Is a bag just a bag?

There is so much that they say that you need when you are expecting a baby. Since this is number two, I know that I don't need that much, but one thing that I do need is a new diaper bag. Recently I put out a call on my personal Facebook to see what people recommended, and I did not get a very large response. Most of the suggestions were for backpacks, L. L. Bean style. While I am sure that is extremely functional and great for some people, it really isn't for me. My favorite bag so far (and I've had a couple) was the timi & leslie Messenger Bag, which I used until I broke the strap off this past fall.

I loved that I could wear it cross-body or as a shoulder bag, and I found the flap closure helpful when I had filled it a little too much to get it closed. I loved that it was casual enough that I could bring it with me to baseball games, the park, places it might get dirty.

When it broke, I went back to the timi & leslie Dawn bag I had been using before. It is a nice bag and I do love it, but it isn't organized the way I need for another child as well as being a bit heavier than I would like.

So now comes the problem of figuring out what I do need. I am tempted to just get the messenger bag again, but I'm not convinced that it will carry all I need it to for the first few months. I also thought about getting the 2-in-1 Backpack, since it is slightly bigger, but not too different in style. Having the option to use it as a backpack might come in handy when I have the baby in our Ergo. Another bag I am seriously considering is the Skip*Hop Grand Central, but it is not perfect. While I definitely think that the pockets and organization are great and it will easily carry everything I need, it is an open bag which is not ideal. But the real deal-breaker is that it doesn't have a cross-body strap. If it had that strap, it would probably be my number one choice.

What bag did (or do) you use?