Wet Bag Week: The Great Debate

Hello, my name is Abby, and I'm a wet bag addict. Yup, I'll admit it. I have a serious thing for wet bags. At last count, I think we have, hmm, 11? And that's just my personal collection, I mean, stash. The store also sports a plethora of options. But how do you know which bag is best for you?

To celebrate 'Wet Bag Week' (you know, like Shark Week, only much less scary), all of the wet bags in the store are 10% off through Saturday, March 12th. No code necessary - the bags are already marked down.

  

An important note to mention at the outset - I have found the quality between all the brands below to be completely comparable, so this post will focus solely on size and design comparisons.


I will test each bag with two types of diapers:

• One diaper will represent the bulkiest possible diaper that would likely go in the bag - a one-size pocket with two inserts (this is comparable to most people's nighttime solution, and rarely would you actually have a whole stash of diapers that would take up this much space). For this control I used a Tiny Tush One-Size Elite pocket diaper, as it is the tallest pocket on the market. 
• One diaper will represent the average sized diaper. For this control I used a Bright Star Baby All-in-One in size 1 (aka Medium). I would expect those using Premium or Toddler prefolds to have similar capacity results, and those using smaller prefolds could fit even more than my test results.
• A final note on capacity - I tested each bag to a reasonable capacity. I did not really stuff diapers in. In a pinch, I imagine you could get at least one or two more diapers in each bag (with the exception of Wahmies Small, which really only holds one or two). 

Smallest to Largest

Happy Tushies Mama Cloth Bag, Wahmies Small, Wahmies Regular, Planet Wise Medium Wet/Dry, Wahmies All-Day, Planet Wise Hanging Wet/Dry

Happy Tushies Mama Cloth Wet Bag

• Price $18.50
• Size 5" x 7" 
• Holds approx. six 6-8" liners in each side, or two 12" heavy pads in each side
• Great for:
• Cloth Wipes: store clean cloth wipes in one side and your wipes solution (a mix or a peri bottle of water) in the other.
• Menstrual Items: For those times when you expect your period while out of the house - store your menstrual cup on one side and liners on the other. Or, store clean liners or pads in one side, and soiled in the other. When you get home, simply toss the dirties into your usual storage container, and wipe the bag out to use again the next day. Or store tampons in one side, and liners (either conventional or reusable) in the other. 
• Toiletries: Keep your purse organized and make switching purses a breeze. Store medicinal items in one pocket, and makeup in the other. Or kleenex in one pocket and cough drops in the other. Or... you know how crazy your collection of items can look. 
• Additional Notes: 
• The two compartments allow you to keep wet items wet, and dry items dry. The two pockets snap together, with an open sleeve between them. For times when I need to use both wet pockets for, well, wet items, I then utilize this 'sleeve space' as a third storage area. The pressure from the wet pockets keeps my clean liners in place. 
• If you need to maximize the wet bag space - I recommend unsnapping the pockets from each other. This will allow each bag to use the maximum amount of space. I was able to fit 1-2 more pads in each side doing this. 
• The snapping handle allows you to keep the bag handy. I've snapped mine on the toilet paper holder and my purse handle (on those days when you're using a massive bag, and don't want your wet bag sinking into the nether regions of the black hole, I mean, stylish tote). 

 

Filled with five liners, one normal-flow pad and two heavy-flow pads

 

Using the center sleeve as a spot to store clean pads

 

Really filling it up - 6 liners, 2 normal-flow pads and 2 heavy-flow pads

 

Wahmies Small Wet Bag

• Price $9.50
• Size 9" x 9"
• Officially holds 1-2 diapers; Actually holds 1-2 diapers
• Great for:
• Older babies who will only use 1 or 2 diapers on errand runs
• Catch-all for diaper bags and purses
• Holding a sweating Klean Kanteen on a hot summer day
• Additional Notes
• I LOVE this size bag now that I am diapering a toddler. By far we have the most bags in this size (six, I think?). I carry two Small bags and two diapers in my purse or diaper bag. These days I've even taken to storing diapers in the wet bags. Unzipped = Clean Diaper Zipped = Dirty Diaper So easy to grab a couple pre-stuffed wet bags and throw them in my black hole, I mean, stylish tote).

 

1 Tiny Tush, 2 Bright Star Baby

 

Wahmies Regular Wet Bag

• Price $16.50
• Size 13" x 15" 
• Officially holds 6-8 diapers; Actually holds 4-8+ diapers
• Great for:
• Errand runs out of the house with younger babies who will go through four to eight diapers.
• A backup wetbag for the car, stuffed with a cover and a few emergency prefolds. 
• Additional Notes: 
• I really love this size bag, as it is big enough to carry its weight but still small enough to tuck into a diaper bag. It is also a great size for those families who wish to decrease their reliance on disposable plastic bags, like holding a coloring book and crayons or a wet swim suit on the way home from the pool. 
• Wahmies recently added a snapping handle to their Regular size - I think this is a brilliant design upgrade, as you no longer have to size-up to an 'All Day' if you want a clippable handle. 
• Clip the bag anywhere - to the stroller on long walks so your diapers don't end up on the other side of Disney after falling out of an overstuffed basket (I have visions of that happening, can't say why exactly);  to your diaper bag's handle, when attempting to only make one trip out to the car with baby and diaper bag in tow; to the black hole (stylish tote's) handle so it is easy to reach. 
• The Regular size has a scrap of fabric in the inner seam - this allows you to scent the bag with a few drops of essential oil if you are so inclined. 
• I also love this size as a car wet bag on a day of errands - carry one Small wet bag in your diaper bag, transferring any dirties once you get back to the car, then return the Small bag to your diaper bag. This ensures your diaper bag is as light as possible, while still maximizing storage capacity. At the end of the day, clip the bag to your diaper bag or purse to ensure you have one less package to haul into the house.  

