Shoulder Diaper Bags VS Diaper Backpacks

The reality is that these days’ parents have so many decisions that they have to make; even before that little baby makes its way into this world!  One of those decisions is about what style of diaper bag to buy.

Gone are the days that your only choice was a boring shoulder diaper bag.  Hello to a world where you get to choose from a multitude of beautiful designs, where each bag has its own unique set of features and where even the choice of how you carry the bag comes into play.

***Disclosure -The links in this post may contain affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on a link.***

I am a firm believer that each of these features will depend upon your own personality and your own style of life.  But you can easily waste way too much time trying to find the perfect bag.  You can waste money buying a bag that is totally impractical.

We love websites that help you simplify this process and review websites do just that for you!  Have a look for example at the ‘Best Backpack Diaper Bag’ website, they make life easy and list the top 5 diaper bags for you.  They review each in depth, which means that you don’t have to go and read gazillions of reviews.  But before you send you that way, let’s see if the backpack diaper bag is the bag for you.

Let’s have a look at the traditional shoulder type diaper bag against the new popular backpack diaper bag style.

Shoulder Diaper Bags VS Diaper Backpacks

How Comfortable Is The Diaper Bag?

One of the most important things to consider is to think about just how comfortable the diaper bag is.  Wherever you are venturing out to this bag will most be filled to the brim with baby goodies, and after a while the weight of the bag will become heavier.

In our case, on most of the hikes, baby is sitting comfortably in the pouch in front of me and the backpack diaper bag is equalising the weight on my shoulders behind me.  That way I can stand up straight and not hurt my back on our travels.  An added bonus of padded shoulder straps and cushioned bag’s back pad and my hikes are more enjoyable.  The same goes for when you are wandering around the shops.

Needless to say, the traditional diaper bags will not give you as much comfort. It really doesn’t matter if the shoulder bag is sitting on one shoulder, or if the strap reaches over the head to the other shoulder, you will still walk slightly lop-sided.  This will eventually cause repetitive strain, if not more back problems.  Yeah, not fun on long walks.

Not to mention other things; try to bend down to pick up your baby or pop baby in the pram and that bag is going to swing forwards towards bubs.

Well, give me a backpack diaper bag any day.  Easy, comfortable and always in one place, on my back.

How Big Is The Storage Area?

Comfort and storage go hand in hand for us.  Our backpack diaper bag is always packed to the brim, not only with baby goodies, but also with some essential items for ourselves as well.  Therefore, it is important to find a bag that is big enough for your goodies … but yet not TOO big either or else your supplies will just get ‘lost’.  Try to find a bag that has pockets and compartments so you can keep all the goodies organised and in place.

As to the shoulder diaper bag.  If we are talking about space, it definitely has plenty of room for all the necessities, but most of time you will have to take only the essentials as there won’t be ample space for the extra goodies for peace of mind.

Most of the shoulder bags also only offer a few pockets … and therefore you have a problem in trying to find the one item you are after at a crucial time … such as when baby is screaming and all you want is the soother.

Backpack diaper bags offer more space, more pockets, more compartments and in the long run this will truly simplify life for you!  A pocket for the soother.  A compartment for the nappies, wipes and nappy change pad.  Another compartment for the spare clothes, the blankie and the toys.  A pocket for some snacks and some bottle holders for the milk bottles.  YES!!!  Parenting is now a breeze! Well sort of.

Not sure what to pack in your diaper backpack? Here’s what’s in my diaper bag, my personal baby bag checklist.

Extra Diaper Bag Features

I love extra features.  Who doesn’t? We all want to get our money’s worth when we buy something!  So when you are making your decisions of which style bag to buy, see if they offer these essential features:

• Insulated bottle holders – You might be a breast feeder now, but eventually you will be carrying around liquid of some sort, whether it is formulae or water or juice.
• Stroller Attachments – How easy is it to attach your bag to the stroller. A lot of bags come with extra features to make this a breeze.
• Diaper Change Pad – Does your bag include a change pad? What is the quality of this pad like?  Is it padded?  Is it large enough?
• Maybe not so essential but handy to have items: Wet/dry Bag, Baby soother holder, Wet Wipes container.

Figure out what you can live without and find a bag that ticks every other category that you feel that is essential to your needs.

What Does The Diaper Bag Look Like?

I think that the biggest plus with the backpack diaper bag versus the traditional shoulder/messenger style bag, is that the backpack one does not look like a diaper bag at all.  There are various designs; ranging from normal looking backpack styles, to hiking-looking backpacks and even designer style backpack diaper bags for those who love to look their best.  They have bags to suit Dads and most of them look just like any ordinary bag which is great.

To me there is no comparison between the backpack diaper bag to the traditional shoulder diaper bag, nor it is even an option.  I want comfort and to be able to cram everything we need into one bag. I want to be able to pop it on my back and have my hands free to look after my baby.  Yup, backpack diaper bag is our choice for our parenting style and I’m sure you will love it too.

About The Author

We are a husband and wife duo from Manhattan, America! *Waving Hello*. We are parents to three beautiful and gorgeous daughters. We only recently opened up the doors to our new little website – The Best Backpack Diaper Bags. We are firm believers in chasing our dreams and we are hoping to build this site in a business that will allow us to be at home with our kids more often.

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