Friday, January 02, 2009

Shopping Dilemmas: Which diaper bag do I buy?

For the past few days, C and I have been discussing baby purchases. We kept most of the things we used for Wild Man--or at least the ones he enjoyed. We have an infant car seat and stroller, a bouncy seat, two boppies (we lived in a two story town house when he was born, and with two, I didn't have to haul one up or down stairs; now that we're in a town house again, I'm so glad we have two), an activity mat and center, lots of infant toys, and an assortment of gender-neutral clothes as well as lots of Wild Man's clothes. We don't need to buy much: some bottles, breast pump accessories (I kept my breast pump), swaddling blankets (Wild Man wore his out), a Baby Bjorn (ditto for that), and some other minor things. I am seriously considering a co-sleeper as Wild Man ended up sleeping with us for the first six months of his life, but I think I can buy one second hand. Our biggest expense thus far won't be for Z but for Wild Man as we've decided to get him new furniture and let Z use his crib and dresser/changing table. Our reasoning behind this is that the nursery furniture is not top quality and is showing some signs of wear. I'd rather spend the money on decent futuniture that Wild Man can use for a while and then do the same when Z outgrows the crib/toddler bed.

There is one thing I definitely want to buy and that is a new diaper bag. I've used the one I got for Wild Man practically every day for two years, and while it is still in good shape, it is stained and a bit small for two kids. While I intend for Wild Man to be fully potty trained by the time Z is born, I will still want to carry some snacks and wipes for him with me. I want a bigger, more stylish diaper bag. I've found two that I like. One is a Mia Bossi bag which is fabulous; my friend Megs has one, although not this particular style, and she loves it. It is a very pricey, although I could use it after i stopped using it as a diaper bag if I purchased the laptop insert. I really love this bag, but I have to admit I'm not sure any diaper bag is worth $180. The other that I like is made by Kalencom, and while I don't love it, I do like it quite a lot. It is a more reasonable $70. While I doubt I'd use this after I stopped needing a diaper bag, I'm sure I'd carry this for at least two years, and for that length of time, I could easily justify $70. C, frankly, is no help. He reasons that $180 isn't that much for a bag that I'd carry almost every day for two years, and more if I spent an additional $70 for the laptop insert. Of course this is the same man that bought me a pink Juicy Couture bag on ebay one year for Christmas. He knows I love a trendy handbag, and as I don't spend money on much else, he really doesn't care if I spend money one a bag as long as it is one I will use (granted, I've bought myself 3 "expensive" bags in the past 2 years, and the most expensive was $65!). So I'm currently debating whether I indulge myself with the truly fabulous bag or whether I buy the cute bag. Of course, knowing me, I'll keep looking rather than make a decision.

5 comments:

supadiscomama said...

I vote for the splurge, of course :)

Lilian said...

Hmmm, you know, I have a suggestion -- I don't think you need to buy the 70 dollar insert if you don't mind not being all matchy -- you can buy a generic kind of laptop insert. Doesn't that make sense? Or is this insert really amazingly great? (maybe it is)...

What I think is, consider that this is your second baby, who won't get a lot of new things and both him and you deserve something nice, don't you? :-)

M said...

Great point, Lilian. I actually have no way to determine what the inside of the bag looks like, other than seeing my friend's, which is a different style than the one I like. Not knowing what the interior looks like is a big deterrent from purchasing the bag. I've been doing some more looking today, and it seems that I will have to spend $70 or more to get an attractive diaper bag, so I think I will just set a price limit and buy one I really like!

Anonymous said...

Please remember that your friends here in Southwest Town want are eagerly awaiting a wish list for you and Z! So please don't buy too much! Leave the good stuff for us!!!

Anonymous said...

Get what you like! How many times in your life do you buy a diaper bag? And (I can always find ways to justify things) this bag will probably be in a lot of your photographs for the next few years.