Timi & Leslie "Abby" Diaper Bag Review • Jessica Lynn Writes

Let’s chat about diaper bags for a hot minute. I’ve never been a huge fan of them, probably because they’re all bulky and I just can’t get into the designs. This is probably because I use the same purse for
years (not a typo) at a time, which I realize is probably a disgrace to women everywhere. I just have zero desire to spend money on a purse—which is actually ironic since I use a purse about 350 days of the year; you’d think I should invest in something I constantly use. Either way, the thought of a diaper bag annoyed me for those reasons.

I searched everywhere for a diaper bag/large purse when I was pregnant with Julia and finally found one I liked and knew I’d use. It worked very well for its purpose, and towards the end of this pregnancy, I dug it out of my closet and loaded it up for round two. Things were dandy for several days…until it kicked the bucket a week after she was born. I was out and about and BAM!—a strap broke. I quickly realized it wasn’t something I could fix, and I almost cried at the thought of having to buy a new bag/purse to haul everything this time around.

After I had a slight panic attack, I stuffed the newborn essentials into my purse and vowed to find another bag ASAP. The problem is that it turns out I’m pretty picky when it comes to bags/purses. I’m the girl who keeps one purse and makes it last throughout the year. With that said, I had a lot of needs for this new diaper bag of mine…

My main criteria for a bag:

Needed to look like a purse. I’m not one for flashy things or funky designs. I like my purses to look simple and classic.
Needed a front pocket. That’s where I put my stuff.
Needed an outside back pocket (as opposed to an inside zippered pocket, also essential). This is where I put my keys. My car has a key fob, and this is the optimal place so that I a) don’t lose it b)unlock my car and c) can remote start my car.
Needed to have a side pocket. This wasn’t high up on my “need” list, but it was definitely on my “want” list. I carry my water bottle with me everywhere, so it’d be nice if I could actually keep it with me in my purse.
Big enough to fit my laptop.

That list, while short, is slightly on the picky side. I eventually found several bags that looked like they could fit my needs and then narrowed it down the the one I kept going back to.

Want to see my other options? Read my post:

7 Diaper Bags that Look Like Purses

After reading review after review on Amazon, I finally took the plunge and bought the Timi & Leslie “Abby” Bag, and figured I could always return it didn’t fit my needs. Luckily, I’m not returning it, because I LOVE it! I feel like I throw that phrase around often, but this bag is seriously awesome.

I’ve been using it for almost three months and it’s fantastic. The size is great (next week I’ll share a “What’s in my Diaper Bag” post so you can see what I put inside), it meets all of my picky needs, and even though the prices was on the higher side for me, I justified it because it’s something I’ll use every single day.

There are several pockets inside, which is great because I don’t need everything just stuffed and rolling around inside. I put things in all the pockets to make it a little more organized. The whole thing also zips closed, plus there are five zippered compartments (two on the side, one on the front, one on the very back, and one on the inside back), and a magnetic closure to keep the front pouch closed.

As you can see, the main compartment is large enough for all sorts of things, and there’s actually a lot of room to spare. Truthfully, I think the selling points for me were the side pockets and that they fit our water bottles. As a nursing mama (and one who genuinely loves drinking water), I take my bottle with me EVERYWHERE, so I love having a pocket for it!

Does it get heavy with all of that in there? Sometimes, but only when I have both water bottles full of water. It feels extremely well-made, and it never actually feels bulky, which was something I was afraid of. The bag also came with a clutch (convenient if I know I’m not going to need the diaper bag), a “wet” bag (but I just keep a Ziploc in there instead, a bottle carrier for the baby (I don’t use it), and a couple different straps: stroller straps to hang the bag on our stroller and a long strap so I can wear the bag messenger style. I used the stroller straps a few times and it works well, but I have yet to wear the bag across my body; I’m an over the shoulder kind of girl.

So that’s it in a nutshell. I really, really like it and I’m happy I took the plunge and bought this one. I mentioned this above, but check back next week to see what all exactly I throw in there on a daily basis.