When my friends start registering for products for new babies, there is one thing that I always suggest.

Register for (or buy) a backpack over ‘traditional’ diaper bag.

A diaper bag served me ‘well enough’ (because I didn’t know any better) for the first two years of Clara’s life, but when Isabelle came along I knew I would need something different.

When I saw my friend effortlessly carrying around a backpack filled with her kids’ belongings at the playground, I wondered why the heck I had a diaper bag over my shoulder. And to make it worse, when I needed both hands free at the park I just threw it on the ground under a tree and left it for a while.

And do you know how often I need my hands free with a toddler? All of the time. So a traditional diaper bag is just no longer practical.

I immediately bought this Fjällräven Kanken backpack and could not be happier with my decision. It fits everything I need for both my not-so-newborn and toddler, it’s comfortable to wear, it isn’t too bulky, it’s lightweight & waterproof, and I can fit it easily on the handles of my stroller if I don’t want to carry it at all. Plus, I like how casual it looks and not overly feminine, so Tim can use it as well.

Not to mention that once we’re done with a diaper bag altogether, we’ll still be able to use this backpack!

Now, the downside to this backpack is that it is not made to be a diaper bag, so there aren’t all sorts of little compartments for certain baby things. This means that if I want to grab something quickly, sometimes I need to dig around in it or empty it to find what I’m looking for.

It’s a small hassle I’m willing to put up with because I love not hauling around my old diaper bag anymore! However, there are some great diaper bags on the market that either are backpacks or transition easily into a backpack.

1// Storksak

2// Lily Jade

3// TWELVElittle

4// Skip Hop

5// Obersee

6// Skip Hop

7// JJ Cole

8// Ju-Ju-Be

9// Fisher-Price

In retrospect, I wish I would have gone right to the backpack, because now I have a lovely Kate Spade diaper bag collecting dust. Oh well. C’est la vie.

** I feel like I should mention this is definitely not a sponsored post, I just truly love my backpack!

Do you have a diaper bag (or backpack!) that you love?!