to still (a year down the line) not understand the point of baby changing bags.

[bluecheeseforbreakfast]

When I was pregnant I remember looking at the changing bags in baby shops and being perplexed as to why parents need these special often bloody expensive vast bags.

Ds is 1, when he was a newborn I took a bag (any old bag) with 4 nappies, 1/4 of a pack of baby wipes, 2 baby grows, my phone and purse. Now I take 2 nappies 1/4 pack of baby wipes, a onsie, pouch of food, satsuma, phone, and purse.

I think I have less stuff in my bag, back in the days before I had a baby my bag would have all sorts of things in, makeup and hairbrush incase we went out for after work drinks, book/magazing to read on the train, phone charger as I would sometimes have so much spare time to play with my phone that the batery would die. phone and purse.

Is there a purpose that I am missing for these specific changing bags?

It's harder if you formula feed and need more space for bottles and cartons.

yanbu. I didn't have one. My normal handbags have always been cavernous big enough to accomodate spare nappies / wipes / change of clothes. And I had one of those mini fold out changing mats stuffed in there too.

I'm watching with interest. I don't have a baby yet but wasn't sure what they were for. Also if you have a girly one dies your OH carry it happily or does he have a manbag version?

I don't understand people that have expensive bags (although I suppose if I had lots of money the £100 leather baby changing bag from John Lewis would have been nice!) but I got a cheap one from amazon and it always seems to be full-nappies, wipes, 2 baby suits (she likes to do messy poos- a lot!), baby's red book, blanket, fluffy teddy bear and doubtless many odd socks and mits lurking at the bottom!

I don't think I could go without my trusty baby bag, but then again my handbag is also always full of random crap that I don't need to carry round with me but do 5 lipglosses, who doesn't need 5 lipglosses?!?

YANBU

I bought a big bag for a tenner and it had plenty of room for nappies, wipes, bottles, clothes etc.

Now it's used as an overnight bag.

DB and DSIL spent £70 on a changing bag even though they are skint - madness

Yanbu. I use any old bag as well

I got a free one from boots, handy for when you have 2 babies

I formula fed, and found the various compartments useful for bottles, cartons and also the paraphernalia that went with the baby. It was useful to be able to separate things out, so that I could find them easily, rather than having to turn my whole bag out to find what I was looking for. So I had a change of clothes (baby was an explosive pooer) in one zip up, bottles, formula mini tub and bib in another pouch thing, spare bibs in another (baby was a drooler), snack for the eldest child in another, colouring books and pens for the eldest in the back pouch etc.

No, me neither. I have a le pliage which I use as it is waterproof. I have a toddler and baby and I have three nappies, a bottle, a onesie, small pack wipes, spare pants and joggers for ds1, a rolled up carrier bag, an apple, and my purse and phone.

Plus purpose made bags are often really twee.

Marketing con. I took a small wallet with nappies and wipes in, tossed in the base of the pushchair. Never anything else - but I was lucky, I guess, never needed spare clothes or bottles or toys or the red book or stuff.

It's one of those things the shops tell you you need. They invent a problem and sell you the solution. See also: wipe warmers.

If your baby goes to childcare they will need a bag

On a nursery day my dds bag contains

6 nappies
Wipes
4 vests
3 leggings
3 tops
Socks
Sleepsuit
Bibs
A bottle

Never had a specific bought changing bag even though I ff. Years ago you wouldn't lug around the tin of formula, you had a smaller box. Then they introduced ready made cartons, and bottles that you could have the formula in a separate bit, now you have a formula dispenser. Chucked in the bag with a couple of bottles, and pretty much the same as op.

You don't need a bag specifically design for babies but I love mine. Was my present to my self after baby got here as I have never owned expensive shoes bags or clothes really so I enjoyed mine. Dh carried it to bit also had the boots freebie. So def more a want than a need.

I used to take, 3 changes of clothes, half a pack of nappies, a couple of packs of wipes, a drink, snack and magazine for me when I was bf, a couple of steri bottles and cartons of milk just in case something happened to me and my baby needed fed, a first aid kit, a sewing kit, sun cream, spare hat, gloves, blanket, socks and a whole host of other stuff I never used, it increased a lot when I had other children, even now they are all older and out of the nappy phase I carry a rucksack full of assorted nonsense about.

As a general rule I always make sure I have enough bits and pieces to last a day without worrying.

My bag only cost about £30 and lasted 10 years so I did alright with it.

I hadn't considered formula feeding, I have no idea how much milk a baby actually drinks as I breastfed, do they drink lots of milk?

I don't tend to take toys along when we go out, I did try a couple of times but ds was too interested in everything else to play with them.

I'm glad I'm not the only one!

My 7 month old has 3 or 4 bottles a day but when she was smaller fed every 2.5 hours so going out for the day could mean upto 4 bottles cartons etc

None of my handbags is big enough, so I use the bag I got free at Boots.

Which I guess means YABU as that's pretty understandable...

But also, I don't have a handbag either. I also see them as a marketing con. I have pockets and like to travel light. I leave the house with phone, keys, card holder and on a workday staff id, all in a pocket.

I don't think it matters if you get a changing bag. I did with dd1 but after it died through over use I just got a big normal bag full of pockets for dd2.

It does make it easier if you have 2 personas so:

Changing bag has - change of clothes for dd2 , clean knickers and leggings just in case for dd1.

Muslin cloth, wipes, nappies, change mat, dummy.

Various crap like gloves, paper/pens for restaurant distraction, snacks if we got stuck.

Then I have my phone/purse/makeup in front pocket.

Meaning when I am in work mode I just shift my front pocket items to my laptop bag and can be off without faff unless dd1 has nicked them.

I bf and have a small skip hop folding change mat thing that you fit spare nappies and wipes in. I shove that in a normal rucksack usually.

But if I was ff I'm not sure I like the idea of milk and bottles being potentially in with dirty (pood on) clothes etc so I guess all the separate compartments are good for bottle feeding.

Other cheaper, none specific bags also have separate compartments.

I had one, it matched my pram. Much more useful than just shoving it all in your normal bag. Plus when you go out without the DCs you dont have to empty it off nappies and cream and Stuff. I don't remember it being mega ££££ though, not sure if expensive change Bags were a thing back then.

I have a friend who has just bought a new 'winter' changing bag as her previous one was too summery. I was a bit

"I hadn't considered formula feeding, I have no idea how much milk a baby actually drinks as I breastfed, do they drink lots of milk?"

But surely you know how often a baby needs feeding? And that this would be roughly the same for both bf and ff babies? And that each bottle would have to be fresh?

I used having a baby as an excuse to buy a more expensive than I would normally pay bag I wanted that I now use as my laptop/work bag.

The only time it was full for baby was for our at one time unfortunately frequent trips to the children's hospital.

I have a huge rucksack. Much easier than the over the shoulder changing bags. People seem to think I carry too much but we have used everything in it. Doesn't help that DS2 often poonami's and is a very spitty-up baby, meaning I need 2 changes of clothes for him, plus comfort formula, flask of hot water, flask of cold water and a bottle or two.