Review: Ju Ju Be "Be Right Back" Diaper Bag

My friend Jen just had her 2nd baby a little over a month ago. She's now going through what I went through last winter as she searches for yet another product that does not really exist: the perfect diaper bag. Just like trying to find a perfect stroller, the quest for a diaper bag suitable for two kids is an impossible task. I have a pretty specific list of criteria, just like I did when searching for a double stroller. I might be a little nit-picky, but I use my diaper bag and my stroller EVERY day. I tried out a few diaper bags after Nadia was born before I settled on the Skip-Hop Duo. As a diaper bag for a single kid, it worked just fine, but for two kids, it didn't even come close to cutting it. I needed more space for sure, as well as a bag that I could throw on my back and that would be able to hang on a double stroller. Oh, and it should be somewhat affordable. I've been using the Ju Ju Be "Be Right Back" diaper bag for a couple of months now, and I'm more than impressed, it's an AWESOME bag!

The "Be Right Back: diaper bag from Ju Ju Be's Premiere line of bags is exactly what it's name implies, a back pack. The number one feature of this bag that makes it PERFECT for two kids is its size. Here's what I have in my bag right now: a camera, my cell phone, lotion, little travel scissors (for cutting down straws that are too long,) 2 sets of spare clothing (one for a toddler and one for a 7 month old,) 4 size 4 diapers, a pack of wipes, a disposable Munchkin changing pad, a very sparkly notepad/sticker book, about $50 worth of stickers, a roll-up crayon holder, 3 jars of baby food, a SIGG water bottle, a baggie full of travel trash bags, sunscreen, my Baby K'tan carrier, a small bottle of Simple Green cleaner (for cleaning the potty chair at the park,) two packets of Hellman's Light Mayonnaise??, various baby toys and spoons, and also my Vera Bradley PURSE! Yes, all of those items are in my "Be Right Back" bag right now and yes, it zips up and can easily be carried on my back. I can't get over just how much stuff I can pack into this bag! An added bonus is that there are several pockets which means that overall my stuff stays pretty organized. Everything has a place, and I rarely have to spend an extensive amount of time digging around looking for something.

The top pocket is small and it's where I keep stuff like my camera. It's very easily accessible when I need to grab the camera quickly before I miss out on an opportunity to catch my kids doing something cute. The main pocket is where all the action happens. It's where I keep clothes, diapers, wipes, etc. It zips open all the way which means that nothing can get lost at the bottom. When I say all the way, I mean that when it's unzipped, the front of the bag actually lays down far enough that I can see the bottom of the pocket. I never have to stick my hand into some deep black hole and come out covered in rotten banana or worse. There's an elastic diaper holder which I haven't actually used and a mesh pocket in the back which is holding some travel trash bags just in case. I also use the main pocket to hold my "purse." Really, it's just a large wallet with a strap attached, but I'll call it my purse. I like that I can stick my purse in here and easily pull it out on the rare occasions that I get to go somewhere without my children.

There's another zipper pocket in front of the main pocket. Ju Ju Be markets this as the "Mommy Pocket," but we all know that there is no such thing. This pocket is where I keep Nadia's restaurant entertainment. It's also the home for my cell phone and it has a clip for my keys which means that it's sort of my pocket as well, I guess. I have spent so much less time over the past couple of months digging around for my keys thanks to this pocket. When we head out in the stroller, I just clip them to the bag and they're there when I get home. Genius! The front of the bag has a little thin magnetic pocket which is where I typically stash a bib and extra spoons for little Ike now that he's eating yummy, delicious baby food. On the bottom of the bag, there's yet another pocket that comes with a removable, see-thru bag. I've permanently removed the bag and use this pocket for sunscreen and for my Baby K'tan. As I was doing a little extra research about Ju Ju Be just now, I found a hidden pocket. If you look at the bag from the side, there's an extra zipper. This zippers opens to a slash pocket which is where you're supposed to keep the special memory-foam changing pad that comes with the bag. Who knew? I've always hated bulky changing pads because I had how much valuable space they take up. This pocket has room enough for the changing pad and doubles as a little extra padding for your back. I might have to reconsider taking the changing pad away from Nadia and her dolls and putting it back in the diaper bag where it belongs! I'm also sitting her scheming about what else I could fit in there...

If you're not sold on just the sheer space in this bag, let me tell you about some of the standard features that you can expect to find with any Ju Ju Be bag:

• The exterior of all the Ju Ju Be bags is waterproof and Teflon coated. This makes them super easy to clean, and it also means that my stuff doesn't get wet when I'm walking in the rain. And, the bags are machine washable, you just have to air dry them. I haven't tried this with mine yet, but I know I will have to eventually. You can only abuse a bag for so long before it needs a good washing.


