I received this bag last week and after spending weeks reading reviews and finally deciding on this bag, I really REALLY wanted to love it. Unfortunately, I did not.
Pros:
It is made from great quality materials--durable handles, strong inner/outer material, and smooth zippers.
Shuttle clips are GREAT for use on stroller or shopping cart to keep the bag out of your way and it keeps it in the perfect spot to unzip easily and access whatever you need inside the bag.
Cons:
The bottom insulated compartment MUST be filled for the bag to stay upright. In fact, the included 'mealtime kit' was not enough to fill this compartment completely. I also had to attach a bottle of water to the 'mealtime kit' to actually fill the compartment enough to keep this top-heavy bag upright.
The outer insulated bottle compartments do not properly fit extra-wide bottles (as advertised). The hard plastic bottom of the main compartment (also the top of the insulated lower compartment) extends too far out on both sides of the bag. If you place your hand in the bottle compartment you can feel the plastic bottom sticking out into this pocket. It sticks far enough into the insulated bottle compartment that you can actually set the bottle comfortably on it and it will stay right there. I even thought I would just use the bottle compartments like that (setting the bottles only halfway down the bottle pocket on the plastic 'shelf' rather than all the way down to the bottom of the pocket) but when you place two 9-oz. bottles at the top of an already top-heavy bag, it makes it nearly impossible to keep the bag upright. Besides, even if keeping the bag upright wasn't an issue, there is no reason to have this size bottle compartment if you can only use the top half. When you shove the bottle past the plastic 'shelf' that is sticking into the compartment, it causes it to buckle in the middle of the bag's main compartment and anything items you have put in the main compartment gets jumbled all over because the bottom of the bag is now curved up in the middle rather than being straight across as it is when there are no bottles in the insulated pockets. (It's also worth noting, this plastic bottom is sewn into the bag, so it can't be simply removed to solve this problem.) This is an issue I would overlook on a cheaper bag, but at almost $100, I would not expect such an obvious design flaw.
I really haven't had much of a chance to use this bag yet, but I wanted to write a review now because I almost didn't buy this bag based on other reviews that said that the insulated side pockets are partially blocked by a plastic piece. I wanted to use these side pockets not only for bottles and sippy cups, but also for my own personal water bottles and for a thermos that I use to carry warm water for mixing formula. If the plastic piece sticks out, as the reviewers said it would, I wouldn't be able to fit my water bottle or thermos in. Everything else about the bag seemed amazing, but this one aspect of not having the full-size side insulated pockets almost turned me away. I'm really glad that I ordered the bag to see for myself because this plastic piece is not an issue at all in the bag that I received. I can place full size water bottles, my thermos, wide mouth bottles, sippy cups, etc with no problem at all. Skip Hop must have either corrected the problem or maybe the reviewers who had this problem had flawed bags?
Also, regarding the reviews that said this bag is very top heavy and tips over all the time, I will agree that is true, but it is also true of the Skip Hop Duo, which I used for 2 years and absolutely loved. Prop it up against the park bench, a table leg, the wall, whatever. It's not annoying enough to deduct a star in my review.
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I love my Bento bag! I have three children under 5, so my needs vary from diapers and bottles to snacks, toys, and sippy cups. I've found that with other diaper bags, I always had to carry a handbag in addition to a diaper bag when I was out with all three kids at one time. I can use my Bento to carry everything, including my own personal items. The best thing is that I can actually find things when I need them. The bottom compartment allows me to keep the snacks away from the other contents of my bag which not only simplifies my life, but keeps the rest of the bag crumb-free! It's stylish, functional, and just WORKS. It's as if the designers got into my head and created the perfect bag to suit my needs! I wouldn't expect anything less from Skip Hop
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Summary of below: It's a great bag that fits a huge amount of items. I highly recommend it!
I had the Skip Hop Studio Diaper Bag Tote Bag, Pewter Dot for 5 months, but I found it just didn't have the storage I needed. I could never find my diapers and wipes fast enough, nor was the "Mommy" section of the purse large enough. However, since it was such a well-made, stylish bag, I decided to go with another SkipHop bag.
The Bento Diaper Tote has so much going for it! I've had it for 2 months, but I'm sorry I didn't get it sooner!
1. The straps are all long enough to fit over a shoulder, and the long strap allows you to carry the bag messenger style for a more hands-free experience.
2. The bottle pockets are huge. I've never had the problem the other reviewers mentioned about the bag not allowing items to go to the bottom. I actually use the included ice packet in the pocket with my bottles to keep them cold.
3. The bottom section that holds the food cooler/ice packet is amazing! My daughter is only 7 months old, so we don't really need the cooler feature yet. Instead, I keep all my diapering needs down there so they are easy to get to. It fits 6 disposable diapers, 2 cloth diapers, 1 wet wipes travel case, 1 small tube of Boudreaux's Butt Paste, Diaper Rash Ointment, Tube 4 oz (113 g), a wetbag dispenser, and an extra onsie. Yeah it's both large and well-planned. By keeping something in the lower pocket, the bag never falls over like other reviewers mentioned.
