Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This review is going to compare 3 Ju-Ju-Be bags. I'm writing a lot because I wish I had this info before I started shopping for a diaper bag. I am a first time mom so I am probably packing different than a mom that's been around the block. Also, we are cloth diapering, but not 100% of the time. We use the disposable, biodegradable inserts for the cloth covers when we want to pack light - and those things take up less room than traditional disposables. But I wanted a bag that gave me options for either type of diaper. Here is what I found. I hope reading this long post will help you save some time and return shipping fees while shopping!!! I already had the Ju-Ju-Be BFF and Be Prepared before I bought the Be Right Back backpack. I bought them at a different store (one with an amazing return policy) so I left the tags on and debated the bags for a long time. I packed them and repacked them so many times and this is what I came up with. The BFF is too small and the Be Prepared is too big. Both are GREAT bags. This company really makes quality products with excellent organization! Let me tell you, I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to quality - I will not deal with poorly made stuff breaking down on me. Straight to the donation station or trash if something sucks. This company does not suck...they manufacture very well made products with very good material, zippers, snaps, magnets, etc. Go to their website to learn about the fabric treatment process and ease of care. (My friends that bought the cheapo bags are now drooling over the Ju-Ju-Be quality.) So I loved both bags and I really wanted to keep them. But I couldn't get past the BFF just being a little too small (and I'd have to have a second bag with me)...and the Be Prepared is super huge and I felt like I was carrying a suitcase. BFF: This bag is really awesome. The organization is surprisingly smart. The inside pockets look small but they hold tons. You can fit a full size wipes pack in any of the four large interior pockets (but you can't fill all pockets that much at the same time). The smaller back interior pockets with the zippers are smaller than the open pockets but still hold quite a lot of little stuff like bibs, socks, Boogie Wipes or whatever kind of little stuff you carry around. The front interior zipper pocket is long and shallow. I kept putting my nursing cover in that pocket...anything bigger would bulge into the front "mommy pocket" and make that space smaller. The outside pockets are insulated and hold a baby bottle or water bottle...I have a Kleen Kanteen 27 or 28 oz bottle and it did fit in that pocket but it stuck out a lot because its really tall...I didn't like that (if I was keeping the BFF bag I'd have to get smaller water bottle, and I didn't like that because I drink tons of water). If you load up all the inside pockets you don't have a whole lot of room left for the diapers and blankets etc. The main compartment leaves much to be desired as far as space...if you're running to the coffee shop with your girlfriends and going home you'll be fine...but you cannot pack for a whole day in here. The "mommy pocket" on this bag is well organized but I found it a little too small. I needed to fit all of my personal items in there because there was no room in the main part of the bag. I don't carry that many things for myself: a wallet, coin purse, pen, chap stick, tiny hand lotion, cell phone, eye drops and extra pair of contact lenses. I could not fit all that in the mommy pocket even when I put my cell phone in the separate little cell phone pocket. My take on this bag: Its wonderful if you pack really light. I was not even trying to get cloth diapers in there and it was still tight. If you don't need burp clothes and a blanket and an extra outfits you'd be fine...maybe a mom with one toddler that is past the bottle stage. I'm bummed that it didn't work because I really wanted to keep it. It really is a cute bag. BE PREPARED: This bag is the mother ship! Its very much like the BFF but way bigger. I was thinking of using it for our overnight or weekend bag...if i were to pack this one like the baby's suitcase, and use the Be Right Back backpack like normal when were out of town I'd have everything I needed in those two bags for a weekend. However, for normal daily use, the Be Prepare is a mammoth and I don't want to lug it around with me while I'm trying to hold my baby...it would fit all my cloth diapers and the kitchen sink...but its over kill for me with one infant. I might keep this wonderful big bag anyway for weekend trips because we do a lot of those and I think its cool that they match...baby luggage :) BE RIGHT BACK: This backpack is super cool. It is very different from the other two bags. It's almost perfectly in the middle of the 2 other sized bags. It has way less of the small inside pockets. Really only 2 big pockets on inside and 2 on outside (plus mommy pocket and 2 outside bottle pockets). I do not mind at all that it has less pockets because I keep most of my really tiny stuff in the Ju-Ju-Be accessory bags. If you have a small bag/pouch and don't know where to put it...stick it in the mesh zipper pouch. This bag is comfortable to wear - definitely more comfortable than the BBF backpack straps even though I loaded it with more items (I think that is because the bag is longer so it sits on your back differently). I have a bad back from a car accident so