Every Mum’s Guide to Choosing the Right Bag

*Written in collaboration with Emily Jones

A proper handbag is an essential for every mum out there. Not only are you carrying your own essentials as a mum, but you are also carrying essentials and the ‘what if’s’ for your children. This means that form and function are equally as important, while if you are choosing for yourself sometimes form can take lead. Now when choosing the right handbag, there are so many things to consider like colour, shape, durability, material, style, and of course how quickly my kids can ruin it.

There’s a lot that goes into choosing a handbag as a mum, so I thought I’d share here an every mum’s guide for choosing the right bag:

 

First, the material

The material is crucial in terms of weight, durability and longevity of the bag. I like to have a practical bag that won’t get scratched up if I need to set it down and run after my kid, but also doesn’t look like a ‘mum bag’. I love beautiful and homemade bags from sites like Mirta, where you can get high-quality handbags and support small Italian artisans. Leather bags in particular hold up well and look wonderful for years to come, especially if you give it a little extra TLC. It also is easier to wipe clean a leather bag than it is to try to get a stain out of a canvas one, for example.

 

Compartment space

A handbag that acts as a dumping ground for mums to put their stuff can get messy, organized and overwhelming quickly.

So, compartment space in a handbag is critical for a mum to keep essentials like a cellphone, keys and wallet separate from all the other items.

 

Comfortable straps

There’s nothing like an uncomfortable strap to make an outing uncomfortable and painful at the end of the day. The strap is a make it or break it part of my handbag selection because it is so important to be able to carry around all the mum essentials without it adding extra stress to your shoulder and back with an uncomfortable strap

 

Is the colour okay?

The colour of a handbag is important for both form and function. You want a colour that you love and that will pair well with the rest of your wardrobe, but you also want it to hide mess and spills rather well. A darker neutral or a bag with a pattern will definitely hide wear and tear better than a light-coloured bag.

 

All of these elements are super important for picking the right bag! In the end, we just want something beautiful that will cater to our kids needs too, and it is worth taking a little extra time to find the right handbag for your personal preferences and realistic needs.