4. There are 3 pockets I use as "Mommy" pockets. In the large lower one on the middle-front of the bag I keep all my makeup, chapsticks, kleenexes, etc... The pocket just above it is small and semi-hidden, so I keep my car keys and cell phone in there. Then there is a fairly large pocket just in front of the main compartment of the diaper bag where I keep my "big" wallet (hold my checkbook, coupons, etc...). It has room for a lot more, but I like to keep that pocket zipped unless I need it so I don't put anything else in there.
5. The main compartment is huge and well organized. It has 7 little elasticized pockets around it with an open center space. Since the bag has the lower zip out compartment, it's not so deep you can't access anything. Also, since the rest of the bag is so well organized, I don't have to carry a lot in here. Just a feeding spoon, a few toys, easy-grab burp rag, camera, wallet, sunbonnet and sunglasses, my sunglasses, etc... When I want to, I stick my laptop in the middle section and it fits perfectly!
6. The bag is so well-styled! I have the olive green color, and military details have been "in" for while now. I have a pretty neutral style anyways, and this bag fits right in. No, it's not as dressy as my old bag and I might feel a little strange carrying it to the wedding I am attending soon, but my husband will carry it without a problem and he refuses to hold my purses for even a second! It basically looks like a messenger bag.
I haven't tried out the cooler yet because I have no needed it, so I cannot comment on that. I basically see if as a bonus item since the bag itself is so amazing!
The only negative I can this of is that the long shoulder strap doesn't have padding, and if the buckle is at the exact right length, it will hit your shoulder painfully. You just have to tighten or loosen it 2 inches to fix that problem when it arises.
If you don't want a large bag, this is NOT for you. But if you are like me and you tend to pack everything you can (including 6 diapers for one baby, along with 4 toys, etc...), this bag is PERFECT! I imagine it would be great if you had more than one child, also, as it gives you separate compartments for their different needs and plenty of space to carry everything in.
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My son is now 8 months old and this bag still suits our needs. I have used this bag since I packed his things for the hospital. I use Dr. Brown's 8oz standard bottlesDr. Brown's 3 Pack BPA Free Polypropylene Bottle, 8 oz, and I am able to fit two in each of the insulated side pockets, despite them being slightly taller than usual bottles, or one bottle with an ice pack. When he was eating breast milk, the insulated pockets worked well with an ice pack to keep the milk cold until feeding.
Until baby was old enough for solids, we used the bottom pocket (meant for the meal kit/ice pack) for extra diaper storage. Now that he is eating solids, we use it for its intended purpose, and keep the diapers inside. The meal kit that comes with the bag works well I have had no problems with the food containers leaking, despite the fact that they pop on and off, instead of screwing on an off (an initial concern of mine.). Also, I like the fact that you can buy an extra meal kit. I own two extras and use them for feeding at the house as well as on the go. Skip Hop Bento Mealtime Kit, Black I make homemade baby food and freeze in ice cubes. In the morning, I pack his lunch and dinner in the meal kit for Grandma's and they are still cold by dinner time, so she doesn't have to rush home to put the food in the fridge. Also, works nicely if we are spending the entire day running errands, etc and don't have time to go home to the fridge. This bag really makes using homemade baby food convenient which is important to us.
I did rate it as only 4 stars, because sometimes, it seems like it could be a little bigger. I also use cloth diapers, which I understand take up more space, so maybe this is my fault. ;) Inside, I can fit a small pack of wipes, the included changing pad, some bum genius diapers bumGenius One-Size Cloth Diaper Grasshopper, a formula container Sassy On The Go Formula Dispenser, Colors May Vary a few extra paci's and one or two outfits. It all fits, but you have to use some strategy to get it all in, and I'm usually not able to zip the bag (not a big deal to me).
It has stroller straps that clip onto my stroller conveniently, as well as shoulder straps and an optional strap to carry it like a messenger, which is very nice when you are lugging around a heavy car seat and little one.
It also has a small pocket that fits an iPhone nicely, and a larger pocket on the front of the bag that I keep some extra wipes in, so I have easy access. The phone pocket is at the top of the bag which makes it easy to get to your phone when its hanging on the stroller.
All in all, I am really satisfied with this bag. I am able to pack a whole day's worth of formula, bottles, food, diapers, and clothes in one compact bag and not have to worry about where everything is. Initially, I wanted the black one, because I thought it was the most gender-neutral and my husband would help carry it too. When we went to buy it, he picked out the goldenrod color and now I am glad to have it, it looks a little more unique.
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my daughter is 2 and in love with sesame street.... and of course elmo. so this was a perfect set of utensils for her. They are easy to hold and the fun characters make her want to use them as opposed to her fingers.
