hip mom is NOT an oxymoron

[Flynn]

Ok guys, help. My kids are out of diapers but I still need water bottles, snacks and an occasional action figure or DS to be packed away. I'm STILL using my 9 year old Eddie Bauer backpack to haul gear (the shame) and a coach backpack when I want to look more put together.

I need a bag for everyday use that looks put together but has practical pockets so I can retire my EB (RIP) backpack. It doesn't necessarily have to be a backpack.

Price is no object because I'm worth it (ha ha).

Suggestions?

[v-girl]

If you like Vera Bradley, the Vera bag would work for that. I own two. With a matching wristlet to one and wallet to the other. I'm stuck using my Coach purse for at least a year though because I bought it without permission and spent over 100 and told DH I could use it for at least 2 years.

That's all I can think of right now. I haven't had caffeine yet. Here's the Vera -- http://www.verabradley.com/product/C...3/p/154766.uts

It has 6 pockets on the inside and you can turn it inside out and carry it that way too.

[diggitydot]

Really, any large bag will work. I never once had a traditional diaper bag and only used large tote-like handbags

[Chrisada]

I use a Loius Vuitton carryall tote. This is what I used as a diaper bag. It can be cinched in to turn into a purse. Mine is the MM Neverfull, perfect mommy bag for me.

[diggitydot]

I've never been able to do the cutesy stuff so traditional diaper bags were an automatic no-go for me.

[Flynn]

I've never been able to do the cutesy stuff so traditional diaper bags were an automatic no-go for me.

So what's your favorite "go to" non diaper bag?

I'm looking for something that works with pockets. It doesn't have to be a marketed "mommy" bag.

[Chrisada]

Seriously! I am not a child, therefore my bag will not have jungle animals on it!

[Flynn]

Seriously! I am not a child, therefore my bag will not have jungle animals on it!

Word.

[diggitydot]

I think my first bag was actually a soft briefcase/laptop type bag. Lots of pockets, room for plenty of crap, but looked like a normal bag.

If I were to get pregnant and have a baby now, I'd probably look for a large hobo bag with some good-sized exterior and interior pockets. Nothing ever stays organized inside the main comparment of diaper bag for very long, but being able to easily find my keys, cell phone, a toy, and a pacifier would be essential.

[SuzySunshine]

I stopped carrying a diaper bag and I still have one in diapers! I got my bag on Piperlime.com, I just picked on that had lots of pockets and wasn't ginormous. I just looked and they don't seem to carry it anymore (I can't remember the brand) but you could always start on like zappos, order a bunch and return the ones you don't want. They do have free shipping.

[corn poffi]

Marc by Marc Jacobs has some pretty cute diaper bags that aren't too diaper-baggish.. A couple of my friends carry larger Kate Spade bags as baby bags.

Also, I am not a Dooney & Bourke fan by any means, but they are known for their internal pockets, and their new Florentine collection is actually really cute. I actually just bought one last week, but haven't used it yet, so I don't know how pockety it is.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

I have a Coach diaper bag - but the only thing "diaper" about it is the fact that it has a changing pad inside. It was ~100 from the outlet, but they normally run $300-400. Mine is brown with the small "C" - I didn't want a pink or blue one...

[Michele]

I have a hobo/messenger style bag I got on Etsy. It has sugar skulls on it and I love it!

It has 4 pockets inside that can hold water bottles. But other than that it's just a big sac. I can always find a cork (pacifier) in it by shoving my hand down and feeling around. Or a toy car. I usually keep my stuff (wallet, lip gloss, etc) in a smaller purse that I drop in the skulls bag. That way I can grab my purse from it if I'm solo, or just running in a store with the kids quickly.

[JDAZ11]

I don't have kids, but had kind of a similar issue in law school (had to carry so much crap and needed lots of pockets). I love my lululemon "fast in flight" tote. It has TONS of pockets - and the internal pockets are labeled (sometimes i think maybe too many pockets. I occasionally loose my keys, but thats totally a personal flaw - I do this with nearly any bag). And has a spot for water, a laptop (which i use now for my ipad and any files) etc. And is really durable, but still looks pretty nice (it's black so sort of sleek enough looking). And shockingly I get complements on it all the time. It's just a great everyday tote/gym bag (although I used a slightly bigger black lululemon bag for tennis).

I wouldn't carry it at night or if I wanted to look nice. If you're looking for one that you can really use for anything, I would go with the big LV tote. My LV bags have lasted FOREVER (I've been using my favorite one for like 9 years, so totally worth the high price tag).

[JDAZ11]

I don't see either if my lulu bags on their website anymore. The flow and go bag is somewhat similar to the fast in flight: http://shop.lululemon.com/products/c...tId=women-bags