Summer is the season of tradeoffs. We’re thrilled to bring our kids outside to play, and so happy to be out there with them. And yet we seem to have traded battles over shoes and jackets for wars over sunblock and hats. Over the years, we’ve come to realize that having a few favorite options of summer hats makes kids a little more likely to be happy to choose one.
This may take a bit of trial and error: Is your kid a big floppy hat type or strictly a baseball-cap wearer? Will they proudly sport a dapper straw hat, or toss it on the ground the first chance they get? Do they go for scary sharks or sweet strawberries? Fortunately, there are so many to choose from that no child needs to be squinting at the sun.
We also love that many kids’ summer hats come with built-in SPF protection. Even when you’re very good about slathering on the sunblock, water and sweat can often undo your hard work without you realizing it. While kids do seem to heal so quickly from sunburns, sun damage today can affect them into adulthood. According to the CDC, all it takes is a few serious sunburns in childhood to increase a person’s chance of skin cancer later on.
Also, these hats for kids are inexpensive and so darn adorable, you don’t need those scary facts to spur on this virtual shopping trip.
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Gap Baby Stripe Flutter Hat
We’re suckers for a baby hat that could just as easily have been worn by a boy or girl 100 years ago as today. This stripes-and-ruffles combo, available in sizes from 0-6m to 18-24m, is a classic.
Strawberry Bucket Hat
Now, we’re warning you: Putting your toddler in this hat (or the equally scrumptious pineapple variety) may result in squeals from passersby. Fortunately, birds and squirrels won’t mistake them for actual pieces of fruit.
Green Sprouts Octopus Baby Bucket Hat
This hat from trusted mom-owned baby apparel company Green Sprouts — formally known as i Play — has an adjustable draw-string and a tie-on chin strap. That means it can grow with your rapidly sprouting baby.
Hanna Andersson Sunblock Swim Hat
This bucket hat isn’t just about looks. After it provides sun protection in the water, it dries quickly, so it won’t be a soggy, floppy annoyance for your baby or toddler.
Ami & Li Wide-Brimmed Hat
This chill, unisex fish print is so much of what we look for in a good hat. It provides 50 SPF sun protection, and the chin strap has a special release function when it’s pulled too hard, giving you extra peace of mind.
Roller Rabbit Monkey Sun Hat
What good is a summer hat if it isn’t as fun as a barrel of monkeys? Bonus points if you read Caps for Sale to your kid on the beach.
Shark Bucket Hat
Insert unavoidable “Baby Shark” reference here. Sorry. But you forgive us because you also want this hat immediately, right? (Tiger, cat, and lobster versions are also available.)
H&M Straw Hat
Your baby or toddler is going to be handsomest kid at brunch and the beach in this straw number. Don’t worry about scratchiness — it’s lined with cotton for that sensitive skin. Available in baby and toddler sizes.
Connectyle Boater
We’re forever worried we’ll lose our kids’ hats to an unexpected breeze. That’s much less likely to happen with the substantial chin strap on this boater, which is available in baby to toddler sizes.
‘Frozen’ Baseball Caps
When summer heat has your whole family wishing they lived in Arendelle, maybe this cap will help. We also love that this comes in a set of two, because when is your kid’s hat right where it’s supposed to be when you’re leaving the house?
Magical Like A Unicorn Straw Hat
The true magic of this hat is that it’s going to make your kid want to stay protected from the sun. It’s sized for ages 2-5 years old, just when parents need a little help with that particular argument.
Old Navy Fringed Canvas Bucket Hat
This pink-and-blue leopard print is giving us just a tiny bit of Jersey Shore vibe. We mean the good parts, not the every-parents-nightmare-for-their-girls-one-day parts.
Black Lives Matter Cap
The Black Lives Matter movement can’t be a fleeting moment in your kids’ lives — it’s got to be something we all think about daily. All the profits from sales of this hat (available in Youth size for 7-14y) go to Equal Justice Initiative, Black Girls Code, Color of Change and George Floyd’s GoFundMe.
Quiksilver Boys Pierside Straw Hat
Lifeguards know what’s up when it comes to sun protection, and many of them favor this kind of broad-rimmed hat for sitting atop their chairs. Tell this to your kids who keep forgetting to reapply that sunblock.
PacSun Tie-Dyed Bucket Hat
Your older kids are so not going to wear anything “adorable” on their heads this summer. Will they do trendy instead?
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