Changing bags - do I need to spend over 40 quid getting one?

[HopingCat]

I'm a first time Mum and don't know much!
I have a mamas and papas travel system but no changing bag. Do I need to buy a changing bag or will a normal rucksack do? It seems odd that if you buy a bag from a baby shop it will cost you about ?40. Are they really good? Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place?

no
i HATE hcanging bags

I got a free Huggies one when I joined the Huggies club. I did find a changing bag really useful but I wouldn't pay £40 for one.

It is worth remembering that a changing bag is just a bag. It probably has a few added extras that the marketing department has sold in as "have to haves", but at the end of the day any old bag you like will do just fine.
As a first time mum, you'll probably have to carry the kitchen sink around each time you leave the house, so worth getting something big!!
Good luck HopingCat - have you had your baby or are you due?

I waited until boots had a sale and got a baby bjorn one for £12. The only advantage a changing bag has over a regular bag is if you were like me and needed to take bottles out they often have little insulated pockets for the bottles. The other thing to look for is whether it fits on/in your pram easily and a separate compartment for keys/small bits like dummies, toys etc - just for practicality really.

I pinned a couple of clips (from a cheap dog lead!) onto the inside of a normal bag to hold things like keys and dummies.

A bunch of plastic carriers. Much more flexible, waterproof, easy to stuff into other bags/under pushchairs and you can just chuck them if they get really messy.

I did like a travel changing mat, I have to say, as it gave a little padding on hard baby changers when out and about. £5 from Boots and loads of other places.

Thanks for all this advice. I think I'll have a look on ebay for a cheap one, and if I can't find one there I'll just use a normal rucksack. I've also emailed Boots about the Huggies offer to see why they've not sent me a voucher to claim my free bag.

Baby is due in November so I've got a bit of time to look round. I am trying to decide what I need to get, and what would be nice to have but not essential.

Caboodle bags are very good, have mini changing mats inside and aren't too expensive.

I agree with the others here, most changing bags are a waste of money in my experience. I looked at loads before dd was born and really did not like them or thought they were too expensive for what they were. In the end I used my fav rucksack which was fine. I am also a magazine addict so get loads of bags free with magazines like Red etc etc and they have certainly come in useful, worth looking out for. For example this summer have had two good canvas type bags from Red and also now using a large wipe clean toiletry bag from them to keep wipes and nappy sacks etc etc, just means its all a bit neater in the bag and when travelling in the car.

I also like using these bags as new ones come long every so often so I never get bored with one and don't feel guilty about throwing it out when I have had enough.

Aw, congrats HopingCat. It is so exciting expecting your first. I hope you enjoy your pregnancy.

HC, as the owner of 7 different changing bags inc a Skip-Hop and 2 Caboodle (the caboodle is great, but both fell apart and I've heard other reports) I'd say it depends whether you're going to be out with the pram all the time or using a sling, whether you're outdoor-type parents (thus a rucksack more useful) etc. I find a messenger style bag that you can hang over the bag & sling over your shoulder when you're sans pram (kipling for instance) works pretty well esp once baby turns into toddler & you're not always with a pram. And if you're out with the pram, you don't want the entire basket taken up with bag. Little company bags (you see quite a lot of them on ebay) have straps that you can put easily on any pushchair & are quite sturdily made with lots of pockets (but big!) - better than skiphop imo as you don't need a separate strap, there're just poppers built into the strap. Also would say that a pocket on the front for your purse is v.handy, a zip closure much better than velcro (which wakes babies...) & some sort of side pocket for a bottle/beaker is brilliant otherwise you're always fishing for it inside the bag. My best bag's actually been a non-changing bag, but it wore out. I'm just a bit obsessed with bags, but I like to take a lot of stuff out with me and have pockets for it all! Forgive my thesis on this topic