7 AM ENFANT Barcelona (Diaper) Bag Review

I received this item at no cost to facilitate my review. All opinions remain my own.

I’m super picky about two things: my food and my purse. I don’t like olives and I don’t like purses that don’t hold my stuff just the way I like it. Now while the 7 A.M. ENFANT Barcelona bag is meant as a diaper bag, I’m going to call it a purse because when I leave the house without my children (miracle of miracle), I still take this bag with me.

Diaper bag criteria number one:

Ye must not look like a diaper bag. I could easily see pre-baby Lindsay toting this bag at university or to work. (I have had a weakness for “X-Files green” since 1997.)

Now compared to when I had Cub, I travel light. We used to go everywhere by transit in Montreal (we didn’t have a car until he was a year old), so if we were going out, I had to have supplies for all eventualities in my backpack. Now that most excursions here in Calgary take place in Umi Car, I keep the “all eventualities” supplies there, which significantly lightens the load and means I don’t need a high-capacity diaper bag.

But here’s the thing: despite its slim appearance, the Barcelona Bag holds way more than expected, and holds it well.

Diaper bag criteria number two:

Ye must hold all that I need without being bulky.

Part of the reason I love this bag is that the zips on either side allow me to access the stuff at the bottom without digging around:I get a less-bulky bag without the whole “let’s dump out all my purse’s content to find one thing.”

Here’s all the stuff I generally tote in the Barcelona Bag (and there’s still room to spare):

Diaper bag criteria number three:

Ye must make it very easy to stay organized.

The big ol’ satchel I was using as a purse/diaper bag pre-Barcelona was best described as vacuous. I practically needed a shovel to excavate my keys once we got to the car. And having your attention on your bag rather than your preschooler is a terrible idea in a parking lot. One of my main issues when choosing a purse (and I found this even before my purse needed to also be a diaper bag) is a lack of appropriately sized and conveniently placed compartments. Everything I want to keep in a pocket or pouch has its place in our Barcelona Bag:

The front two pouches hold my wallet and phone. I have finally stopped fumbling and dropping stuff everywhere at the cash register! There are three stretchy, mesh pockets for my reusable shop in bag, glasses and Lightening McQueen (plus a couple mini comic books): In the bag itself I keep the larger items: ELARI diaper wallet which holds all diaper change necessities (change pad, wipes, bum wash, nursing pads), a rolled up blanket and my water bottle. There’s also plenty of room for a snack or two. The large, zippered mesh pocket holds a diaper per kid and a wetbag.

Diaper bag commandment number four:

Ye must be both babywearing and stroller-pushing friendly.

The Barcelona Bag comes with detachable stroller handles:
That they are detachable is a big bonus. I hate when my bag has too many handles! I just leave the stroller handles attached to my stroller: clip and go! For babywearing, I like to carry my bag on one shoulder. The straps on the Barcelona Bag are the perfect length for this, and feature a non-slip grip!

The Barcelona also comes with a detachable cross-body strap, matching, cushioned change pad and removable, insulated snack bag. The exterior is water repellent and easy to wipe. I grant that neon green is not everyone’s colour: it is also available in black, purple, coral, red and two shades of pink.

The one feature I would add to this bag would be a mesh water bottle pouch on the outside. For the cross-body strap, which I currently don’t use, I’d love to see it slightly wider and with a bit of padding for optimum comfort.

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