Pick out the word that doesn’t belong: geek, star wars lover, tomboy, sports fanatic, handbag aficionado. Surprisingly enough all those words apply to me; yes, even the handbag aficionado. I love cute bags, no matter what the brand name. I even have a few Coach bags stashed in my closet. I faced pregnancy with a brave face – no more cute shoes, very few cute clothes, me ending up looking like a beached whale… but heck if I was going into motherhood with an ugly diaper bag. I looked at the assortment of diaper bags at Target and Babies r Us with a growing sense of horror. The images of beloved children’s characters (Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse) was enough to make me want to run out screaming… while the vinyl bags striped with every primary color imaginable gave me the shakes. No offense if that’s your cup of tea, but the image of me being stranded in unfashionable hades for the rest of my life simply because I became a mom was too much for my pregnant mind to accept. Thankfully manufacturers are starting to realize that many moms-to-be don’t want to be stuck with kiddy plaid or cartoon characters for the rest of their adult lives, and thus are starting to make trendy bags that will satisfy even the staunchest fashionista.

The Wendy Bellissimo Chocolate “Love” Diaper Bag is one of these bags. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it in Babies R Us. I was in full registry mode and immediately pointed the gun… Bang. Now all I had to do is hope that someone bought it for me.

Oh my cute, non-plaid, anti-Disney character bag… How I love thee, let me count the ways…

Seeing as how I’m writing this review, it is a prudent assumption that one of my friends ponied up the $70 price tag and bought the bag. This is a Toys R Us exclusive item, so don’t bother looking anywhere else. One big problem is the fact that Babies/Toys R Us don’t stock all diaper bags all the time – my friend lucked out on the last Chocolate Brown Diaper Bag in the Orlando area. Since then I’ve seen it only sporadically around town (as in once or twice). If you want this bag, your best bet is to go to http://www.babiesrus.com and purchase it there.

Ok, so what does the bag look like? It is a large, brown faux-suede bag with a few rosy-pink accents. The interior of the bag is chocolate nylon and the hardware is a kind of antique brass. The word “love” is written (in cursive) out with clear rhinestones on the front of the bag. Attached to one of the sides is a small, heart-shaped photo holder so you can proudly show off your little one. This Chocolate Diaper Bag also comes with the standard, vinyl changing pad that has its own separate enclosure on the back. The changing pad is easily cleaned by just wiping it down with some soap and water. The faux-suede must be treated with some kind of scotchguard because Aidan has peed on the darn bag twice and it just beads up and rolls right off. I didn’t even need to wipe the fabric down because it left no wetness at all. It is an “over-the-shoulder” style meaning you can’t sling it across your body… the straps aren’t long enough for that. The dimensions are approximately 19” L X 14” W X 12” H.. This bag is HUGE. I honestly cannot believe the amount of crap I can store inside this diaper bag (this is both a good and bad thing). I think there are around 20 different compartments inside this bag and the vast majority of them are labeled. This is a fantastic feature for OCD organizers because you’ll know exactly where you put everything. If you’re like me, however, you just throw stuff wherever and forget exactly where you put it. The bag even comes with a checklist so you know what’s in your bag at all times. Since this bag has so many enclosures I’m going to list them for you below:

**Two small, magnetically sealed enclosures on the front of the bag. These are great for throwing makeup, a small camera or any medications. The magnets are strong so you don’t have to worry about anything falling out.

**Two pockets on each side of the bag (each has an elastic top) that hold bottles of any kind (whether your water bottle or the baby’s bottle).

*The small compartment on the back (also magnetically sealed) stores your changing pad so you don’t have to put it in with everything else.

The actual bag itself has three main compartments, each has a large open area in the middle while the sides are lined with various pockets and pouches:

**The first compartment is magnetically sealed. Inside it has: one large zippered, one elastic and three medium to small open pouches. They are labeled with “hot mama” and images for keys and a cell phone. The elastic pocket is good for bottled water and there is a small open compartment that perfectly fits a pen or two. The zippered one can be used for makeup or a smaller wallet.

**The middle compartment is zippered. This area is meant for your baby’s items, though I like to throw my wallet in here as well (since it’s too large to fit in the other zippered compartment). Inside it has: one very large zippered, four large elastic and three medium open pouches. The pouches are labeled for diaper crème, diapers, bottles, sippie cup, wipes, extras and etc.

**The back compartment is magnetically sealed. Inside has three medium to large open pouches, two of which are labeled “Tombella.” I guess that’s some sort of pacifier attachment that you can purchase separately – I never bothered to find out more.

So, what do you like best about this bag??

