Divadiaperbag

The diaper bag is both my friend and my nemisis. On the plus side, diaper bags have all the compartments you need for handily separating diapers, wipes, bottles, etc. They can also fit toys, feeding utensils, sunscreen, baby tongs, a dustbuster, whatever necessary. And if you're lucky you can probably jam in your house keys, your wallet, and maybe MAYBE your sunglasses. Make-up bag is out. That was a lesson I learned the hard way. (It fell out of my diaper bag on a plane and then I was stuck in Miami with nothing but a tinted moisturizer and an enlightening trip to Sephora that taught me exactly how much my make-up costs when I buy it all at once. Spoiler: A LOT).

On the other hand, owning a diaper bag (and simply having a baby) means that your purse often takes a backseat. Or your entire purse collection, if that is more accurate for you. Especially when you travel, like on that fateful trip to Miami. As we all know, you are allowed two carry-ons. Those carry-ons will be your luggage (if your husband is anything like mine) and now your diaper bag. The purse must be left at home. Cue tears.

And it's not just when you're traveling. Whenever you are going anywhere with the baby, you have the choice of either carrying your purse along with the diaper bag (idiotic) or carrying it instead of the diaper bag. If you choose the purse, you may find yourself taking a full half hour to rummage around searching for a wipe while your baby is crawling across the bathroom floor of the ladies room at Bryant Park Grill dragging a poo-filled diaper into someone else's stall. (That didn't really happen, but IT COULD).

When we purchased our diaper bag before the baby was born, we chose the plain gray Skip Hop Duo Deluxe messenger bag. The bag is great. My husband and I are both comfortable carrying it (he's not a man-bag kinda guy) and it holds everything we need (minus my make-up bag). But sometimes I wish that we had also invested in a fancier diaper bag that more closely resembles something I would have carried pre-baby. Something that dosen't make me look like along with my diapers and my wipes, I'm packin' a hammer and a laptop. So when Dana at The Giggling E (named after her baby Ellison) emailed me about her Diva Diaper Bags, I knew they were just the kind of thing I would like to feature.

Dana's diaper bags have a sturdy flat bottom so they'll sit upright and allow easy access to everything inside. They've got plenty of pockets, both inside and out, including two elastic end pockets which are perfect for bottles or sippy cups (or god forbid your own beverage). But perhaps best of all, the bags are handcrafted by Dana, so along with having that special homemade touch, you can be virtually guaranteed that none of your other mom friends will be carrying the same one. (If showing up to Gymboree with the same diaper bag as another mom is akin to two actresses showing up for the Oscars with the same dress on, then I am offically getting trashed on "Mommy Fashion Police"). For more information on the bags, visit The Giggling E on Etsy.

Did I say the handmade thing was the best part? Scratch that. The best part is that you guys, just by entering a comment below, can potentially have one of Dana's Diva Diaper Bags (an $85 value) for free! If you win, you get to select the diaper bag of your choice from the three options above.

I am also making one special request— please click on this link to vote for me for the Top Baby Blog. It's just a simple click, and you don't have to actually do anything once you get to the landing page. By helping increase my rank in the Top Baby Blogs, I'll be able to increase my traffic which means more people like Dana will find me and offer schwag to my readers for free. See how one click works for everybody?

Also, please join the Mommy Shorts facebook fanpage and follow Mommy Shorts on twitter where I will be announcing the winner as well as announcing upcoming giveaways. The winner will be determined randomly next Monday at 5pm.

Good luck!

UPDATE: The winner is….(drum roll)…Ingrid! Which is kinda cool because it sounds like she's been really wanting one. Make your selection and email me at myshort@mommyshorts.com to claim your prize!

And make sure to check out my latest giveaway— playwear from baby clothing designer, Jaxxwear. There will be six winners total.