Buying Guides
How Many Hooded Towels Does a Baby Need?
Most families need two or three hooded towels per baby: one in use, one drying or in the wash, and a spare for travel, swimming or a second home. In humid weather, where towels take longer to dry, three makes daily baths much easier. Choose a generous size of around 80 to 90 cm square so the towel still wraps a toddler.
Most families need two or three hooded towels per baby. One is in use, one is drying or in the wash, and the third is a spare that lives in the swim bag, the car or at the grandparents' house. With two you can get by. With three you stop thinking about towels at all.
That is the short answer. The longer one depends on how often you bath your baby, how quickly towels dry where you live, and how many places your child regularly gets wet. Here is a simple way to work out the right number for your home.
The two-towel rule, and when to make it three
A towel needs time to dry properly between uses. If you have only one, there will be evenings when it is still damp from the morning, or sitting in the washing machine at exactly the wrong moment. A second towel removes that problem: one is always clean, dry and ready.
A third towel earns its place when any of these apply:
- You live somewhere humid. In warm, humid air, thick terry takes noticeably longer to dry, especially indoors. In places like Singapore, many families bath little ones every day, so a third towel keeps the rotation easy.
- Your child swims. A towel that goes to swim lessons or the beach comes home wet, sandy or smelling of chlorine. It is simpler if that towel is not also tonight's bath towel.
- Your child sleeps in two homes. Grandparents, a nanny or a weekend place each benefit from a towel that simply stays there.
- Bath time is messy. Some evenings end with a towel that needs washing straight away. A spare means you never have to reuse it.
A quick way to work out your number
| Your situation | Hooded towels | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One baby, bath at home, a dryer available | 2 | One in use, one drying |
| Humid climate or line drying only | 3 | Towels take longer to dry fully |
| Weekly swim lessons or beach days | 3 | One stays packed in the swim bag |
| A second home or regular grandparent care | 3 to 4 | One towel lives at each home |
| Twins or siblings close in age | 2 per child | Everyone has their own, and their own favourite |
If you are unsure, start with two and add a third once you see how your week actually runs.
What size should they be?
Size matters more than most parents expect. A small towel is fine in the first months, but it is soon too short to wrap a wriggling toddler. A towel of around 80 to 90 cm square covers a newborn with room to spare and still wraps a child of four or five.
MiniBoo hooded towels are 81 × 81 cm (32 × 32 in), and The Bear is 90 × 90 cm (35 × 35 in). The 81 cm towels work from newborn to around five years and The Bear to around six, so the towels you buy in the first week can still be in use at preschool age. If you are buying three, it can make sense to choose one in the larger size for swimming and for the years ahead.
For a deeper look at sizes by age, see our baby towel size guide.
What to look for in each towel
Once you know how many you need, a few details decide whether a towel is still pleasant to use after a year of daily baths:
- Dense terry. Weight is measured in GSM (grams per square metre). Denser terry feels plusher and holds more water. MiniBoo towels are woven at 500 GSM.
- The blend. Our towels are 70% bamboo and 30% cotton. The bamboo gives the soft, smooth feel, and the cotton helps the towel keep its shape through repeated washing.
- A hood that stays on. A deep hood covers wet hair instead of sliding back. A soft binding around the edge is gentler on faces and hands.
- Easy care. Look for a towel that can be machine washed and tumble dried. Ours go in at 30°C on a gentle cycle and dry on low heat.
Where washcloths fit in
Towels do the big job. Washcloths do the small ones: faces after meals, sticky hands, drool and the gentle wash itself. They are the part of the bath routine that runs out fastest, so it is worth having a set ready alongside your towels. Our guide on how many baby washcloths you need covers numbers and uses.
If you are buying for someone else
Towels are one of the few baby gifts that never need a size guessed and never go unused. If you want to be generous, give two: it is the gift that makes the rotation work from day one. A towel paired with a set of soft washcloths covers the whole bath routine.
The short version
- Two hooded towels per baby is the minimum.
- Three is comfortable in humid weather, with swim lessons or with a second home.
- Choose around 80 to 90 cm square so the towel still wraps a toddler.
- Let every towel dry completely between uses.
Get the number right once and bath time has one less thing to think about, which is exactly how it should be.
From the collection
Frequently asked questions
How many hooded towels do I need for a newborn?
Two is the minimum and three is comfortable. Babies are bathed often, a towel needs time to dry fully between uses, and a spare means you are never waiting on the laundry before bath time.
Do babies really need hooded towels?
They are not essential, but they make bath time easier. The hood keeps a wet head covered while you dry the rest, and a square hooded towel wraps a small, slippery body in one move, which leaves you a hand free.
What size hooded towel should I buy?
A square towel of around 80 to 90 cm (32 to 35 in) covers a newborn with room to spare and still wraps a toddler. MiniBoo hooded towels are 81 × 81 cm, and The Bear is 90 × 90 cm for extra coverage.
How often should a baby's hooded towel be washed?
Every few uses, and straight away after a messy bath. What matters most is that the towel dries completely between baths, because a towel that stays damp is the one that starts to smell.
