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The next phase of breastfeeding after maternity leave is real. Pumping at work. During my leave, I pumped here and there to make sure I had a stash that I was happy with before returning to work. It was always in the comfort of my own home. So I clearly had everything with me.

When I returned to work after my daughter, I bounced around with pump bags a lot. I had settled on using my JuJuBe BFF diaper bag on my work days as a pump bag. I actually really enjoy that bag as a pump bag, but I started to recognize an issue with this. This bag still served as my diaper bag as well as my pump bag. So I was constantly unpacking and repacking my bag since I worked 3 days a week. This is certainly not ideally as there were times I was only pumping on one side since I forgot pieces.

All throughout my pumping journey, I’ve used the Kiinde Twist pouch. To read why I’m a big fan of their system click here. Towards the end of my pumping journey, Kiinde released their Anika Pump Bag. I was really tempting to purchase the bag back then, but knew I wasn’t going to get much use out of it before my breastfeeding journey ended. With my son, I knew I’d either be breastfeeding/pumping or pump exclusively. So when they had a sale on the bag I ordered it. A good thing about waiting to purchase it was they had also released their Ariya Wet/Dry pump part bag.

<a href="https://kiinde.com/ref/julie.montique/" title="Anika Everyday Pump Bag"><img src="https://kiinde.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7764good-scaled.jpg" alt="Anika Everyday Pump Bag" /></a>, here are my first thoughts regarding the Anika Pump bag and Ariya wet/dry bag.

Anika Pump Bag Pros

What I really liked about this bag from the get go was the price. If you’re just looking to purchase the pump bag it’s $49.99 or you can get the pump bag and wet/dry bag for $59.99. With the sale, purchasing both bags made the most sense even though I technically didn’t need the wet/dry bag. It’s still an affordable bag that looks high end without going crazy on price.

Compared to using a diaper bag last time, I’m really enjoying that this bag has 2 specific outer compartments as a cooler and an area for your pump with the power cord being able to go through the main portion of the bag to plug in. I don’t have to worry about taking the pump and cord out every single time I need to use my pump. It’s makes pumping more streamlined.

I’m currently using the new Medela Pump in Style with Maxflow. Since this pump is smaller than their original Pump in Style Advanced it allows for a little more room to store things in there. I can see the area for the breast pump comfortably fitting larger pumps like the Medela Pump in Style Advanced or the Spectra pumps.

The straps on the bag are oddly comfortable which I wasn’t expecting at all. With one of my cons, I was worried that the bag would be extremely heavy once packed. It had some weight to it, but the straps nicely distributed the weight so I wasn’t dying on my long walk into work.

Anika Pump Bag Cons

I’m an over packer. Always. It’s honestly part of the reason I ended up in the van mom life. With that in mind, this bag is very difficult to pack and keep organized. The pockets are awkwardly long and small making it a challenge in what I can keep in there. Honestly I’m typically just throwing everything back in the bag with no reason. That is the key reason I’m not able to pack everything I would typically bring. Its hard to pack pumping stuff and a lunch.

It makes sense, but the bag is definitely set up to use the Kiinde system. If you’ve found this bag then most likely you’re already using the kiinde bags. When it’s packed to strictly use the Kiinde bags, it’s allows for more room with snacks or a lunch. I’ve packed this bag to strictly use my Medela bottles a few times and it really restricted the space. I’ve found the perfect thing is to pack 2 medela bottles just in case and have the rest using the Kiinde Twist Pouch.

The other con is more a preference since I love backpacks, but the bag is much longer than I thought it would be for a tote bag. I’m rather short at 5″1 and the bag seems to be the length of my torso. For most people, this wouldn’t be an issue, however I have a long walk from where I park to where my office is. Now that this bag has been used consistently 2-3 times a week for 6 months, I can see the wear on the bag. The zippers can get difficult to use because the bag isn’t structured. If I’m trying to pack up too quickly, the inside fabric will get caught in the zipper.

Ariya Wet/Dry Pump Parts Bag

I am actually really loving this wet/dry bag. It’s retail price on their website is $14.99. When it’s unzipped it creates a great clean area to lay parts out without having to worry about them touching the surface. It perfectly fits everything to dry until the next time. It’s been run through the washing machine multiple times by now and has held up great.

Overall Thoughts

First couple of months into using the bag, I’m still really enjoying it especially for the price. You really can’t beat having a nice looking bag that doesn’t scream “I have to go use my breast pump” in this price range. Having the outer compartments to access you pump is really nice so you don’t have to dig through and reconfigure your bag once your done.  It’s an absolute a learning curve on how to pack this bag for me. The fact that this bag is very comfortable to wear is the main reason I haven’t felt the need to look for a different pump bag. The wet dry bag is an absolute win for me. Absolutely check this bag out if you’re in the market for a new pump bag!