The Be Light by Ju-Ju-Be

Hello lovelies!

If you have read my previous blog posts you'll know that I've found a new (for me) brand that I really, really like, Ju-Ju-Be. They make the most amazing diaper bags and if you want to read about how I got familiar with this brand you can read my blog post about that here.

We use the B.F.F. on a daily basis and lately we've also been testing and using the Helix (check out my blog post about that here). Another bag by Ju-Ju-Be that has been in active use lately by our family is the Be Light. When I first got the B.F.F. I was having trouble deciding whether I should get the B.F.F. or the bigger Be Prepared. I finally decided on the B.F.F. and figured this would be spacious enough for everyday use without being bulky. And for everyday use with just one baby it really is perfect. But sometimes I need to bring more stuff than just the regular "set" I always have in the diaper bag (stay tuned for a post on diaper bag packing later). Before I got the Be Light I would either use a simple fabric tote or put the extra stuff in a plastic bag in the pram basket. Needless to say, this didn't always look so nice, but it helped me get all the stuff from one place to another. One problem that arose when carrying the extra stuff in a fabric tote was that if it was drizzling outside, the bag would be wet, or at least moist (and the contents as well), whereas if I brought along the extra stuff in a plastic bag it would protect the stuff from the rain/drizzle, but I couldn't throw the bag on my shoulder if we had to park the pram somewhere. Before getting the Be Light it always felt rather cumbersome when I realized I would need to bring more stuff than I could fit in the regular diaper bag, but ever since I got the Be Light I really don’t mind at all. I just toss whatever extra we’re going to need in the Be Light and we’re off . The Be Light comes in a plethora of different beautiful prints, we got the Be Light in the print the First Mate, which is a gorgeous dark blue/champagne beige stripe pattern.

The Be Light in the gorgeous print The First Mate.

The Be Light packed.

The Be Light is a light tote that's actually quite versatile in its simplicity. It's super lightweight but it still fits a lot of stuff. I love that it can be folded into a very small space, so I can bring it along in my regular diaper bag as well, if I think I will need it later, without it taking up a lot of space. For instance when we go to the store it's very convenient to bring this in the diaper bag so that when we have our shopping done, we can pack the items in this instead of always having to use plastic bags. The Be Light feels really nice to the touch, the fabric feels like it's high quality and durable too. The outer fabric is 100% Microfiber and the lining is 100% satin-nylon. The bag is also completely PVC free. Like I mentioned before, I feel that it's quite spacious even though it is lightweight. The Be Light is 35,5 cm (13.98") high, 30,5 cm (12") wide and 7,6 cm (3") deep and the volume measurement for the Be Light is 12,3 litres.

When I fold up the Be Light I can fit it into the medium size piece from the Be Set.

Another thing I really love about this bag is that the main compartment has zipper closure! This is especially great if you have tons of stuff in it and don't want to have to worry about anything falling out or if you need to be able to toss the bag in the back of the car or in your pram basket.

Here you see the main compartment with the zipper and also the smaller
pocket inside the main compartment, also with zipper closure.

The main compartment is quite spacious, I usually carry a blanket and some toys or our baby carrier (the Ergobaby Omni 360 - stay tuned for a review on that later) in it. If I've packed the baby carrier in it, I could still fit something else in there, but I usually don't pack other stuff in it just because I might need quick access to the carrier and it just feels easier to have all the other baby gear in the B.F.F. and only the Ergobaby in the Be Light.

Upper left corner: the Be Light laid out next to the Ergobaby Omni 360.
Bottom left corner: the Be light folded up next to the Ergobaby Omni 360,
see how small it gets!
Upper middle photo: the Be Light actually folds up so small you can actually
quite easily fit it into the pouch that comes with the Ergobaby Omni 360.
Bottom middle photo: I've packed the Ergobaby Omni 360 into the Be Light.
I could easily fit more stuff in there if I wanted to, I just choose not to.
On the right: the Be Light, zipper closed, with the  Ergobaby Omni 360
baby carrier inside it.

The main compartment also houses a smaller zippered pocket, which is great for carrying smaller items you don't want to have to look for at the bottom of the bag, like keys or a pacifier or a small pack of wipes for instance.

The smaller pocket inside the main compartment is still quite spacious.

You can easily carry the Be Light on your shoulder, the straps have a 30,5 cm drop (the strap is 61cm long altogether), so it fits quite comfortably under your arm. The straps are also wide enough so it won't hurt your shoulder if you have something heavier in it. The bag also has two front pockets, both of which are insulated, so you can pop your water bottle in there. If I'm out and about and I have some papers or something similar I need access to, I usually put that in the front pocket because it's so easy to reach, no zippers or magnetic closures you need to open, just reach down into the pocket and get what you need. The pockets are quite deep too, so you don't have to worry about anything falling out easily.

These are the front pockets, two equally wide and quite deep pockets.

The bag also has reinforced fabric loops to which you can attach a messenger strap or something else (maybe a Paci Pod) if you want. The strap is sold separately. Like all other Ju-Ju-Be bags, the Be Light is also machine washable, which is great! Especially if you have this bag in the pram basket a lot, it might get a little dirty from small specks of dirt flying up from the tires, so being able to just pop it in the washer makes cleaning it a whole lot simpler. Like other Ju-Ju-Be bags this also has the Teflon™ fabric protector that helps repel stains and the antimicrobial lining which keeps away the yukkies.

Here I've attached a Paci Pod on each side to the reinforced fabric loops.

And here is a closeup of the Paci Pods attached to the loops.

Although this is a very light tote, it weighs only 178 grams (0.39 lbs) when empty, it has the metal hardware just like other Ju-Ju-Be bags, which makes it both more durable and also a lot classier than plastic. The antimicrobial lining in this bag (the First Mate print) is a beautiful sort of shiny champagne color, it's super easy to see what you have in your bag because of this lining and because it's so slippery it's also easier to clean.

