Which Hats To Wear For Your Baby In The Summer – The Ultimate Guide

The summer is not around the corner any more. Actually, it is here now as you can feel the heat rise up and the day get longer. I am pretty sure that no one in your family would be eager for the summer to come as much as your little kids. It is the time they can play out in the sun, go to the beach or participate in any other outdoor activity. It is also about time that you start to prepare the right stuff for your kids so that they would fully enjoy the time out. You might ask about the importance of wearing the sun hat as well as the importance of choosing the right one, right? Take a look at the article below for the explanation why you should prepare a high quality baby sun hat for your lovely little one. Some tips on choosing the right hat is also outlined in the end.

So why do you need to wear a hat for your babies in the summer?

The sunrays seem warm and welcoming at first. However, they also contain many harmful ultraviolet elements that can cause sun burn or even skin cancer to your kids. Keep in mind that your kids’ skins are even more sensitive than our skins. Therefore, it is critical that you do choose for your kids what to wear to make sure they are fully protected from the sun.

While the right clothes are carefully picked by many parents to make sure that they are of high quality and offer good breathability, little is paid on choosing the right hat. In fact, I have seen many babies’ hats on the market claim to be sun hats while they are just normal hats that can be worn in any time during a year. There are certain criteria that a hat needs to meet in order to be qualified as a baby sun hat.

It is worth mentioning that why doctors state that babies don’t necessarily have to wear hat early, the sooner you put a hat on your baby, the quicker your baby gets used to it.

Finally, a cute baby hat will make your baby look cuter and more adorable. With thousands of models and designs on the market, your baby will look fashionable and trendy with just a single sun hat.

Tips on choosing the right sun hat:

Now that you know that you need to wear a hat for your babies and your kids in the summer. It is also very important to choose the most suitable one. Let’s take a look at some of the things that you need to consider when choosing the right sun hat.

1. How to choose the right material

The most important thing that you need to consider when choosing a sun hat for your baby is the material. Not all types of material are accepted when making this type of hat for your baby. Some of the most common types are cotton, canvas cotton and polyester.

• Cotton: This is probably the most common types of material for a baby sun hat. It is very light weight, well ventilated and breathable. So that your baby can feel cool and comfortable during a hot day.
• Canvas cotton: This type of material has all the good characteristics of a normal cotton hat. Besides that, it is also very durable and requires little care.
• Polyester: This type of material might not be as lightweight and cool as cotton. However, it offers a quick drying performance, making suitable to wear on a day to the beach or swimming pool.
• Straw: A straw hat can offer one of the greatest breathability. However, in term of blocking the harmful sunrays, it is not as effective as the other hats.
• Don’t buy any sun hat that is made from lycra. This material is very thick and not so well ventilated. Also when a lycra hat gets wet, it would become really heavy.

Make sure that the material is soft and smooth. If you buy it from a local store, have a feel at the hat to see if it feels good on your hand. The hat should also be breathable and well ventilated. Ideally, a sun ht should come with an internal sweatband to help wick moisture and prevent sweat from falling down to your kid’s face.

Another factor which is essential in a good baby sun hat is the ability to block the harmful elements in the sunrays. You can find that factor denoted as the Ultraviolet protection factor. High quality sun hats should be rated 30 + and more for this factor. A hat that doesn’t offer this ultraviolet protection factor is simply not a sun hat and will such a big waste if you buy it.

2. How to choose the right style

There is a huge range of styles and designs for you to choose from. Take a look at this collection Sun Hat For Kids and you will be overwhelmed by some of the best designs you can have on the market.

Some of the most common styles of sun hats for your babies include caps, bucket hats and wide brimmed floppy hats. The choice of which styles you should have for your babies depends mostly on your preference.

Here are some of the few things that you should also keep in mind when choosing a sun hat’s style.

• If your baby has never worn a hat before, a soft cotton cap is a great choice as it will not be heavy and your baby will not feel annoyed with the hat.
• If you often take your baby out by placing him or her in a stroller, using a cap with a flat back will make it easy for your baby to lie down on the pram while wearing the hat.
• In case your babies spend a lot of time playing under the hat, a floppy hat is the one that can cover a huge area in your baby’s face and neck. You should choose this hat in such a case. A bucket hat also provides a great coverage for your baby’s face and neck.
• And provided that you want a hat with a great coverage, choose a hat with a brim from at least 3 to 4 inches. However, don’t go for a brim which is too wide. When the brim is too wide, it might become flimsy and floppy, which will block your kids’ sight, especially when it is windy.

A hat with a chin strap can stay more secure on top of your baby’s head. It also helps you to adjust the hat to fit your kid more perfectly. However, you need to make sure the strap is comfortable and not so tight; otherwise, it can cut off circulation and increase the risk of strangulation hazard. A 2 piece chin strap with a Velcro closure is better than a 1 piece chin strap. The latter can be hazardous when it can strangulate your kids’ neck.

3. How to choose the right size

Finally, make sure that the sun hat you are going to pick for your baby or your kid fits him or her perfectly. That would ensure they feel comfortable wearing the hat all day long.

Baby sun hat’s manufactures often offer 1 product in different sizes suggesting different age for each size. If your kid is 3 year old, you can choose a sun hat that says for 3-4 year old kids in its label. Using age as an indicator will work fine as long as your kid’s head is within the average range.

However, it is worth keeping in mind that sometimes, your baby’s head will be bigger or smaller than the size of the average baby of the same age. Therefore, it is better if you know about the circumference of your kid’s head and look for the specific circumference in sizes when you choose a baby hat.

You don’t have to pick up the hat that fits your kid’s head perfectly at the moment. In fact, you should spare a little bit of room in case your kid’s head grows. However, don’t go for a too big hat as it could not be able to stay secure on your kid’s head.

To sum up, here are the 5 most important things that you need to consider when choosing a sun hat for your baby:

• First of all, it should be made of lightweight and breathable materials such as cotton or spandex. It is even more ideal that you can choose a material with a quick drying performance.
• In addition, the material should be UV resistant. You should choose a hat with the ultraviolet protection factor as high as possible.
• Third of all, the hat should have a wide brim. Normally, the wider the brim, the better.
• Make sure the size of the hat can fit your kid’s head. It is better to buy a hat based on the inner circumference, especially when your baby’s head size is not in the median range.
• Finally, pay attention to the chin strap’ design. It should come with 2 pieces connected to each other instead of 1 long piece. In addition, it should be flexible enough to prevent strangulation.

Overall, the most important things that you need to consider when choosing a sun hat for your baby include material, design and size. I hope that with all of the tips above, you could be able to pick up the most suitable hat for your kids so that they can fully enjoy the summer in the safest way.

By Mike | Published: May 19, 2017