Babies and kids

Picking a hat for a head that is still growing

A child outgrows a hat faster than they wear it out, so the useful question is not which size fits today but how much room the hat can give you later.

Look for a band you can let out

An inner drawstring or a strap at the back buys you a season or two. We build that into most of the small sun hats for exactly this reason.

Where there is no adjuster, a stretchy knit does a similar job by giving as the head grows. A woven straw crown has no give at all, which is worth knowing before you pick one for a toddler.

Chin ties earn their keep

A tie under the chin is the difference between a hat that stays on in a stroller and a hat you retrieve from the pavement. Soft fabric ties work better than elastic, which small hands learn to stretch and flick off.

Tie it with a finger of slack. Snug enough that a gust cannot lift the brim, loose enough that it is comfortable to look up.

Flaps and brims for the back of the neck

A flap at the back covers the strip of neck that a brim alone leaves open, and it matters most when a child is facing away from you in a carrier or a stroller.

Wide brims shade more but catch more wind. On our shelves the small brims with ties tend to stay on, and the very wide ones work better once a child is old enough to hold a hat down themselves.

Buying ahead

If you are between two sizes, take the larger one and use the adjuster. A hat that is slightly big can be tightened. A hat that is slightly small leaves a red line on a forehead and gets refused.

For winter hats, check the ears are properly covered rather than half covered. That is the part a child will complain about on the school run.