Ju Ju Be Diaper bag review of the B.F.F and HoBoBe

First off my new baby Squish has been born! Having a 3 week old has taken some getting used to as my other two are eight and ten years old. A LOT has changed since they were little. Including the diaper bags and thank all that's holy for that! Of course you can still find the old style over the shoulder diaper bag. But I'm here to introduce you to the world of Ju Ju Be. Or my Jujubag according to my husband and older boys. 

(I'm not sponsored or associated with the brand in anyway)

I was never a huge fan of the old messenger style diaper bag. Just saying... It was always unorganized, hard to find things in, never closed properly with nothing more than a magnetic strip to hold the flap down and if anything spilled in it, good luck getting it cleaned out again. Ju Ju Be has thought of all those things and more. Let me introduce you to the B.F.F!  

This is the retired Bubble trouble print by Tokidoki

I got this second hand from a friend who bought it from someone else. If anything these bags have good life and great resale value. Buying new online the average cost ranges from $115.00 to $180.00 so I'm not going to lie these bags are pricey. I recommend looking on buy/sale/trade sites but be wary some of those bags or prints can cost more on those sites then you would pay for new.

Now for the reasons I heart this bag. Seriously. I'm not a purse girl I'd rather carry a wallet. Reason one. The storage is AMAZING. It has four pockets and three interior zippered pockets. Reason two. It opens from the front instead of on top and the front is gusseted to ensure things that could potentially fall out don't. Everything is easily seen when you first open the bag. And the pockets all have two holes on either side of the bottom so crumb build up is a thing of the past. Reason three.  My favorite reason for this bag... It's machine washable! of course there's a few other bags out there on the market that are machine washable. But this bag has held up great for me. 

What's in my bag? Main pocket.

1. Three newborn outfits
2. One Hooter Hider nursing cover
3. One crocheted baby hat
4. One burp cloth
5. One receiving blanket
6. One muslin swaddle blanket
7. Two Cloth-Eez newborn cloth diapers with Kawaii baby covers. 
8. Two wet bags for cloth diapers. One is in the laundry at the moment. 

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Interior Pockets: Starting from the left side and going around the back to the right.

1. Three pairs of baby socks, two pairs of mittens. A plastic baggy with three pacifiers. 
2. My first aid bag. I keep everything in there from bandages to lip balm.
3. Nothing in back zipper pocket.
4. Back zipper pocket contains my back up disposable diapers x 2 and disposable wipes. 
5. Front gusset pocket Babyganics sanitizing wipes, and honest company disposable wipes.
6. Right front gusset pocket keeps burt's bees bottom balm, honest company sanitizing spray, poo puri spray, and Paci wipes. 

The front pocket under the clear picture tabs I keep a few cloth wipes, The weird three headed white thing is a cloth diaper closure and it usually goes into the picture tab next to the tissues.

The exterior of the bag has three front and back pockets and two side pockets perfect for water bottles. A cell phone pocket. The lower front pocket has the "mommy pocket" with an extendable keychain, eye glass pocket that actually cleans the glasses and a few pockets of its own. Fits my wallet and a few nursing pads at the moment. Back pocket holds changing pad. The straps are for backpack style easily removed for cleaning. With the option of a messenger strap.

Thing's I like about BOTH bags.

Both bags include changing pads. Though the B.F.F's is a memory foam one. The bottle pockets on either side of the bag are insulated to keep bottles warm or cold. Heck have a different one on each side if you want. The shoulder straps have a memory foam non slip pads so they stay put. Made of Teflon yep the same stuff on pans so stains don't stick! They are both machine washable. And both have metal hardware that I really like.

The Hobobe:

The Hobobe in the print Black Magic with the interior print of Black Beauty. It has matte black hardware on the bag. It has the more traditional diaper bag set up but easily works as a purse. The bag has four inside mesh pockets and zippered one. The mommy pocket and cell phone pockets on the outside and the changing pad pocket on the back. Oh and the same insulated bottle pockets on the sides. 

Picture one and two is my wallet inside the mommy pocket. it's a tighter fit but works I have a size reference later in the blog.

Loaded diaper bag doesn't look like much.

But it holds a lot! Almost as much as the BFF. 