I absolutely love the gold hardware on this bag, it looks so nice!
Even the small pocket on the inside has metal gold colored hardware, it's all in the details!

All in all, this bag really became a much needed help for when we have more than the regular amount of stuff to bring with us for certain outings, and the fact that it goes so beautifully with our B.F.F. (in the print the Commodore - a mix of the First Mate and the Admiral) is just a huge bonus! I would definitely recommend this tote for anyone who on occasion needs to bring a bit more stuff than their regular diaper bag can fit and who wants a stylish and functional option for doing so. The Be Light retails for 41,95€ and you can purchase it here if you live in Europe or here if you live in the US.

If you have any questions or comments, please post them in the comment section below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

xoxo,

Tanja

The best diaper bag brand ever: Ju-Ju-Be!

Hi again lovelies!

So, as promised, I want to tell you a bit more about a brand called Ju-Ju-Be. I will be reviewing some of their products in the very near future, but before I post my reviews I want to give you some background on how I got acquainted with this brand and their wonderful products in the first place. Some of you may already be familiar with this amazing brand, but if you're not, stay tuned, you're in for a treat! 

While I was pregnant I was doing a LOT of research on a lot of different baby products. I had a pretty good idea regarding what I wanted (both in terms of which products I felt were necessary, as well as the actual features I wanted these products to have) and I didn't want to settle for less. This was, after all, such an exciting time and I was so happy about getting to be a mom and starting a little family of our own. Some women get a strong urge to nest, others may not. I, for one, was nesting like crazy. I did an overhaul on our entire home, cleaned just about everything that could be cleaned, played Bob the builder around the house and organised - and reorganised - just about every single drawer, cabinet and closet, as well as the storage space and the garage. So yeah, let's just say nesting was definitely a thing in our home during my pregnancy.

Another part of my nesting process was getting all the baby gear and products ready. While we were able to find some of the more basic baby gear here, I soon noticed while shopping around in local maternity/baby gear stores, as well as online, that I was having a really hard time finding a diaper bag that I actually liked and that would fulfill our needs. I realised this would be a product that would be in very active use and I wanted to get one that would tick all the boxes. As I was looking at different bags I soon noticed that either the functionality was off or the style just didn't feel right. Admittedly, I have been known to be a bit of a bag collector in the past and I do enjoy nice bags, so although functionality was obviously the main concern, I didn't really feel comfortable sacrificing style for function altogether. I wanted something that would help me stay super organised, while all the same looking nice and classy - enter Ju-Ju-Be. As I was researching online, this brand that was totally new for me quickly caught my eye - and kept my attention.

Quite honestly, once I found Ju-Ju-Be, there really was no competition anymore. I had been looking for a bag that would be functional and appropriate for everyday use when out and about with a small baby, but I also wanted a bag that would look nice and meet certain aesthetic standards. Like I mentioned, this combination turned out to be quite difficult to find, that is until I found Ju-Ju-Be. The Ju-Ju-Be bags are so cleverly designed and they look amazing! They have all these cool features and if, like me, you like to keep baby's things organised and clean, this brand is definitely for you! There are so many features that make the Ju-Ju-Be bags the number one choice for me (and many other moms), like the many pockets both on the inside and on the outside of the bags, allowing you to keep things very organised (yesss!); the Teflon™ fabric protector that helps repel stains (it really works!); the Agion® treatment on the inner lining that keep bacteria, mold and mildew from growing (because you definitely don't want any of that anywhere near baby's things); the gorgeous design aspects (I mean just look at them!) and so much more.

Bags by other brands simply couldn't offer the same qualities and features as Ju-Ju-Be and they didn't look nearly as nice, so now it was just a matter of finding the bag that was right for our family. At first I kept going back and forth between he Be Prepared and the B.F.F., but after a lot of contemplating I finally decided on the B.F.F. and I must say, I'm SO pleased with my choice! I still really like the Be Prepared as well, and I'm definitely hoping to be able to add that to my collection of Ju-Ju-Be items in the future. It just felt like the B.F.F. was a perfect fit for a first diaper bag for everyday use for us.

I've been using the B.F.F. daily and I've been extremely pleased with it. So pleased in fact, that I decided it was a shame that this brand wasn't better known here and I decided to do something about that. Ever since I got the B.F.F. and started using it, I've been getting TONS of compliments on it! Both friends and family have complimented me on the bag and even strangers on the street or in stores have stopped me to ask where my bag was from and which brand it was. This was actually one of the main things that pushed me into getting back to writing my blog. I figured that there must be tons of moms or mothers-to-be out there researching the same things I was researching and I figured that we should all be here for each other and help share the knowledge if we find something that's really great.

So, I took action and I got in contact with the lovely people at Ju-Ju-Be a while back to ask them if they would mind me writing about their brand and their products on my blog to help spread awareness of the brand and I was super happy to get a positive reply. Later I will be writing a lengthy review on my beloved B.F.F. (as well as the Be Set, the Be Quick and the Paci Pods I got to go along with it) that got me acquainted with the lovely Ju-Ju-Be brand in the first place. But first, I want to write about two other products that the lovely people at Ju-Ju-Be were kind enough to let me try out and that I've been testing and using for the past month and a half: the Helix from the XY Collection and the Be Light.

So stay tuned of upcoming reviews of the Helix, the Be Light, the B.F.F., the Be Set, the Be Quick and the Paci Pod from Ju-Ju-Be! In the meantime, if you want to check out the brand and their collections (and I strongly suggest you do - you won't be disappointed) you can visit either their European site here or their American site here.

xoxo,

Tanja