• The interior of the bag is waterproof as well. This means if there's a leak in one pocket, it doesn't mean everything in the whole bag is going to get soaked. A nice feature, but the feature of the interior that I love the most is that the linings are light colored, not black. I never really noticed until I got my Ju Ju Be, but part of what makes stuff so difficult to find in a diaper bag is it's like looking in to a black hole! Not with the Ju Ju Be. Everything is easy to find because it stands out from the light background. Again, who knew?


• The bottle pockets on the sides, which I forgot to mention before, are insulated with Thinsulate. Cold drinks stay cold and warm bottles stay warm.


• You won't find any velcro on the Ju Ju Be bags. This means no snagged sweaters in the winter and no waking up the sleeping baby, either.


• All of the hardware on the bag is metal which means it's not going to break!

So, while all of the above features make for an awesome diaper bag, there is one drawback. The bag is not light. When I first took it out of the box, I thought, "Wow, this bag weighs a ton!" So, a ton is a bit of an exaggeration, and luckily, most of what goes into a diaper bag is pretty light which means that the overall weight that you're carrying around isn't that bad. I've honestly never decided to take stuff out of the bag because I felt like the bag was too heavy. The awesome features definitely make up for the extra weight, in my opinion. If you wanted to travel with a light load, you honestly wouldn't be in the market for a bag as big as this one anyway.

One of my number one criteria in choosing a diaper bag is that it MUST attach to my stroller. I cannot spare any of my under basket space to house a diaper bag. I'm also not carrying it for an hour as we walk to and from Trader Joe's. The Ju Ju Be attaches using their "Be Connected" stroller clips which come standard with the Premiere bags like the "Be Right Back." I only have two small complaints with the design. One is that the clips are not easily interchangeable from stroller to stroller. For most people, they only have one stroller, but we have three strollers in our current rotation, and I do get a little frustrated by the fact that I can't hang my bag on all of them. I did discover today that you can buy the "Be Connected" clips separately which means that not only can you clip the Classic bags on to your stroller, you could also buy a spare set to put on a second stroller. Problem solved! The second flaw is that I cannot disconnect the bag with one hand. It definitely takes two hands. Not a huge deal, but it does mean that I have to make a second trip out to the stroller after I bring Isaac in. Obviously neither of these are a deal breaker because it's virtually impossible to find a bag with all of the space and organization that the "Be Right Back" offers and still have have the luxury of attaching it to my stroller.

So, finally, that's it. The Ju Ju Be "Be Right Back" in a not-so-small nutshell.

My official review is below. Based on a 4-star scale.

Functionality **** - This bag is more than big enough to carry everything you need for venturing out with two kids in tow. The multiple pockets means everything stays organized and the light colored satin lining means you don't have to search around for stuff lost to the "black hole" that is most diaper bags. You can easily clip this bag onto a stroller which is key for city-living!

Style ***1/2 - There are 9 patterns to choose from for the Premiere bags and 19 patterns for the Classic bags. I currently have the brown/bubblegum. It's nice, but pretty plain. I'm kicking myself for not choosing the perky perennials. I saw someone carrying one the other day and I really, really liked it. There's a black/silver version which means that if your husband is going to be picky about what he'll carry, you don't have to sacrifice all the great features. If I was getting one of the classic bags, I would totally go for the new Lotus Lullaby print.

Price **1/2 - At between $150-160, this bag is not cheap. However, I do use it every day. It's withstood lots of travel and abuse and still looks great. It's as close to a perfect diaper bag for a mom with two kids who lives in the city could want. I'm not worried about replacing it because it falls apart, nor am I worried about our family outgrowing it. This bag will last us until I'm no longer carrying a diaper bag around.

Overall Rating *** Admittedly, I haven't test-driven a lot of bags big enough for all the necessities of life with two kids, but I don't really need to. This bag is big enough to hold EVERYTHING and more, easily fits on my back, even when I'm wearing a front carrier and attaches to my stroller. Again, this product was designed by PARENTS which means that they thought of things beyond just how it looks. It's an intelligently designed and durable bag which will take us through all of my diaper bag toting years. I'm really not exaggerating all that much when I say, it doesn't get any better than this bag!

Do you like the features of the Ju Ju Be, but don't need a bag quite as big? Check out the Ju Ju Be website. There are tons of choices and there's sure to be a bag that will fit your needs as well as the "Be Right Back" fits mine.

You can find the Ju Ju Be bags at Norstrom and Von Maur as well as a host of other online retailers or click on this link to find a store near you!