Today I’m dishing on a fantastic line of diaper bags for modern parents from Babymel! As you know my daughter Lola was born in December, and ever since the ONLY bag I’ve been carrying has been my BabyMel diaper bag in the Amanda printed design. This bag is not big, bulky and overpowering, it’s just well designed and the ideal size. I love the functionality coupled with the gorgeous styling. I actually feel chic when I carry it!

The Amanda is equipped with:
Two insulated zip bottle pockets
Three large outer pockets
Internal elasticated large storage pockets
Zipped pocket to keep valuables
Wipe clean lining
Wipe clean outer printed fabric
An adjustable strollerstrap;
Changing mat;
Dimensions: H 26cm W 44cm D 12cm

For modern Moms on the go, each Babymel bag has a handy stroller strap (patent pending). The strap is easy to use, and a real life saver if your stroller is packed to the rafters with stuff. It’s designed to take your diaper bag from shoulder to stroller in the blink of an eye, and it works!

The company was founded in London in 2006 by the cofounders of StorkSak and it’s goal is to offer attractive and functional diaper bags at a fantastic price.

Babymel for modern Moms…like me! – Daria

...and hello to SoYoung Mother. It’s been far too long since my last diaper bag review and you know how much I love diaper bags (almost as much as I love jeans and a great pair of heels). I can’t think of a better way to break the diaper-bag dry spell than by reviewing a bag known for fighting something called “discom-babe-ulation.”

What is “discom-babe-ulation?” You may not know it by its official name but if you have little ones, you’ve experienced it. It’s “the state of panic that you experience when your baby starts to scream in a public place and the black hole of your diaper bag has swallowed the one thing you need to calm him down.” If you’re like me, you know this state very well.

To fight the state of discom-babe-ulation you need to be well armed. The SoYoung Mother diaper bag comes equipped with a wipeable, water-resistant microsuede exterior and one of its best weapons, a shallow bottom eliminating the frustrating search for the ever-elusive pacifier or Goldfish snack pack. The gingham interior, which is totally cute, has both mesh and see-through pockets, the latter able to be wiped down in case of bottle leaks or stuck-on fruit snacks. With pockets for everything from diapers and wipes to formula packets and a change of clothes, you can stay calm and organized when the world around you is falling apart.

I received the SoYoung Mother diaper bag in the yummy chocolate brown with baby blue trim. And yes, I noticed all of the above fabulous features. I also noticed the cell phone pocket was within easy reach (a total must-have for me) and it came with important accessories like adjustable stroller straps and a machine washable and dryable (yay!) changing mat. I do wish the mat would have been slightly padded but it did roll up compactly and fit nicely inside the bag.

Though I loved the idea of the matching collapsible cooler bag with insulated lining, I didn’t love the cinch top. It took a little work to loosen and tighten; I think I’d prefer a zipper closure instead. And the SoYoung Mother diaper bag doesn’t hold quite as much as my favorite Amy Michelle bag, that’s probably a good thing and something for which my bag would thank me! One totally unique feature of this bag is its large outside flap, which you can use to carry a baby blanket, baby sling or carrier, or even a yoga mat for that post-natal yoga you’ve been meaning to try.

Besides that easy-reach cellphone pocket, what I love most about the SoYoung Mother diaper bag is that it doesn’t look like a diaper bag. (Kind of reminds me of those days when the only snacks I carried around were a pack of gum and a protein bar.) And get this, it fits most laptops so it’s the perfect bag for all you mompreneurs out there! The SoYoung Mother diaper bag is available in two delicious colors, chocolate brown with baby blue trim (oh, how I love my job!) and cherry red with chocolate trim.—Emily

* Promotion! SoYoung Mother is offering Daily Dish readers $25 off their purchase and an extra cooler bag! Simply use code “DAD” (without the quotes) at checkout. You can say “so long” to this offer after January 31, 2009 so don’t wait too long!

Here on the Daily Dish we’re big fans of form, function and fashion coming together in one big group hug, and Allen Avenue’s Cevan Metro diaper bags and Color Zoo animals do just that. Founded by award-winning product developer Natalie Covrig, Allen Ave.’s unique product line is a result of collaborations with artists whose backgrounds include illustration, fine art, industrial design, graphic design and photography. Catering to the contemporary parent, the company’s limited-edition gear and toys are modern, fresh and definitely functional.

I’ve been able to check out the Gold Biplane Cevan Metro diaper bag. Though the Cityscape is probably my favorite design the Gold Biplane is just as sleek and stylish. I love the wide opening, which means quick and easy access to snacks and wet wipes, and the reinforced bottom is a big plus. Unlike most diaper bags this one is fully insulated and even has slightly larger insulated compartments for those wide-neck bottles and sippy cups. Cevan Metro bags have pockets galore and an extra wide, padded shoulder strap (yay!). Another feature you probably won’t see in other bags is an adjustable velcro divider for extra organization. When you have two under the age of three you’ll take all the extra organizational help you can get! And can your husband borrow your current diaper bag and still look cool? Probably not, but if you own a Cevan Metro bag he can play Mom more often. Now that’s true functionality!