 

4 Tiny Tush, 8 Bright Star Baby

Wahmies All-Day Wet Bag

• Price $18.50
• Size 16" x 20"
• Officially holds 10+ diapers; Actually holds 9-15+ diapers
• Great for:
• Those who wish to not use a diaper pail. Depending on the size of diapers it will hold one to two days' worth of diapers, making it an ideal choice for those who wish to not take up limited floor space with a diaper pail. 
• A family trip to the pool - will easily hold several swim suits. 
• Kitchen wet bag - the handle easily clips onto anything that will stand still. Stuff your unpaper towels (my personal favorites - flat diapers cut in half) and dishcloths in, and save yourself trips to the laundry room or precious kitchen space. 
• Additional Notes: 
• For families who will do diaper laundry every night, this is a fantastic solution. Put your nighttime diaper on baby, and dump the bag's contents and the bag itself into the wash. By the time morning rolls around you'll have clean diapers, a clean wet bag, and one dirty nighttime diaper to throw add to the wet bag.
• This is also a great option for those who will be changing diapers in two areas of the house. Put the diaper pail in the more commonly-used place, and hang the wet bag in the less-frequented location. You can either transfer diapers once a day to the pail, or just grab both containers come laundry time. 
• The All-Day size, like the Regular size, features a scrap of fabric in the inside seam and a clipping handle. 

 

9 Tiny Tush, 15 Bright Star Baby

Planet Wise Medium Wet/Dry Bag

• Price $21.00
• Size 13" x 16"
• Officially holds 8-9 diapers; Actually holds 6-10+ diapers
• Great for: 
• Errand days out of the house, especially those who have a smaller diaper bag and need the dry pocket for extra diaper storage
• An all-purpose wetbag, small enough to be in your diaper bag but large enough to cover the large portion of the day. 
• Those who transport diapers daily - to the sitter, daycare, preschool. The dry pocket even provides the caregiver a spot to store clean diapers, so all diaper changing needs are easily accessible from start to finish. 
• Additional Notes:
• If you are considering the Wahmies Medium, this is an upgrade to consider. As it has a dry pocket at the front, you can stuff clean diapers in the front pocket, and transfer to the wet pocket as the day goes on. 
• This bag has a snapping handle, making it easy to clip onto your black hole or diaper bag.
• While the bag has two pockets, those two pockets share the same 'space' (if that makes any sense). Aka, you can stuff ten diapers in the dry pocket, five diapers in the dry pocket and five in the wet, or ten diapers in the wet pocket. Akax2, no matter which pocket you use, the bag will still hold the same number in sum. 

 

Six Tiny Tush, Ten Bright Star Baby

Planet Wise Hanging Wet/Dry Bag

• Price $29.99
• Size 16.5" x 27" 
• Officially holds 20-24 diapers; Actually holds 16-31+
• Great for: 
• Those who live in small places, and would like the ability to store two-days' worth of diapers without using a diaper pail. 
• Car trips with a full stash. 
• Also great in place of a laundry hamper for any room of the house - for baby's clothes or even your clothes. 
• Additional Notes:
• This really is the mother of all wet bags! This is the bag we use when we travel eight hours north to my parents' house.  
• The bag has two loop handles, one sewn on each side of the bag's opening. For those who use an open pail, I recommend hanging the bag from just one loop (that is, until it gets too heavy). This will make dropping dirties in easier, as you won't require quite as much dexterity.
• Similar to the Planet Wise Medium Wet/Dry, the bag shares the same space, and the total capacity is the same no matter which pocket(s) you are using. 

 

16 Tiny Tush+2 Fuzzibunz OS, 31 Bright Star Baby

And perhaps I forgot to mention the most important feature - all of these bags have amazingly lovely woven cotton outer fabrics, with enough choices to satisfy any design aesthetic. Like diapers, you might choose them for other reasons (the environment, ease of use, lack of chemicals), but the cuteness, well that is just an added bonus!


An important note for those thinking of multitasking wet bags - PUL is not a food-safe fabric. Apart from using a wet bag to hold a sweating water bottle in the summer, I don't recommend using the above bags in a food-storage capacity (this includes using them as bags for Nuks or other clean items your baby will teeth or mouth through the day). If you are looking for a reusable food-safe storage option, I cannot recommend the Planet Wise snack and sandwich bags enough!

Hope this post helped you find a bag or bags that will suit your needs. If you would like further information (say, can X bag really hold 12 OS Tiny Tush pockets?), I'm happy to pull diapers from the shelves and play mad scientist for a few minutes!

Stay tuned through the week for more wet bag posts, including tips on travel and washing and more.

Happy shopping!