A note about milk safety – although some bags are marketed as being able to keep bottles of milk warm for hours on end, we have questions about the safety of this practice. Bacteria loves to grow in warm environments, so keeping a bottle of milk warm for a long period of time seems questionable at best, especially when it’s going to be fed to a vulnerable infant. Next, consider its ease of use. Are you after a traditional travel cot comprising a frame and fabric cot, or a pop-up travel cot (which might be lighter but less sturdy)? Is your travel cot compact and easy to fold away? Will it take long to assemble? The travel cots listed in this edit have all been selected for their ease of use.

The best changing bags have space for all the baby and toddler paraphenalia you need to carry around. But finding one that you actually like and feel good carrying? That's the holy grail. The stylish mums of the Mumsnet forums are experts on finding the essential baby gear that's designed to look great as well as for practicality.

As they grow, the cot converts into a 140 x 70cm junior bed that’ll last until they’re around six - by which age they'll be old enough for a bunk bed or single. The cot bed has a tasteful, neutral design and is made from high-quality New Zealand Pine - perfect for handing on or selling secondhand. Key details – Features: Removable changing mat and bottle warmer; Weight: 590g; Bag dimensions: 37.2 x 31 x 4.8cm; Washing instructions: Wipe clean

It wins on the durability front. Made with high-quality materials, including water-resistant nylon and metal hardware, this bag is built to last. It's easy to clean, and the exterior material is resistant to stains and spills.Cons: The bag is specifically designed to be used with Stokke strollers, so it may not be compatible with other brands of strollers. Transparency is really important to us and that's why we're always upfront about how we tested the products we recommend. We won't always recommend the cheapest products or the ones with the most extra features. We write about products that we feel offer the best value to most parents – the ones we'd recommend to our own friends and family. We took all the cots and cot beds that came most highly recommended by consumers and parents to draw up a shortlist of 20 products and then narrowed it down to the eight you see here, which we think offer enough choice for every family. Why you should trust us The spill test: We spilt a small amount of milk onto each bag, both inside and out (something that’s sure to happen in the lifetime of any changing bag), then cleaned them up as best we could. We assessed how easily the bag was able to be wiped clean and whether there were any stains or smells left behind.