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Pacapod Changing Bags

We bought a Portland Pacapod bag shortly before our 2nd child was born. At first, Mr BB was a little taken aback by the price, but our Pacapods have been worth every single penny, and are still in use every day!

With two children in nappies, both of whom were sick many times a day, we had to carry a lot of kit around with us. This meant we had many bottles and cups of milk, food and changes of clothes for both children. We learnt the hard way that large changing bags do not balance well on tiny fold down changing tables; and that at the dinner table you really do not want to be lifting your entire nappy collection out onto the dining table to hunt for a spoon. This is where Pacapods were brilliant. At the dining table we could lift one small pod onto the table and remove the food we needed. In a changing room, we only needed to balance the changing pod at the end of the table – and there was always a lovely clean Pacapod changing mat waiting for our child’s bottom!

We loved all the pockets for wipes, nappies, creams etc in the changing pod. We could fit spare clothes into the small zipped removable compartment if we folded very small. We like the pockets on the outside too for calpol sachets, plasters etc. The feeding pod had enough room for double the milk and food that the average child needed. We like the pocket on the outside for bibs, muslins or wipes.

The pods are deceptively large. I once decided I wanted a change of bag, but I simply could not fit everything from two pods sensibly into a regular changing bag! Somehow the Pacapods do organise everything so that it is easy to see, and the large opening means that there is no need to dig for anything. The double sided zip opening meant that only a small opening was needed if you knew where the item was which you were looking for.

We quickly worked out that we could expand the Portland bag so that 4 pods fitted in – a changing and a feeding one for each child. Thus our pods increased to 4. At the same time we also invested in 2 toy pods – which made 6 pods in total.
Our Portland bag developed a fault. Pacapod’s customer service was superb, and they sent us out a new bag. However by this stage, we had got used to using just the pods, and we didn’t use a main bag again for a long time.

Our Pacapod pods go everywhere with us. They are very well travelled and yet still look great. Our eldest now uses her old feeding pod as a lunch bag on school outings. It straps nicely onto her back. The youngest is still using all of his pods. The toy pods are invaluable for holidays, and times where the children just need a few toys to entertain them. I love giving our eldest responsibility for her own toys – on holidays she has her bag to carry, and her bag to put her toys away in each night. She loves her pods. To be honest, our pods have evolved through all the stages of our children’s lives from newborn to 5. They have been used in different ways at different times, but they have quite simply just worked perfectly for us and our family. Sometimes pods were filled for different nights in hotels – with a set of PJs and nappy in them. Sometimes they were filled with picnics for long journeys for us all. Sometimes they have changes of clothes for parties after school.

The pods are small enough to throw into most pushchair baskets. If there is no room in the basket, then the pods clip onto the chassis at the side, or onto the handle, or hang on bag hooks. Worst case, they do fit nicely on the backs of little people. I have been known to clip them onto my handbag too.

When we got to the stage where our eldest was potty trained, we invested in a Picos Pack Shell. This rucksack went everywhere with us. In recent years it has been my bag to take to trade fairs because the large space inside is perfect for brochures, and yet it looks smart and was comfy to carry. Sadly it is now broken, but it was fab whilst it lasted. I loved the strap on the front for coats and the pocket at the front. It was practical and Mr BB friendly :)

What is lovely, is that you have the choice. Sometimes having the pods in a holding outer bag is neat and useful especially on public transport. However at times we simply do not want to lug a big bag around, or have a swinging changing bag on your pushchair handlebar, when you can have everything in neat pods in the basket? Indeed on many of the pushchairs we have reviewed, Pacapod pods are the only thing which would have fitted into the basket (see our Baby Jogger City Mini double review, or the Mima Kobi, or the Babyzen Yoyo).

I picked out a few photos above to show that our pods have been everywhere with us. If they aren’t in the pushchair basket, then the pods would have been in the car.

Our Pacapods have been one of the best baby buys we bought. Expensive – yes – but they work absolutely brilliantly. Nothing else comes close. My only regret is that I didnt get a beautiful Coromandel bag…..but there is still time :)

Absolutely fabulous!

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