Best Diaper Bags of 2025, According to a Mom of 5
We tested 9 popular diaper bags and found that the best ones have wide shoulder straps and strategically placed pockets
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By the time I had my fifth child, I had accumulated no shortage of baby gear. But as I embarked on another round of shopping for baby essentials, I faced a serious mom dilemma: What makes the perfect diaper bag? Does it even exist? I’ve had diaper bags that were too small, ones that were too large, and diaper bags that were poorly designed for a messy change on the go.
I had never really found a good diaper bag to meet all of my—and my kids’—needs. So when I set out to evaluate some of the top trending diaper bags, I had high standards. After testing 12 diaper bags for around a month each over the last two years, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that diaper bags have evolved since my first child was born in 2014.
Best Diaper Bags
Unique feature: The rubber design on the bottom helps protect the bag from wear.
Drawbacks: There’s not much extra room when the bag is packed for a full day.
The Mini Diaper Bag from Itzy Ritzy was a small but mighty winner that I never saw coming. With new trim and an updated front “parent pocket,” the latest version has a few extra features longtime Itzy Ritzy fans might especially appreciate. At first glance, it may seem too small for families with more than one child. But the Mini has plenty of internal storage and strategic pockets that help it beat out its competitors. The backpack-style diaper bag comes in a range of materials, with adjustable shoulder straps and a U-shaped zipper that opens the entire front of the bag and offers exceptional access to all the interior compartments. It has two open fabric-lined side pockets that easily fit bottles, sippy cups, or adult water bottles, and keep them firmly in place.
The Itzy Ritzy Mini is lightweight, and I found it was easy to carry for hours without a rest. It includes a vegan leather changing pad that’s also lightweight and folds compactly in a concealed compartment behind the bag. There’s enough room to include your parenting essentials, with a total of 10 compartments. The front pouch seems ready-made for your smartphone, though your phone will fit in the sides as well. It has one of the roomiest interiors of all the bags we tried, and because the compartments aren’t too bulky, I was able to fit just what I needed without cramming things in or ruining the visibility of items at the bottom of the bag.
The most ingenious feature that sets this bag apart from the others is a “braided” rubber protection design on the bottom, which means you don’t have to worry about setting it on the ground. It resembles the bottom of a sneaker, protecting the bag from wear and tear over time. Spot-cleaning is easy, with just a damp cloth.
Finally, the straps themselves—though thin—are soft and comfortable, and don’t put a strain on the neck, shoulders, or back. The bag comes in seven designs, including leopard, coffee and cream, and chai.
The only notable downside of this bag is that when it’s packed for the day, there isn’t much extra room for additional things—a toddler taking off a sweatshirt midtrip, saving half their snack for later, and the like.
Unique features: Two insulated pockets (not included with all colors), and roomy changing pad.
Drawback: It’s a little too boxy to carry as an everyday bag.
Petunia Pickle Bottom’s Boxy Backpack Deluxe walks a fine line between a convenient diaper bag and one that’s just too bulky. The new “deluxe” option is slightly wider at almost 20 inches, fits laptops and tablets, and may be best suited for families with multiple kids.
The Boxy Backpack diaper bag has all the features of a “perfect” best diaper bag, including a zip-out changing station, with an additional removable pad with fabric fasteners (for easy cleaning), making it the longest changing pad we tried. It’s rated to fit a small toddler rather than just an infant, like some of the other pads, so theoretically you might get more mileage from this bag than others. In addition, the pad itself is much more plush and comfortable for children, especially compared with the thin leather of the Itzy Ritzy pad or some others.
The changing station features pockets for wipes, diaper cream, and spare diapers, freeing up the main compartment for non-diaper-related items like pacifiers and other baby necessities. The bag remained stable when its diaper changing station was extended, which was a nice change from other, more wobbly diaper bags.
Because the bag comes in a convertible style, it’s easily shareable among parents and caregivers with different preferences as far as how to carry it (messenger vs. backpack), and it easily converts between the two. In addition, you can attach it to a stroller with simple straps. The magnetic front flap closure is exceptionally helpful if you’ve overstuffed your bag a bit, and it has an expandable section that gives you a bit of extra room for a day trip. This diaper bag is also roomy enough to fit a small purse or wristlet for quick trips where you don’t want to take the whole bag.
The Boxy Backpack Deluxe comes in 4 colors and designs with sophisticated colorways that have only improved through the years.
Unique features: There’s a padded laptop sleeve to store your tech.
Drawbacks: The fabric doesn’t feel as nice as the others, and the bag may be overloaded with pockets.
The Ruvalino Diaper Bag Backpack can fit enough gear for a variety of outings—a mountain hike, a cross-country flight with little kids, a quick stop at the office, and more. Besides holding baby items, the Ruvalino can easily be used as a laptop bag (with a nifty and secure internal spot just for your computer). Its main attraction is that it’s exceptionally light for the amount of storage and height you get. The polyester material is easy to spot-clean but it doesn’t look like a cheap backpack. Leather zipper pulls elevate the style a bit, and handles toward the top mean you can lift it with ease without pulling it across your shoulders.