I love this bag. Although it's more traditional it doesn't feel that way. It feels like a regular sized purse. But it holds so much more. With the added bonus of the insulated bottle holders. Handy dandy changing pad uses the back pocket so the inside pockets are free and hold a tone [Not pictured is the inside zippered pocket that runs the length of the bag.] And there's so many storage solutions it's insane. I should know I watch way too many packing tutorials on youtube... The front mommy pocket is the same size the one in the BFF I can't say the same for their other bags these are the only two I have. But I hear the Be Prepared has an amazing one. I did have an issue with my older wallet. But to be fair the thing was huge and still had a spot for a checkbook. So my loving husband bought me the Be Spendy in the Sweet Scarlet print wallet by Ju Ju Be for our anniversary. And I must say the wallet fits like a dream. Same as the bag has lots of storage options and could be used as a clutch.

Why we are Cloth Diapering.

Cloth diapers, cloth diapers... Where do I begin? I feel like they should come with a warning label!

Spot the preggo belly!

Warning: They come in cute prints and soft fabrics!

You will spend every last penny on the search for 90's cartoon theme or one that matches your nursery, purse or outfit perfectly. 

Seriously, 90's cartoon prints stole my heart the second I saw them. But I guess that doesn't answer the some many "Why's" I've gotten since I said we are choosing to use cloth over disposables. Granted I still have time to change my mind. Baby is in utero. But for now these are my following reasons.

One. C.o.s.t..... Upfront they are more money I'm not going to lie. I gave myself a $500.00 budget. Then I bought the diapers over the course of my pregnancy. Spending $100.00 on pre loved or used diapers from a friend. And then off local sales and custom sites. [FACT: I only spent $350.00] There's a huge market for cloth diapers. Who knew? Over all it saves money. My first child did not potty train till he was older then the average kid. [Because, reasons.] If my child now follows either of his brothers steps we would still save roughly $1,000.00 without having to purchase disposable diapers over the next 4 years. 

Two. The environment. I use hand towels instead of paper towels because I find they are gone to quickly and are a waste of money. Why would I want to have the same issues with diapers that add more bulk to my one trash can? And the fact once it makes it's way to the landfill can take 250 years to 500 years to decompose. Then add chemicals that can burn a baby's bum and ultimately end up in our air and water supply? And logistically speaking.. It takes 3.4 billion gallons of oil to make disposables every year. 20 times more in raw materials, 2 times more water and 3 times more energy to create than cloth diapers. All eating up our renewable energy sources. 

Three. Sustainability. Yes I know I just sort of hinted on that in two. But a good cloth diaper should last you roughly 3+ years and through multiple children if cared for properly.

Four. Less blow outs. This is a big one for me but simply put the cloth diapers simply hold more poo then regular diapers do when properly put on baby. 

Five. They aren't your mother's and grandmother's cloth diapers. Though those are still an option I even have a flat my grandmother used on my mom, aunt and uncle. They have several options to chose from. From snap closes, velcro, snappies [they hold the diaper with soft plastic teeth] or diaper pins. They are CUTE! So many prints to chose from cartoons, to flowers, to plain solid colors. Worried about stains? In most cases simply put the in the sun light and they will be gone in an hour.

Six. Did I mention you can get custom prints? There's nothing cuter. You can have your last name written across baby's bum if you wanted to. Favorite characters, music, colors nothing is off the table. And the diapers are soft. Often made of velour or fleece fabrics. So nothing rough touching baby's sensitive skin. The diapers actually breath better this way causing less rashes as long as changed in an appropriate time frame.

The negatives...

The poop. Isn't that whats on everyones mind? Well exclusively breastfed babies poop can even go directly into the washer without the need of washing off. It's water soluble! If baby is on formula or solids it's easily washed off without ever needing to touch it. Then last but not least... you have to carry some soiled diapers around with you, till you get home and they can be washed or put in the diaper bin. 

Washing cycles and diaper strips. Roughly a normal wash routine requires a pre rinse then a long hot wash. No heat on the dryer or hanging outside to dry equals longer dry times depending on the diaper.  And strips can take a few hours with all the diapers in a soak before a wash cycle.

They are bulky and can still leak. What diaper is not prone to some leaking. Sh!% happens.. Bulk is another issues not all clothes are cloth diaper friendly especially if baby has a large bum to begin with.

Resources:
Friends. Brooke, Brittaney and Rose between the 3 of them have 5+ years of cloth diaper experience

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Live strong article by Amber Keefer.
Live Strong