We also received Grady the Giraffe from Allen Ave.’s Color Zoo collection. Besides being super cute the giraffe’s soft texture and bright colors brought a smile to our faces immediately. I swear my eight-year-old has played with it just as often as my toddler. These large animals, which come in limited-edition patterns, have embroidered eyes and noses and a 100% cotton cover so I felt pretty safe when my littlest one started chewing on its nose! My other favorite animals—besides my kids—are Hadley the Hippo and Ellis the Elephant. I’d probably add them to our collection if it didn’t already feel like a full zoo here at home!

If you’d like to get in on the form, function and fashion group hug then visit Allen Ave.’s online store. The only problem you’ll have is choosing which bag and which animal most appeals to your modern sense of design…because they all will!—Emily

Sigh…Amy Michelle diaper bags…they’re truly one of my favorites. The Gladiola bag I reviewed back in April has never left my side. I receive more compliments on it than I ever did with any other bag. If it proves to be a little big for everyday use once it’s free of diapers, wipes and divided formula containers, I may have to switch to one of Amy Michelle’s new Street Baby totes.

The Street Baby line, which includes the Broadway, Madison Avenue and Rodeo Drive designs, are all about fitting as much functionality as you can into a very compact design. Parked next to my fabulously red Gladiola bag is Amy Michelle’s Broadway tote in navy graffiti. (I also love the Rodeo Drive in chocolate modern.) This diaper bag not only includes stroller attachments but easily converts from shoulder bag to backpack (without instructions it did take me minute to figure out how to convert it). Believe it or not this bag includes a washable changing pad, quick-release pacifier holder, a surprising number of pockets and compartments and even a few features just for mom: section for Mom’s necessities; pocket for day planner, cell phone, and other essentials; an easy to find key ring.

Though the Gladiola is still my favorite I’m just as impressed with Amy Michelle’s Street Baby line as I have been with the rest of the collection. The designs are practical yet stylish, the craftsmanship is of the highest quality, and my favorite thing, they don’t look like diaper bags. Whether you prefer Rodeo Drive or Madison Avenue or find Broadway’s more your style, you’ll be street chic with any one of Amy Michelle’s Street Baby totes!—Emily

...and the result is a totally cool, totally edgy bag even Dad will think is hip enough to tote around town. Skooch’s Mix It Up and Groovy collections received positive reviews on the Daily Dish before and their new Urban Cool collection will make it three for three. Not only does the new line have a slew of great features (I’ll get to those in a moment) but this one is also award winning as a distinguished “Celebrated Winner of the iParenting Media Awards” for the 2008 Excellent Products Call. An award-winning, edgy, “urban cool” diaper bag? Sounds like the perfect Father’s Day gift to me!

Before I get to the extensive list of features I have to mention the five cool designs in the Urban Cool collection. You’ve got Camouflage and Desert (definitely masculine; my favorite for Dad is the Desert) and 3 tattoo-inspired prints: Hearts of Love, Skulls and Flames, and Samurai Dragon (my fave). I love Skooch’s take on the tattoo-inspired prints:

So you spotted a cool looking tattoo on the girl next to you on the train or on the guy in the park… But oh, the pain and will you love it in a few weeks let alone a few years… Let’s just say you can’t start all over… Not to worry! With these new…diaper bags from Skooch, there’s no pain, no commitment and they look darn cool!”

The features on this bag are just as cool as the designs. You’ve got a water-repellent nylon face and lining, polished quality nickel hardware, adjustable shoulder strap with the most awesome, almost hidden rubber feature to keep the strap from slipping (hallelujah!), 2 front patch pockets, an easily accessible cell phone pocket (big seller for me), 2 side bottle pockets, and a large yet somehow compact back pocket to hold an oversized changing pad (nice!). The inside, which opens in a snap with a double-sided zipper pull, boasts an 11” inside zipper compartment, 2 very roomy patch pockets, and 2 extra spacious pockets for whatever remaining necessities you have that for some reason don’t fit into the other 10 pockets! (One feature I wish it did have are those little metal feet on the bottom. Oh well!)

My favorite feature, which I noticed before anything else when I checked out the Samurai Dragon bag, is how easily these Urban Cool bags convert to stroller bags. The straps are actually sewn on and hidden away in the large back pocket. Simply pull them out, slip them around the stroller handle, and attach to the other side of the bag. I absolutely love that I don’t have to go digging for a separate set of stroller straps, often hidden in the very last pocket I check, and then attach the straps to the stroller before I can attach the bag to the straps! I think Skooch’s design is pure genius!

The only hesitation I have in recommending Skooch’s new Urban Cool diaper bag as a great Father’s Day gift is the possibility of its creating tension among family members. The design is so fun and funky you may find your teenager wanting it as his new book bag or you claiming it for the gym. If you all aren’t willing to share, all I can say is good luck! (Skooch diaper bags can be purchased online at Rosenberry Rooms.)—Emily