This incredibly budget-friendly diaper bag is also easy to transfer between caregivers thanks to its broadly appealing look; it doesn’t come off as a purse. It has a reasonably sized changing pad, two large zipper closure compartments, and 16 pockets of varying sizes. (Your main complaint will be not remembering which pocket the pacifier is in.)
The insulated bottle pockets hold a wide variety of bottle and cup sizes (made particularly for bottles from 5 ounces to 11 ounces) with stretchy sidebands, which is handy if you have multiple kids with different types of cups and bottles.
The shoulder straps on this backpack diaper bag are comfortable, partly because the bag is so light to begin with; it feels comfortable to carry for multiple hours. Some might find that the fabric feels a bit cheaper than the leather bag options, but that’s why it’s so light, so it’s worth the trade-off.
Unique features: Detachable pouches and an insulated pocket.
Drawbacks: The zippers are a little stiff and the bag isn’t as spacious as the others.
The Dagne Dover Indi Diaper Backpack is oddly heavy, given its compact size. Its sleek and modern look is attractive, and it comes with multiple add-ons, including several removable pouches plus a changing pad, stroller clips, detachable key leashes, and a washable zipper bag. All these extras make it an excellent all-inclusive choice for travelers.
But there are two notable drawbacks. The oversized zippers are really stiff and don’t easily open, especially with one hand—and one hand is often all that parents have available.
The interior features a cup-holder compartment that takes up a solid third of the bag’s internal space, which means it’s difficult to fit all the essentials compared with its competitors. I definitely didn’t have as much visibility into the bottom of the bag as I did with the Itzy Ritzy backpack, for example.
Unique features: Magnetic close phone pocket.
Drawbacks: Items must be well-distributed for the bag to stand up on its own.
There’s nothing I love more as a parent than a product that helps me keep track of my stuff. When I tested the Jujube Diaper Backpack, I could put my phone, keys, and a small wallet in the magnetic upper front compartment, which closes securely to keep important items safe and accessible. That pouch is the main reason I consider the Jujube one of the best diaper bags. It’s so easy to lose your important items in a sea of toys, diapers, and other items at the bottom of a bag.
This backpack diaper bag also features an entire panel that opens completely, creating a convenient diaper changing station. In desperate times—such as when the public changing table we had to use was not the cleanest—I’ve laid my baby’s head on that part of the bag, and still had easy access to diapers and wipes in the nearby pockets.
Travelers will also love conveniences like a trolley sleeve and stroller hook spots, and it doubles as an excellent work bag.
Unique features: Many well-placed pockets
Drawbacks: Heavy
This beautiful vegan bag can be a backpack—or not—and is easy to transfer from caretaker to caretaker. If you aren’t into the pretty keychain jewel, that can be removed, but it does add a unique touch to the bag.
The Lily Jade Caroline tote has an exceptional number of pockets, which are intuitively placed and make essentials easier to find. A parent could put multiple bottles and their own water bottle in the interior bottle pockets, which few bags offer (many just have a single bottle spot or sometimes two).
Like other bags that are leather and have serious functionality and stability, this bag does run a little bit heavier, but it isn’t the heaviest bag we loved.
Unique features: Feet on bottom of bag keep it from tipping over and spilling your stuff everywhere.
Drawbacks: Flimsier material
Diaper bags go through a whole lot—especially if you use them for multiple kids. Little wonder, then, that some parents choose to spend less on a diaper bag in case it gets ruined. At under $40, this diaper bag won’t stress you out if your toddler takes a Sharpie to it (no? just me?) or your preschooler uses it as a puke catcher on a car ride.
But the Fisher-Price Morgan diaper backpack doesn’t sacrifice quality aside from the material feeling a bit cheaper and flimsier. This bag also boasts 12 pockets—you might even forget where you put something because you can fit quite a bit.
My favorite feature is that the flimsier fabric means it’s so much lighter—and no parent needs to carry more of a load (physically or emotionally) than they already do. It also means older siblings can help carry the diaper bag.
Unique features: Magnetic closure
Drawbacks: Less convenient than some others
If you’re ready to travel with your little one, the Mina Baie Kinney Full Backpack diaper bag is a must-try. It’s also a solid pick for minimalist parents, or for those who value sustainability or are looking for a vegan diaper bag. I found the Kinney slightly harder to open and see into than some other options, but I appreciated the 15 possible storage pockets, the high-quality material, and the magnetic closures.
Also, as a parent who often travels around town with my laptop in tow, I liked the nod to working parents with the laptop sleeve included. Anything that means carrying one less bag is a win. However, you do have to purchase the diaper changing pad separately, though it’s just $12.
Unique features: A pebbled faux leather gives it a sophisticated look.
Drawbacks: There’s no changing pad and it weighs more than the other bags when empty.
This Fawn Design diaper bag is beautiful but not as functional as some of the other bags we tried—and quite heavy. But if you’re craving some beautiful accessories to offset the yucky parts of parenting, this might be for you.
It’s made from faux pebbled leather (with leather interior pockets) and has gold zippers and other hardware. But it’s exceptionally heavy, more than double the weight of one bag we tried, and it has the least comfortable back and shoulder straps.
