A little doll and her best friend, ready to brighten up the bath.

Axelle is an 18 cm bath doll with a red crab-shaped rubber ring around her waist. The ring lifts off, which turns one toy into two: something to float, something to fill, something to put back on again. Children invent whole stories around a bath doll in a way they rarely do with a plastic animal.

There is a sewn loop for hanging her up the moment the bath is finished, which is the single most useful feature a bath toy can have. Toys that dry properly do not go mouldy.

Remove from the water, rinse in clean water and dry thoroughly after each use.

Lilliputiens is a Belgian brand, founded in 1995 and designed by a team largely made up of parents working alongside early-childhood specialists.

A FRIEND FOR THE BATH, NOT JUST A TOY - An 18 cm doll wearing a red crab-shaped rubber ring around her waist. Children give bath dolls names and personalities in a way they never do with a plastic duck.

THE RING COMES OFF - Slide the crab ring off and it becomes a second toy to float, stack and fill. Two things to play with instead of one, which matters over a long bath.

HANGS UP TO DRY - A sewn loop lets you hang the doll straight after the bath, so it dries properly instead of sitting in a puddle at the bottom of the tub. That is what stops bath toys going mouldy.

SIZED FOR THE TUB - At 18 cm she is easy for small wet hands to hold, light enough to float and small enough to travel in a swim bag to the pool or the beach.

BELGIAN DESIGN, PROPERLY TESTED - Tested to EN71 and ASTM standards and screened for AZO dyes, cadmium and phthalates. Rinse in clean water and dry thoroughly after every use.

9 months and above

Polyester doll with rubber ring

AXELLE BATH DOLL CRAB