I love how roomy it is. I can fit so much inside this bag that I never have to worry about bringing along extra bags if I’m away for longer than an hour or so. Let me give you a list of what I can fit in here: diaper crème, Vaseline, medications, makeup, wallet, keys, cell phone, two baby bottles, bottle of water, sippie cup, three sets of clothing, bibs, solid food, pacifiers, cotton balls, qtips, box of wipes, bottle of baby powder, toys, books, a camera, hand cleaner, alcohol wipes, bandaides, sunblock, mosquito repellant and a few other odds and ends… Seriously, you could leave home for a day or two and just carry this bag. In addition, I like the security this bag this bag affords. Many of the enclosures are zippered, allowing you to store valuable items in safe places and the magnetic enclosures are very powerful – they keep the bag closed. Very rarely do things fall out of my bag and that’s only if it happens to turn upside down. It’s also very well made – Wendy Bellissimo is a quality name who makes quality products. I can see this bag lasting for years without showing any hardcore wear-and-tear. I’ve used it for 11 months so far and it still looks as new as the day I received it.

Things can’t all be sunshine and roses

Of course, this bag isn’t perfect.. First off, it can be overkill. What do I mean? Sometimes I just want to run out to Publix for an hour or so… I don’t need this traveling baby luggage for that. Since it is so large, it can be fairly heavy to carry… so if you’re trying to carry a 20 lb infant and a 20 lb bag, you’ll start to get weighed down after a while. It is fairly girly as well, so men might have a hard time carrying it. Since I have the most wonderful man in the world, he doesn’t mind and actually offers to carry it occasionally… but if your man is even slightly insecure, he might have an issue with carrying a brown/pink suede bag with “love” written out in rhinestones. Also, the size can be a limitation when it comes to strollers. It wouldn’t fit in the basket under my Britax while the stroller was in the travel system mode. It does, however, fit when Aidan is sitting up… but that takes up the entire basket so you can’t store anything else down there. The straps are short, so you won’t be able to sling it over the handles of some strollers (unless the stroller has separate handles), and even if you do it will probably be heavy enough to tip the stroller over. I will say that it fits beautifully in the bottom basket of my Graco stroller, with room to spare.

Secondly, since it is so large… if you are disorganized like me you’ll just throw everything in there, cut off the checklist and have to spend 20 minutes searching for something when you need it. Seriously, I have lost makeup items for WEEKS in this bag. My MAC Lipglass was at the bottom of one of the larger compartments even though I searched the bag three separate times and even turned it upside down to see if it was in there. The same thing happened to my NARS blush.

Lastly it does cost $70 – which is a little much for a diaper bag. However, I would beg to argue that you really can’t find a large, attractive diaper bag for less than $30… in addition this is so large you can use it as a weekend bag and since it is stylish enough, you can use it for travel after the baby has outgrown diapers. I, personally, think it was worth every penny – I would have bought this even if a friend hadn’t gotten it for me as a shower gift.

Overall Recommendation

I did end up getting a very small black bag for outings that were going to be a maximum hour or so because this bag was so big… but honestly, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m someone who needs to feel prepared for anything and this bag allows me to pack for the end of the world when we’re going out for the day. The pockets are helpful to keep things organized and I feel the bag has a safe design with the many zippered compartments. This bag is ideal for long days out and even weekend travel; it’s also a great bag for those who have an extreme desire to be organized. It’s cute and trendy, allowing you to feel like the gorgeous glamour model you were before motherhood. Don’t worry too much about the brown color – you can wear it with anything. I know black and brown don’t mix, but this is a diaper bag. If you are concerned about that, buy a smaller/cheaper black bag and be done with it. Honestly, there are a few downsides and I would recommend buying a smaller bag (or a tote bag) for the shorter trips but I still think Wendy Bellissimo’s Chocolate “love” Diaper Bag” is one bag every mommy should own. .

Pros:

*Has a ton of different compartments, pouches and pockets to store all your crap
*Magnetic enclosures are strong
*Many zippered compartments for security
*Comes with a photo holder and checklist
*Brown faux suede with pink accents makes for a cute, adult-style bag
*The fabric must be scotchguarded because liquids bead up and roll off
*Pouches/pockets are labeled for easy organization
*This bag is huge and can store a ton of stuff easily
*Wendy Bellissimo is a quality name that makes some great, trendy diaper bags. This bag will last for a LONG time. Heck, you can even use it as an overnight/carryon bag for yourself when your child grows out of diapers.

Cons:

*Because it is so large, it is slightly inconvenient for short trips to the store
*Doesn’t easily fit in some strollers
*Almost a girly pattern, some men won’t want to carry it
*Depending on how much you shove in, it can get fairly heavy



Thank you to MaryTara and GG for getting the brand added -- you two rawk.

Recommended: Yes