The Fawn’s design doesn’t lend to visibility inside because it has a top flap that zips open to reveal an otherwise very deep space in the middle. In spite of its many pockets, I had to do lots of digging around to find things at the bottom.
It also doesn’t come with a changing pad, nor does it really have space to add one separately. Finally, the side pouch didn’t hold the sippy cup I tried with all the bags.
The price also might give some parents pause, especially considering the product doesn’t come with a changing pad.
Photo: Alexandra Frost Photo: Alexandra Frost
What to Pack in a Diaper Bag
Rebecca Coluntino, an occupational therapist, a doula, and childbirth educator in the Boston area, gets parents started on the must-have purchases of daily life with a new baby, including packing a diaper bag for the first time if needed.
She encourages parents to tote diapers, wipes, diaper rash or barrier cream, bottles, formula or breast milk, sometimes a breast pump, and a change of clothes for both the newborn and parent (for when you find your shirt covered in spit-up unexpectedly).
“It’s always nice when a diaper bag has a variety of compartments—for example, some insulated pockets to keep cold bottles inside or storing pumped milk if needed,” Coluntino says. She’s also a fan of fold-out changing table pads, which can come in handy when a public bathroom has no changing table.
Which Diaper Bag Is the Most Comfortable to Carry?
Parents should prioritize the style that is most comfortable for them, whether it’s a backpack, a messenger bag (also sometimes worn crossbody style), a tote, or one that converts to multiple styles. Some diaper bags have smaller wristlets and pouches that can be separated from the bag for a quick trip that doesn’t require carrying the whole diaper bag.
If you’ve ever carted a large diaper bag around an amusement park or during a similar adventure, you know that a parent’s comfort is key in selecting the right bag. Ai Mukai, MD, a physiatrist at Texas Orthopedics, Sports & Rehabilitation Associates in Austin, has some shopping tips for parents focused on protecting their back and joints.
“Crossbody bags and messenger bags unevenly distribute the weight of the bag on your body and spine,” and they’re often not as comfortable as backpack-style bags, Mukai says. “Ideally, find a backpack with wide straps, so they don’t dig into the shoulder. Make sure the [bottom of the bag] is above your hips.”
She recommends that a bag and its contents weigh less than 10 percent of your body weight. “I think maximizing the ergonomics of the bag, minimizing the weight of the bag, and also being strategic about having a bag that fits on the stroller, so you don’t have to constantly carry it, would be good,” she says. Opting for thicker straps over thin ones can also help reduce strain on the neck and shoulder.
Mukai especially recommends that those who have had a C-section consider using an abdominal binder or pregnancy support belt for six weeks to three months after delivery to prevent pressure and stretching while using a diaper bag.
If you do opt for a backpack style, she suggests wearing it between the shoulder blades, down to the hips, in a snug position rather than “hanging out and pulling down.”
How We Evaluated the Best Diaper Bags
Comfort: You won’t want to wear a bag that isn’t comfortable, especially when it’s stuffed full of all your kids’ items for the day. So I looked for large, comfortable straps and an appropriate bag weight that didn’t feel cumbersome. In addition, knowing what experts said about choosing backpacks when possible over messenger-style bags, for neck and back health, I prioritized bags with those options.
But I considered more than just the parent’s comfort. When exploring changing mats, I opted for those with padding in case a dreaded public bathroom diaper change became necessary.
Functionality: Many diaper bags have more pockets than most functional purses. But those pockets have to fulfill a few needs. For example, the drink pockets have to be stretchy enough to accommodate multiple types of sippy cups and parent water bottles. I used a standard and popular sippy cup, but one that’s wider on the bottom than the top to ensure others will fit, too.
In addition to the drink pockets, the diaper changing station access must be sturdy, with enough pockets to house diapers and wipes within easy reach. Finally, there needs to be a place for caregiver items like phones and keys, personal products, and more. So I experimented with the most convenient spots to throw in my phone, opting for magnetic closures and easy-to-close zippers.
Style: As a go-to baby registry option, most parents want a diaper bag that reflects their personal style. Most of the models I evaluated are available in a variety of colors and fabrics. I also noted tiny details like leather pulls, gold hardware, and beautiful textile designs.
Size: The diaper bag’s size reflected how much stuff I was able to put in it. I evaluated the bags to include a variety of items a parent and at least one child would need. In each bag, I packed:
• 4 diapers
• 56-count pack of wipes
• Change of clothes for the baby
• Soft toy
• Bib
• Keys
• Lip balms
• 2 masks
• Continental-sized wallet
Now that she’s a young toddler, I have fewer things than before, but some of them are bulkier, like larger clothes and diapers. So, I packed:
• 6 diapers
• A large pack of wipes
• Pants
• A sweatshirt
• The Lovevery doll she can’t live without
Once these essential items were packed, I evaluated how much room I had left over to accommodate additional children’s items. I also watched for easy access to each compartment, especially the main internal compartment of the bag, because who likes digging around for the last baby food pouch bag or an extra paci when your baby is screaming?
