Changing Backpacks Buyer's Guide 2026: Red Kite, Skip Hop or Bugaboo, and Why Most Families Should Stop at the Middle One

COMPARISON · ON THE GO

A changing backpack looks like the simplest buy on the whole list. It is a bag. It has pockets. You put nappies in it. And yet it is one of the items parents tell us they replace most often in the first year, usually because the first one turned out to be too small, too floppy, or impossible to clip to the pram.

Backpacks have overtaken shoulder-style changing bags for a simple reason: you need both hands. One for the baby, one for the car seat, the door, the coffee or the toddler who has just spotted a puddle. A good backpack keeps the weight centred and stays out of the way. A poor one swings forward every time you lean over the changing table.

For this guide we compared three changing backpacks at three very different prices: the £30 Red Kite, the £70 Skip Hop Forma Next and the Bugaboo Changing Backpack, which starts at £110 and climbs to around £150 depending on the colour. The interesting finding is not that the dearest one is best. It is that the jump from £30 to £70 buys you far more than the jump from £70 to £110 does, unless you already push a Bugaboo.

We looked at listed capacity, pocket layout, how each one attaches to a pushchair, what the changing mat is like and what parents say once the bag has done a few months of daily use. Here is how they line up.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: Skip Hop Forma Next · 8.5/10 - packing cubes, an insulated bottle cube, pram straps and a luggage sleeve for £70
• Best for Bugaboo owners: Bugaboo Changing Backpack · 8.0/10 - the biggest of the three, with hooks made for Bugaboo frames
• Best on a Budget: Red Kite Changing Backpack · 7.5/10 - a soft, padded day bag with a folding mat for £30

Quick comparison

Backpack	Price	Listed size	Pram attachment	Insulated storage	Rating
Red Kite Changing Backpack	£30	Approx. 10 litres, 38 x 33 x 25cm	Not listed	Not listed
Skip Hop Forma Next	£70	41 x 20 x 36cm, 9 pockets	Stroller straps + luggage sleeve	Insulated cube + bottle pockets
Bugaboo Changing Backpack	From £110	Around 19 litres, 1.34kg empty	Built-in hooks for most Bugaboo pushchairs	Insulated clutch + bottle holder

How we picked the 3

We started with every changing backpack in our catalogue that is in stock with a UK retailer we work with, then split them into thirds by price. From each third we chose the bag parents add to their lists most often and that has a full, checkable spec. We left out kids' backpacks, reins and fashion bags with no changing mat.

We then compared listed specs and read what parents report after real use, looking for the same complaints coming up more than once rather than one-off grumbles. Ratings reflect value at each price, not just raw features.

What to look for in a changing backpack

Capacity you will actually fill. Ten litres is plenty for a quick trip with one baby: a few nappies, wipes, a spare outfit and a muslin. Once you add bottles, a flask, snacks and a toddler's spare clothes, around 18 to 20 litres stops feeling generous. If you are planning a second baby, buy for that.

An opening that shows you everything. The best backpacks open wide, like a suitcase or a doctor's bag, so you can see the bottom without unpacking. Narrow top-loaders turn into a rummage at the worst moment.

Pram attachment. On days when you do not want it on your back, the bag has to hang somewhere. Stroller straps or hooks matter, but so does weight: a heavy bag on the handlebar can tip a lighter pushchair when you lift the baby out. Never hang more than your pushchair manual allows.

Insulated storage. Expressed milk, formula bottles and snacks all benefit from an insulated pocket. Check the size against the bottles you actually use, as wide anti-colic bottles often do not fit the narrow ones.

Wipe-clean everything. The changing mat should wipe clean, and so should the inside lining. Leaks happen inside the bag as well as on the mat.

Life after nappies. A laptop sleeve and a plain design mean the bag can become your work or gym bag later, which makes a higher price easier to justify.

1. Red Kite Changing Backpack / 10 · Best on a budget

The Red Kite is the simplest bag here and, at £30, the cheapest by a long way. It is made from a soft, padded knitted fabric that feels a step above the usual budget nylon, with a large main compartment, a big zipped front pouch and a folding padded changing mat included.

Listed capacity is about 10 litres, which is roughly half the Bugaboo. That is the real trade-off. For a newborn on short trips it is enough. For a full day out with bottles and spares, it fills up fast. The rigid base with little feet lets it stand up on a café floor instead of slumping over, a small detail that parents notice.

What parents love

• Price. At £30 with a mat included, it is one of the cheapest branded changing backpacks you can buy from a mainstream UK retailer.
• Soft, padded feel. The knitted fabric looks more like an everyday rucksack than a baby bag, and a bag that does not shout "nappies" tends to stay in use for longer.
• Stands up on its own. The rigid base with studs keeps it upright when you put it down, so you are not chasing a toppled bag across the floor mid-change.
• Light and compact. At 38 x 33 x 25cm it is easy to carry and fits under a pushchair basket more easily than bigger bags.

