The Hunt
I bought most of our equipment second hand, but I knew that I wanted to treat myself to a nice changing bag. This thing was going to be at my side for many years to come, so I wanted it to be a “goodun”. I’m not talking anything designer here, just something practical that looked nice and preferably wasn’t too girlie, so that Adam didn’t feel weird carrying it around.
I did a fair amount of searching online and I quickly came to the conclusion that what I wanted, didn’t exist. A few weeks later I visited the baby show in Manchester and stumbled upon Zellie.
I’ll be honest, it wasn’t a brand that had come up in my search, but as they started to show me the bags on offer I instantly knew I’d found “the one” in The Woburn. I mean look at all that SPACE first off.
There’s LOADS of it. Unlike many other large changing bags, the opening is wide, making everything easily accessible and very easy to get to one-handed. Secondly, the main compartment is huge but very well thought out in terms of pocket space. Everything has a home in there.
So many pockets!
Coming back to those pockets again, there are so MANY. The organisation freak within me loved it instantly. The front panel folds down providing easy access to all the pockets, which have been very well thought out to maximise the space but also to keep everything neat and tidy. This is especially useful when changing in the boot of a car or somewhere without changing facilities.
The pockets on the sides are great too. There’s a large zip pocket for just throwing in things like hand lotion, suncream and tissues, basically, anything that you might need quick access to. And an insulated bottle holder on the other, although I’ll be honest, I never use this as the bottle holders inside were more useful.
The “Mummy Pocket”
Ahhh the “mummy pocket”. I’m pretty sure that’s not what Zellie refer to it as, but the back area of the bag became mine. I would stick my phone, money, lippie and magazines in here, should I ever find the time to read them. There’s also a handy zip pocket to keep some spare change in should you need it. A bar of chocolate has also been known to hide in here… but not for long!
It was also very handy for keeping his “red book” safe during those first few weeks, along with any paperwork I was given.
The Verdict
Ok so there are negatives, it is on the large side and didn’t fit all that well on the pram handles once we remove the bassinet. It’s also difficult to access the changing pocket whilst it’s hanging on the pram. On more than one occasion everything has ended up on the floor!! But when you have to take so much stuff everywhere with you, it’s going to be cumbersome, you might as well do it as efficiently and stylishly as possible right?
I’ve been using this bag for nearly a year now. Over that time it’s been a hospital bag, changing bag and travel bag, and that’s what’s so great about it. We are now reaching the point where Luca is weaned and so we don’t have the daily need for such a large changing bag, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be getting rid. It’s perfect for travel and when Luca stays overnight somewhere, this bag goes with him. I’m sure in a few years time it will make the journey abroad as a travel bag, it’s just so versatile. It is on the pricey side at £180 (you can buy the cheaper fabric version for £110), but I do feel it’s value for money considering it has a much longer “shelf life” than your average changing bag.
Overall an amazing bag that has proved essential for us in this last year. I’m now on the lookout for something more compact, send me your recommendations!
