Although it can sometimes get a little messy, bathtime with your baby is a sweet bonding experience. Especially when you lift your tot out of the bath and towel them try with a lovely cuddle. And for that, you need a super soft and quick-drying baby towel that's just for your little one.
Baby towels are a baby bath product primarily available for babies and toddlers. They are usually specifically suitable for their sensitive skin as well as being a generous size to keep them snuggly and warm. Babies also lose heat quickly, so wrapping your little one in a towel as soon as bath time is over can help prevent chills. We especially like ones with hoods as not only are they utterly adorable but they're perfect for wrapping them up after taking your baby swimming.
Related: The best baby bath sponges for an enjoyable bath time experience
The best baby bath towels
But with so many to choose between from eco-friendly options to cotton terry material in an array of cute designs, which should you go for? Well, we’ve made your job easy by rounding up the cutest and most high-quality baby bath towels from baby through to toddler years.
Included in the list are Mother&Baby Award winners, so you’ll know that these baby bath towels have been thoroughly put through their paces.
Related: The best baby bath seats and supports to make bath time a breeze
As Gold winner at the Mother&Baby Awards 2022 for Best Bathtime Product, this towel set was adored by our panel of mum testers who loved how easily it wraps around your baby, how well it washed and how gentle the material is. Measuring 90 x 90cm, it's bigger than most standard baby towels and even comes with a cute matching face cloth.
Our mum tester Carlene said: "This hooded towel is a lovely big size and wraps around a baby very well. my toddler has also been caught with it on too. The softness of the towel is lovely too and feels lovely and soft on my skin too so it must be nice on the baby too. The drying after bath time is so much easier and quicker now too. I love that to covers from head to toe."
Read our full review from our mum testers here.
This soft and durable baby bath towel is thick and cosy without being heavy for your baby's delicate skin. Suitably sized for newborns to young toddlers, we love the different animal designs with 3D features you can choose from. This elephant design is a favourite, but there's also this super cute lion, unicorn, and dinosaur.
Parent review: "Love this towel, cute and exactly as described. 6 months on and this still absorbs more water than the other towels we have for our little one. The other towels may have held onto their softness more than this one but they don't absorb as much water as this towel. Would definitely buy again!"
Shortlisted for Best Bathtime Product for the 2019 and 2021 Mother&Baby Awards, the Cuddledry Handsfree Baby Bath Towel clips around your neck so you have both hands free to safely lift baby from the water and into your arms. Made from bamboo and cotton, it's super absorbent and eco-friendly.
**Our mum tester Kelly Johnson said: "**There is not another product like this on the market so it truly is a unique product that has been designed to make bath times easier. They have thought about the design of the product and potential issues you face when trying to bath your newborn and have solved multiple problems with one product."
Read our full Cuddledry Handsfree Baby Bath Towel review from our real mum testers here.
www.notonthehighstreet.com
Winning Silver in the 2018 Mother&Baby Awards, this hooded towel is ideal for your toddler thanks to its generous size. It's made from 550gsm luxury and soft Egyptian cotton and has a double thickness hood to absorb water from wet hair.
**Here's what mum tester Emma Devere said: "**This is a great product as it is fast absorbing and the little popper to fasten it was a great touch, especially with a three-year-old that has a love of running around in their towel after a bath. With the popper, there is no worry that it will fall down and trip her up. It is also great for on the beach and swimming as it is very thick."
Suitable from 6-48 months, this adorable Tommee Tippee hooded towel is like the big brother or sister to the swaddle version for newborns. This towel is also made from microfibre towelling – a skin-friendly hypoallergenic fabric ideal for your little one's sensitive skin. It stays soft wash after wash and the soft hood keeps warmth in around your youngster's head.
One reviewer said: "Finally a hooded towel that isn’t too short!! Wraps around my little one and her feet are included which in a lot of other hooded towels they stick out as they are diamond shaped. Highly absorbent and soft. Have already purchased a second for when the first is in the wash."
www.thewhitecompany.com
A luxury option, this The White Company hooded towel is made from pure hydrocotton towelling. Wonderfully fluffy against your little one's delicate skin, it has adorable bear ears on the hood. Hydrocotton's clever 'low twist' technology makes this baby bath towel feel thicker and softer than others, yet wonderfully lightweight, absorbent and fast drying. Available in white, pink, and blue, it's been rated highly by shoppers for its quality, ability to wash, and design.
One reviewer said: "Well made and the bear ears make it so cute. Perfect newborn present."
www.johnlewis.com
This adorable super soft bunny towel in white has been made from 100 per cent cotton with a sweet rabbit face and ears on the hood - making your baby look even cuter. We love that this towel also comes with a matching bunny mitt, so you can get your baby warm and dry quickly.
Parent review: "Lovely and cute soft towel set. It washes and dries well. I have one myself and bought another set as a gift."
Shortlisted for Best Bathtime Product in the 2020 Mother&Baby Awards, this super-soft, extra-large bath towel is designed to be worn by you to ensure that your hands are free while holding your baby. It also works well as an apron to protect your front from splashing during bath playtime. Perfect for post-bath cuddles, you can then wrap around your little one to get them dry and warm. Made of double pile cotton for extra absorbency and with a hood, your baby will get dry in no time.
Mum tester Margaret said: "The ClevaMama bamboo apron bath towel is a lovely product. My 20 month old loves to splash in the bath. Now I can wear this towel as an apron, I am not completely soaked at the end of bath time. This bath towel is large which means my little one is completely covered and cosy when coming out of the bath."
Read the full review of the ClevaMama Bamboo Apron Baby Bath Towel here.
Previously known as the Groswaddledry, this cute swaddle shaped towel was Shortlisted for Best Bathtime Product at the Mother&Baby Awards 2019. Made for newborns to recreate the soothing effects of swaddling, it's made from soft, hypoallergenic, pure-dry microfibre for quick and easy drying - this leaves no time for your baby to get cold.
Mum tester Esther said: "For the first few months, bathtime wasn’t a fun time in our house. My son would scream through the whole thing but gradually calmed down to the point that it was just getting out that would make him cry his eyes out. We’d tried everything that had been suggested to us with no joy, but when the Groswaddledry arrived it was like someone had flicked a switch! He still struggles with baths but as long as we’re speedy enough when wrapping him up then he is much better."
Our full review of the Tommee Tippee Newborn Swaddle Dry Towel can be found here.
babymori.com
Perfect for little ones aged one to three years, this crab towel with 3D crab claws and eyes is sure to make bathtime fun, and it's a great way to get their imagination going. Made from 100 per cent organic micro cotton, this towel absorbs 250 times more water than regular cotton and has a temperature regulating hood. Not a fan of the crab design? You can choose a panda, dolphin, dinosaur, or bunny design instead.
Parent review: "So plush and soft. Perfect for after the bath. The baby definitely now has better towels than the adults!"
How we test products
Our annual Mother&Baby Awards sees hundreds of baby products tried and tested by our panel of mums.
The Mother&Baby Awards parent testers are provided with some guidelines while testing, so that they take into consideration four key areas: usability, design, quality and value for money. We ask them to score each of these out of 10, as well as give their overall impression of the product.
Find out more about how we test products for Mother&Baby.
So if these products suck, our mums will tell us honestly!