Best day bag for the parks.

[junebug21981]

Now that my family is coming to Disney with a toddler my cute Disney Vera Bradley sling purse is not going to cut it. Also, I don't want to lug around the diaper bag we use here at home. What is the best day bag to bring with us the the parks? I thought about a Disney Vera Bradley backpack, but Is it practical? What do you take to Disney when you have a toddler to think about as well?

 

[Halle]

Now that my family is coming to Disney with a toddler my cute Disney Vera Bradley sling purse is not going to cut it. Also, I don't want to lug around the diaper bag we use here at home. What is the best day bag to bring with us the the parks? I thought about a Disney Vera Bradley backpack, but Is it practical? What do you take to Disney when you have a toddler to think about as well?

My DD and DIL's bring a backpack.

 

[leeliani]

I use a Vera Bradley backpack for my family of 6. It works great. In fact I will only use a backpack in the parks. The last time I took a different kind of bag my back was killing me by day two.

 

[Lilysmom]

I use an explorista crossbody from 31 Bags. The strap adjusts reallllllllly long so it can fit across the handles of my double stroller and I can fit a ton in there. LOVE it

ETA: I think the style is discontinued. I got mine on Ebay

 

[AspenLL]

We used our Fisher-Price FastFinder backpack the last time we were there and it worked perfectly. Will be using it again this year. It's our every day diaper bag.

 

[loves to dive]

How old is your toddler? When mine was 3 I didn't take anything extra, he was well potty trained by then so I just had little towelettes in my little bag for grimy hands and face. If his clothes got too filthy for words, we would head back to the resort to change. I would think if you need diapers a small backpack with a few diapers, a little pack of diaper wipes, a bib and maybe a clean onesie if the little one is that small and a bottle. If you are staying on site you can always go back to the room midday to replenish.

 

[DznyPrnces]

Definitely a backpack.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I just posted this on another thread, but we love our Jujube Be right back diaper bag.

 

[Tara1988]

A backpack would be easiest. Make sure its comfortable to carry, can be easily organized so you're not digging all through it to find anything, and it can fit in the stroller. I carry a backpack for things the kids need(diapers, wipes, change of clothes, snacks) and a small crossbody bag for things I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving in the stroller (wallet, phone, keys, cash)

 

[Princess Minnie321]

I always use a back pack. My kids are both potty trained, but I want to have a change of clothes each in case of spills, baindaids, neosporin, some wipes for sticky hands, and ponchos in case of sudden rain shower. I want to get a crossbody bag to hold a little cash, a credit card in case of a magic band issue, and my cell, plus my DH's for when we go on rides. Then I can leave the backpack in the stroller and our valuables are in the crossbody. I just had the backpack at an amusement park last year and had to take it on all the rides since it held our valuables too.

 

[DisGin]

Definitely a back pack. I have a north face from college that works great and has held up really really well. 3 kids and 6 disney trips + countless hikes and picnics. It's so much more comfortable for all day than my Vera back pack.

 

[michyi]

I used my vera bradley backpack. It was comfortable and held what I needed.

 

[brinkley07]

I switched my diaper bag to a backpack for the trip. Overall I found I was able to lighten the load and it worked great for the bag check, carrying on rides, and keeping everything we needed.

 

[imthemamahere]

Our last trip to Disney was the first in a while that I didn't need a full diaper bag (phew!). A backpack is great if you do need to haul diapers and other stuff, but I find most structured backpacks to be heavy even when empty, and when full, they REALLY weigh me down! Shortly before our last trip, I wound up buying myself a "Healthy Back Bag" that I simply love - it was perfect in the parks. I got the medium, I think - but if you need to carry diapers and wipes, I'd size up to the large, I think... Anyway, the bag can be worn either slung over your shoulder or cross-body, is easy to organize, feels secure yet easy to access when you need something, is easy to clean (spot-clean on the go, and it can be thrown in the wash), is water-resistant which is helpful in case of sudden shower, and best of all, weighs just about nothing when it's empty, so it isn't hard to keep carrying around all day. I got mine in a sort of dusty teal color, which my husband doesn't mind carrying if need be, because it doesn't look like a "purse." The parent brand for the healthy back bags is Ameribag, and they sell I think through their own website, but I've seen some on eBags and Amazon. (I bought mine at eBags.) I've carried it around daily since shortly before that trip (October 2014) and I still love it.

 

[MunchkinSweetPea]

Another vote for the north face backpack. We carry a smaller one, I forget the name of it, but it's a girls version. We share the burden of carrying it when it isn't hanging on the stroller and it holds all we need as a family of 4.

 

[twinsmama]

I recommend getting a "mommy hook" for your stroller and then for simplicity's sake, a big reusable disney tote. Just dump it all in there. I fully intended to use a small backpack plus a cross-body purse I always bring. Happened to also have a big reusable tote. Ended up finding it much easier to store things in that tote which would just hang off the hook on the back of the stroller. No zippers to fuss with, easy to reach things.

 

[LuckyBelle81]

My everyday purse and diaper bad are Vera and I love them. But for our trip last Nov I opted for a more lightweight backpack and I consolidated the diaper bag essentials into a travel changing pad and that helped a lot with the weight and the excess stuff I always seem to have. This is what I used:

 

[LuckyBelle81]

Oh, and I got both for less than $20 each on Amazon, so that's a plus.

 

[epsmith921]

I am a slight voice of dissent in that we don't go with a backpack. I carried a small cross body purse myself that I could put in the bigger bag. Then our diaper bag was a very lightweight Columbia diaper bag and it worked great. I do bring a backpack for the airport, but the idea of a backpack on when it's about 90 degrees in the park just doesn't work for us. I don't like having to take off the backpack to get everything out and such.

Either way, get or bring something easy to carry and as light when empty as possible.

 

[Sue M]

I would stay away from back packs too, if you're going in warm weather. Our first trip to WDW I used a back pack and my back and shirt were dripping wet, yuck.