comfort is something I really pay attention to. This bag is easy to get in and out of. It opens flat, like a suitcase, so no digging for stuff. Its shaped like a traditional backpack but I don't feel like I'm back in college when wearing it because the prints get big style points. To give you an idea of the space, here is how I pack it up: I have my breast feeding cover and 6 disposable breast pads in the front pocket with room to spare. Mommy pocket fits all my personal items that I listed above with room to spare. Side bottle pockets are deeper, and my tall water bottle that was too big for BFF fits great in this bag. I have easy access burp clothes in the other bottle pocket because I am still breast feeding (large baby bottle or sippy cup would fit easily). The pocket on the top, by the grab handle, is super useful. Right now I am using it for all my different kinds of small wipes packs: face wipes, paci wipes, anti bac wipes, hand sanitizer gel, etc. they all fit. You could use that spot for so many different things that you want easy access to. The side zipper compartment for the changing pad is very smart. Its so out of the way. I have the pad that came with it in there now and a pack of sanitizing wipes for public bathroom changing table. I'll need a bigger pad when baby grows but you could fit a massive pad in there...or magazines, or change of clothes, or blanket, or iPad, or anything flat and you really can't even tell that you filled it up...its very comfortable against your back while you wear the bag. Inside the bag in the zipper mesh pocket I have a large receiving blanket, two changes of 0-3 month clothes, 2 socks and 2 bibs. In the back mesh pocket I have a Be Mine (packed as a first aid kit) and a similar sized bag with a little mom-fresh-up kit I put together for when I have baby puke in my hair and I look like a mess...kinda a get it together and look normal kit. (I never could have fit that kit in the BFF and now that I have it I think its important to have somethings for yourself so you don't feel yucky). Those items never leave the bag without getting restocked. Aside from what I just listed, in the main inside compartment I can fit 2 large burp cloths, and 2 Be Quick bags (one filled with baby items, the other filled with my disposable diaper inserts for when I don't want to bring cloth diapers), a full Fuel Cell cooler, and baby's favorite lovey. When I do want to carry my cloth diapers I ditch the fuel cell and the Be Quick with the disposables in it. I can then fit my cloth diaper pouch (the pouch I use is big and could fit 4 full size AIO diapers, 8 cloth wipes, wipe spray, a thin changing pad, and wet bag - so it takes up a lot of space)...then I can still fit the Be Quick with the baby items, the burp cloths, the lovey, a little bag with teethers, and my Rock'n Baby sling. So, the Be Right Back fits tons! And it works wonderfully if you just put a few things in there. I'm sure I'll be packing differently as my baby's needs change. But for now, with an infant, this bag has got me covered for all day in cloth diapers or all day in disposables with a big packed lunch for mom and dad. It also still works great to pack it light for a shorter trip...I just haven't gotten to where I can pack light all the time personally. The bag is very versatile as far as what you can take with you. Where it is not versatile is carry style. Its a backpack...if you don't like backpacks keep shopping. All the Ju-Ju-Be accessories are made to fit into the main bags. I highly recommend getting the accessory bags so you can organize yourself and know that your stuff will always fit in your main bag. Using the smaller bags to organize makes it SO very easy to switch from bag to bag without leaving anything behind on accident. I love the organization! There are a few things that are kinda vanishing from the companies website...I think they are revamping a few designs because they are running out of some of their most popular accessories...I expect to see them come back with a newly added pocket or zipper or something. Ju-Ju-Be is good about having lots of print selections to choose from. I do find a lot of the prints too feminine for my taste, which is why I love the Royal Envy print...honestly, if that Be Prepared bag I have was a different print I'd just return it and buy that bag again later when I really need it...but Royal Envy is discontinued and I really don't want to part with it knowing it won't be available later. If you are new to this company know this...once you pick out your main bag, if you want to load up on accessories that match you better not wait too long. I can't believe how fast they sell out - then the print is discontinued and you are left to sadly troll Ebay looking for the pieces you want. Just buy them when you get the main bag. They are worth it, and everything from this company has great resale...there are FB groups devoted to buy, sell, trade Ju-Ju-Be stuff. (Side note: This bag is has a very sporty look. Great for normal days running around. I also bought a Nest, Dexter diaper bag for dressy occasions. That bag is very different from this one and it's awesome too but I haven't reviewed it. And that bag fits all the Ju-Ju-Be accessory bags that I love. I mentioned my husband as a men's diaper backpack. It's the Quicksilver Daddy Day Bag. Great man bag!) I was going to proof read and spell check but after writing all this I'm over it! Sorry for any typos. Really hope this helps you.