss a ribbed tank top over it and was set. I loved them so much that not too much later I went out and bought a few more from Destination Maternity (I believe I have about 5 now in gray, black and white). They were the same style and brand. While out on maternity leave they were perfect. If I was out and needed to nurse, I didn’t have to worry about my exposed stomach area. Plus it was warm and not having to wear an actual bra reduced the number of layers.

For me, they were a pretty decent fit. I will say that they don’t offer the best support, but considering you’re being held up by a combination of cotton and elastic, I guess you can’t expect the best. I would say the support they offered was no different than what you’d get from any other shelf-bra tank on the market (nursing or non-nursing style)

Not too much longer after that I also purchased some nursing sports bras (also $19.99 at Destination Maternity – originally purchased at Macy’s for $24.99 – shop around!) which were great for returning to work to wear under more formal clothes. I bought these specifically because they were the cheapest bras they had and I didn’t even want to face buying a fitted bra. They offered extra support (compared to the nursing tank tops) and looked decent under clothes.

When faced with both of them, they both have their pros and cons. The tank tops have less support and the ‘flap’ that opens up to expose the breast can overlap and can be bulky and show through clothes if you don’t flatten it out right. Also, the tank tops are extra absorbent which means if you leak, it will most likely show through. The sports bra however offers extra support looks decent under clothing, but the straps are “racerback” style and if you wear a shirt with a wide neck the straps will without a doubt show. In addition, the bras are thicker and if you leak, it absorbs some of it and so won’t show through clothing as much.

I’ll say that I haven’t found the perfect nursing tops/bras yet, but I also haven’t spent much time looking. Both of the options I have are suiting me fine for now and I would recommend either of them to other nursing mothers to at least get started and you figure out which options work best for you (for example I plan to get nicer bras now because I seem to prefer them over wearing the tanks regularly - but I'm glad I didn't fork out 45+ for a bra that I wasn't sure about). In addition they were 2 of the most fairly priced options I could find which allowed me to buy multiples to rotate through instead of just having one that I’d die if I had to wash.

Victoria’s Secret offered nursing bras that I’d love to try, but they’re only available online. I’m very hesitant to pay shipping and the $45.00 for these and be dissatisfied - but I just might.


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Barbie's Take:

I own 3 Glamour Mom nursing tanks. I always heard these were the nursing tanks! I ordered two from their website at $34 a piece (plus shipping) and purchased the third from a local Babies R Us store ($19.99). I ordered the two from glamourmom.com in a size large since I am semi-large chested. Oddly enough, each of the two tanks fit me differently (despite the fact that they are the same style). One of them fits me good in the torso but is too small in the chest. The second one is way too big in the torso but still too small in the chest. Even though they are too small I can still tell they offer great support and are a very nice quality and design.

The third tank, the one I purchased from Babies R Us is a glamour mom tank as well, however it is totally different from the ones I got online. The overall style is the same, but the quality is completely different (which makes sense considering this tank only cost $19.99). I purchased a size small and it fits me better in the chest and in the torso than the larges from the internet. The support, however, is terrible.

I guess all I can tell you is to shop around and try different brands. I hear target has some great nursing tanks that are reasonably priced.

Recommend: Bum Genius 3.0 Cloth Diapers

Price: 17.99 each - If purchased in a package, the price may drop slightly
Recommended Quantity: about 15

When deciding which cloth diapers to use, I did a lot of research. To get started on them, there is a significant cost up front, so I didn't want to invest in something that wouldn't work for or wouldn't get us through at least the first year.

On almost every chat board I scanned at least one person would rave about the BG 3.0, so I started there. They seemed to be a great option. They were easy to use and didn't require pins, special covers or a special skill to put them on the baby's bottom and they grew with baby up to about 35 pounds. I still browsed around more and find a few other brands that offered similar features, but because of the great reviews, I went with the BG 3.0's.

I fell in love when I got them! They were the sweetest colors and just adorable. Unfortunately it took a few weeks for Jude to grow into them as they didn't quite fit a 7.8 lb baby very well. But, by the time he was approaching 10 pounds (probably somewhere around 8.5-9) he was fitting in them just fine. Being that Ryan and I had been using disposables up to this point, we were both uncertain how we would transition to the cloth diapers, but it was a breeze. They are easy to clean, and other than washing them, they go on no different than a disposable. The short period of time we were in day care, the infant teacher agreed that they were simple.

Pros:
- Save money in the long run
- Adorable colors
- Easy to use (especially in situations where you may need to leave your child with someone who's not familiar with cloth diapering)
- Growth with baby (one size fits 8-35lbs)
- Seemingly comfortable

Cons:
- We noticed a jump in his clothing size due to the bulk of the diaper
- Need to be washed every 1-2 days
- If you're running low, it'll take about 2 hours for clean diapers - no more quick trips to the store
- If not washed properly/frequently can get an amonia odor - but can be resolved with proper care.
- Will probably be more 'interesting' as he gets into solid foods
- More difficult to tell when he has a wet diaper, need to change baby on more of a schedule as opposed to just feeling for a wet diaper.