WHEN DO I NEED IT? From birth.

WHAT IS IT? A cosy towel with a ‘hat’ hood in one corner that you pop over your baby’s head before wrapping the rest of the towel around her to keep her warm and dry post-bath.

WHY DO I NEED IT? Your baby’s body temperature control is still developing, so she can get cold quickly. Most heat is lost through the head, so this option of towel ensures she is wrapped up cosy, warm and ready for cuddles.

FEATURES TO CONSIDER  Again, there are a range of fabrics from pure cotton to bamboo and most important will be the size, as these hooded varieties range from baby size through to larger sizes that will last you through to school age.

WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS? You can of course wrap an ordinary towel around your baby too, but a hooded towel helps keep your baby’s head warm and covered during that post-bath dry off. There are any number of gorgeous options available, but some that offer a gorgeous punch of colour to your bathing ritual are the beautiful hooded towels from Danish company Sebra. DwellStudio’s hooded towels also offer an elegantly playful range of patterns for your baby – from owls to city skylines and a galaxy of stars. Or if you would prefer to opt for bamboo fabrics (which – if you haven’t used them before – are sumptuously soft), there are the plain, but divinely silky textured hooded towels from Little Bamboo.

SEE THE FULL ‘NEW BABY CHECKLIST’ FEATURE HERE for all those other baby essentials…