What to know before you buy

• Small. About 10 litres is tight once you add bottles, weaning snacks or a second child. Most families will outgrow it for full days out by the time weaning starts.
• No listed pram straps or insulated pocket. We could not find stroller clips or an insulated bottle pocket in the spec, so plan on carrying it on your back or buying separate clips.
• Knitted fabric is less wipeable. Soft fabric is nice to carry but will not shrug off spills as easily as coated nylon.

Best for

• Parents who want a cheap, simple backup or grandparents' bag
• Short trips with one baby
• Anyone who mostly carries the bag on their back
• Second bag for the car or nursery

2. Skip Hop Forma Next / 10 · Best overall

The Forma Next is the updated version of Skip Hop's best-selling Forma, and it is the bag that gets the most right for the money. The headline feature is two packing cubes: one insulated cube for bottles, milk or snacks, and one mesh cube for nappies, clothes or creams. You can lift a cube out and take it to the changing room without carrying the whole bag.

It has nine pockets in total, a wide opening to see inside, an adjustable bottle pocket that takes containers up to about 850ml, a padded breathable back panel, stroller straps, a luggage sleeve for wheelie cases and a padded wipe-clean changing pad. There is also an inside pocket for a laptop or tablet up to around 14 inches.

What parents love

• Packing cubes. This is what parents praise most. One parent told us: "The packing cubes are the standout. I grab the mesh one for a change and leave the bag where it is."
• Travel-ready. The luggage sleeve slides over a suitcase handle, which makes airports and train stations much easier. Few bags at this price have one.
• Big bottle pocket. The adjustable side pocket takes a large water bottle or tumbler up to around 850ml, so your own drink is not fighting the baby's bottles for space.
• Stroller straps included. You can hang it on the pushchair handle without buying extra clips.

What to know before you buy

• Main compartment fills fast. The cubes organise well but take up room. A parent shared: "It holds less than a basic changing bag. With everything in, it barely zips shut."
• Insulated cube is snug. Parents with wide anti-colic bottles or ice packs say the cube can be a tight fit. Check your bottle size.
• No dedicated wipes pocket. You will need to keep wipes in a cube or the main compartment.

Best for

• Parents who like everything in its place
• Families who travel or fly
• Bottle-feeding parents who need insulated storage
• Anyone who wants a bag that doubles as a work bag later

3. Bugaboo Changing Backpack / 10 · Best for Bugaboo owners

The Bugaboo is the biggest and most polished bag here. Retailers list it at around 19 litres, nearly twice the Red Kite, and it weighs 1.34kg empty. It is made from recycled, water-repellent fabric (Bugaboo says about 45 recycled plastic bottles go into each bag), is free of PVC and PFCs, has waterproof zips and a tough PU base.

Inside you get an insulated clutch for food or bottles, a mesh clutch for small bits, a zip-open front that shows you the contents at a glance, an insulated bottle holder, an outside bottle holder, a laptop compartment and a padded wipe-clean changing mat. The clincher for many buyers is the built-in hooks that attach it to Bugaboo pushchairs, though not the Bugaboo Ant, and some listings also exclude the Butterfly models, so check yours.

What parents love

• Room for a whole day. The extra capacity means bottles, spares, a flask and a laptop can all go in at once, which matters more as your baby turns into a toddler with snacks and spare clothes of their own.
• Built for weather. Water-repellent fabric, waterproof zips and a wipeable base handle wet buggy baskets and muddy park benches well.
• Clever organisation. The removable insulated and mesh clutches work much like the Skip Hop cubes, and the zip-open front means less digging.
• Made to match. For Bugaboo owners, the integrated hooks and matching colours make it feel like part of the pushchair rather than an add-on.

What to know before you buy

• Price swings by colour. We have seen it from £110 in some colours and £149.95 in others. Shop around before you buy.
• Heaviest empty. At 1.34kg before you pack anything, it is the heaviest here. Fully loaded on a handlebar it adds real weight.
• Hooks are Bugaboo-specific. On other brands you are back to universal clips, which takes away much of the reason to pay extra.

Best for

• Bugaboo pushchair owners
• Families planning a second baby
• Parents who carry a laptop most days
• Anyone who wants one bag to last for years

What about the Gigil Luxe or Babymel?

Two names come up often when parents talk about changing backpacks. The Gigil Luxe is a large vegan-leather backpack with a strong following, but we do not currently stock it with a partner retailer, so we have left it out rather than send you somewhere we cannot vouch for. Babymel bags are also popular; if you like the look, compare the capacity and pram attachment against the three here before you decide.

How to choose

Pick the Red Kite if you want a cheap, soft, good-looking bag for short trips, or a second bag to leave in the car or with grandparents. Just accept that 10 litres has limits once you add bottles.

Pick the Skip Hop Forma Next if you want the best all-rounder. The packing cubes, insulated storage, stroller straps and luggage sleeve make it the most useful bag for most families, and it is the one we would buy first.

Pick the Bugaboo Changing Backpack if you already push a Bugaboo, plan to have a second baby soon, or want one bag to carry everything, laptop included. Look for it in the colours sold nearer £110 rather than £150.

Add it to your Nest

Not sure yet? Add all three to your free BubsNest registry and let friends and family chip in. A changing backpack is one of the most useful gifts on any list, and everyone likes buying something they know you will use every single day.