On July 18th, less than a month before my darling son arrived, my husband and I went to the Mill Creek Festival to enjoy some food from my brother’s BBQ stand. I was not at all in the mood to walk anywhere, especially in the incredible heat of mid-July – but boy am I glad I did! As we were walking through the craft booths an adorable diaper bag caught my eye – the Boodlebags Miranda Bag. It was bright and colorful, a great size, and when I touched it the very first thing I thought was that it was incredibly well constructed, an absolute must for a diaper bag. I went in and introduced myself to Angela and took her information knowing I really wanted to review her product.
Boodlebags makes three different bags right now, the full-size Miranda diaper bag, the Baby Boodle changing kit, and the Cha-Cha wristlet. They are all available in a variety of fantastic fabrics and are very well made; each one by hand by Angela herself or one of her local sewing helpers. The Miranda Bag has plenty of pockets both inside and out, great detailing on the shape of the outside flap, a nice padded strap and even a clip for your keys (who wants to chase their keys around the bottom of their bag?). Boodlebags has thought of everything. The interior also has a padded sleeve that will fit up to a 15″ laptop, making the Miranda bag perfect for anyone, not just moms!
I have the Baby Boodle changing kit and I truly adore it. The exterior fabric is a sturdy canvas, and the inside is a cozy flannel. It unfolds to become a changing pad with flaps that hold a standard travel wipes holder and 3-4 diapers. It’s super cute and works great – Friday when my son and I visited his dad at work, I used the pad to change his diaper twice on my husbands boss’ desk. It is nicely padded so his little head wasn’t on the hard desk, everything I needed was right there so I didn’t have to lug the whole diaper bag out, and the pad is plenty big – even a very messy diaper didn’t end up on the desk (which I’m going to call a good thing for my husband’s career). It easily unfolds and folds back up with one hand which can be a lifesaver when you’re holding a squirmy baby! The only potential drawback is that the changing surface is flannel and not plastic, because it can’t be easily wiped down (see: very messy diaper; above), however the softness of the surface makes up for that by being cozy for my sweet baby to lay on, instead of cold and sticky. Plus, all Boodlebags are machine washable!
Boodlebags is a great Seattle area company making a superior product in a responsible way. Angela looks to purchase fabric domestically whenever possible and is always searching for ways to reduce the carbon footprint that her business makes. She even recently acquired an antique foot-pedal sewing machine, hoping to use human power to create her exceptional bags. I think that’s pretty fantastic.
Boodlebags is offering a 15% discount to our readers, just use the coupon code MCENTS15, it’s good through the end of the year!
After a decade in the corporate world as a working mom, Rachel, a MWC guest blogger, is a new stay at home mom to her 9-year old daughter and 2 month old son. She also writes for The Examiner as the Baby and Toddler Gear Examiner in the Seattle area. Check out her stories and reviews HERE.
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