Changing bag for Mummies AND Daddies! (Mutsy Nursery Bag)

Member Name: sambam000

Product:	Mutsy Nursery Bag
Date:	12/08/09 (161 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very well designed - excellent storage & room for expansion. Waterproof. Good choice of colours.

Disadvantages: Poor changing mat (but then again, they didn't HAVE to include one...so it's still a bonus!).

Having decided the purchase of a Mutsy branded pushchair, the obvious choice of baby changing bag was the co-ordinating Mutsy bag. I did feel however that the Mutsy bag looked quite masculine & resembled a school satchel rather than a change bag. After browsing around at other change bags, I came upon the notion that most change bags look quite feminine & that it may be a wiser decision after all to go for the Mutsy bag...this way hubby would have no grounds for refusal of carrying it based on the opinion of it looking 'too girly'. As I read more into the Mutsy bag, I realised that it also has a useful 'clip' feature on the reverse, allowing it to attach easily to the back of the Mutsy pushchair. So, it was a done deal.

Onto the bag itself. The bag comes in a huge array of colours, to match all the different styles & colours of Mutsy pushchairs & carry-cots (see my other reviews). Since I had bought the Ocean colour pushchair & the Green carry-cot for my main pram, along with a smaller turquoise pushchair, I decided to opt for black so that the bag would co-ordinate with every item. The bag actually looks more of a dark grey with a black trim - this is because the material used for the main body of the bag is a shiny waterproof material. The material is quite 'stiff' which is good since the bag keeps it's shape & the rigidity means it's easy to hold open whilst you root around for whatever you need out of it. There are 2 lime green rubber decals on the front, featuring a baby & the Mutsy logo. The zip pulls are also lime green rubber, with the name 'Mutsy' on them. (Please note that the style of bag I'm referring to here is the 'Cargo' style, & not the 'College' style as depicted in DooYoo's picture....aside from a slightly different front design, & range of colours, the bags are however exactly the same).

The bag has 2 main compartments. The main body of the bag is a large zipped compartment, whilst at the bag is an extending compartment - simply unzip around the edge of the bag & hey presto! You've doubled the size of the bag. This second large compartment doesn't have a closure (other than 2 velcro tabs which keep it together when not in use), but is covered by the satchel-style flap of the bag. This extendable compartment can be used whilst zipped up, but only for small, thin items.

The main compartment has a small zipped pocket which is great for valuables & small items such as keys. There are 2 mesh pockets at either end which are handy for keeping spare clothing etc in place, & a further 4 pockets/tabs which help hold bottles & jars in place. The extending section houses a further 5 mesh pockets, so as you can see it's a great bag for keeping bits & pieces organised!

The front of the bag has a further pocket, which can house only small/thin objects & fastens with a simple Velcro tab. A mobile phone pocket is attached to one side of the bag, again with a Velcro closure.

Once zipped up, the flap folds over the top & is closed via 2 clips. There is a sturdy & comfortable handle on top, and a large adjustable shoulder strap for carrying.

Moving onto the pushchair clip I mentioned earlier - this is housed on the reverse of the bag & is hidden away under a soft flap which fastens with Velcro. Once exposed, the clip slots onto 2 pins on the rear of the pushchair. This means the bag is transported further toward the pushchairs centre of gravity, making it more stable than having a heavy change bag balanced on the pushchair handle threatening to tip the pushchair. There are also a further 2 short straps with clips on the back of the bag - these can be used to clip the bag directly to the pushchair handle, so there are many ways of transporting this bag with ease!

The bag does feature a large warning label inside stating '3kg MAX'. Abiding by this will mean that your pushchair will not tip with the bag in transit. A further feature is the inclusion of a folding changing mat in a zipped carry bag. To be honest I was less than impressed with this mat - it is small & doesn't unfold very easily. I soon replaced this with the changing mat that comes in the free change bag via the Boots parenting club (see my review on Boots Parenting Club Change Bag).

Overall I am very pleased I opted for this bag. The style & functionality is superb. I would say the only drawback is that it can be fiddly to access, having to do battle with 2 relatively stiff clips & a zip to get into the main compartment. Okay, this is a minor niggle, but as all parents will know, sometimes time is of the essence when attempting to access the change bag!

The Mutsy range is available at selected nursery retailers, & can be found (admittedly in dribs & drabs) on the internet. The change bag retails around £39. I found I had to shop around with several retailers in order to find the exact bits & pieces I wanted.

(For anyone interested, I sadly haven't noticed my husband carrying it any more often for saying it's a masculine bag....*sigh*....).

Summary: Excellent addition to your Mutsy travel system.