A wide-brim sun hat is a light woven hat with a brim all the way round. It shades your baby's face, ears and neck, whichever way the sun comes from.
Your baby wears it outdoors whenever the UV index is 3 or more. Unlike a stroller canopy, a hat goes where your baby goes: in your arms, in the carrier, on a blanket in the park. It can stay in the bag on a cloudy day with low UV, in the shade and indoors.
- For ages0–3years
- You'll need1–2sun hats
- Wear it fromUV 3
How baby hat sizes work
Shop tags give ages, such as 0–6 months or 6–12 months, and they are rough guesses: babies of the same age differ by several centimeters around the head. A hat that is too small presses on the forehead. One that is too big slides down over the eyes.
What fits is the size of the head in centimeters. Wrap a soft tape measure around the widest part: a finger's width above the eyebrows, just above the ears, and over the bump at the back. Keep it level all the way round, and do not pull it tight.
Woven cotton does not stretch the way a knit hat does. Between two sizes, take the bigger one, and pull in the cord at the back.
Two babies of the same age can need different hats. At 6 months, heads measure anywhere from about 40 to 46 cm (15.7 to 18.1 in).
Which sun hat size does your baby need to wear?
Type the size you measured, and the hat that fits fills in.
- Newborn36 cm14.2 in
- 3 months41 cm16.1 in
- 6 months44 cm17.3 in
- 1 year47 cm18.5 in
- 2 years49 cm19.3 in
Typical sizes. Brands size hats differently: one brand's 0–6 months fits heads of 38–44 cm, and another's is a 45 cm hat. Go by the cm on the brand's own chart.
How a sun hat is built
Brim
About 7.5 cm (3 in) all the way round, so it shades the face, the ears and the neck.
Crown
The part over the head. On a sun hat it is thin and unlined.
Chin strap
It closes under the chin, so a gust cannot take the hat.
Types of sun hat
Other sun hats, each for a different kind of day.
Floppy sun hat
A soft brim that slopes down and folds into a pocket. When your baby leans back in the stroller, it bends instead of pushing the hat over the eyes.
Legionnaire sun hat
A cap with a long flap of fabric over the ears and the neck. Good for crawlers and toddlers, who spend the day looking down, with the back of the neck to the sun.
Chin-strap sun hat
A bucket hat (a soft hat with a short brim that slopes down) with a strap under the chin, for windy days and for babies who pull hats off.
Soft sun cap
A soft cap with a peak that shades the eyes and the forehead, but not the ears or the neck. For mild sun, or under a stroller canopy.
Which sun hat shades the most?
A brim shades only the skin it reaches, and the sun does not stay in front of your baby. On a walk it shines from the side and from behind too. Pick a hat below and move the sun to see what each one leaves bare.
Where the shade falls
The sun here is halfway up the sky, as on a summer morning or afternoon. A lower sun reaches further under every brim.
Cap
Front only
6–7 cm of brim, all of it in front. The sides and the back have none.
Legionnaire
Peak and flap
A peak like a cap's, and a flap over the ears and neck. The flap meets the peak at the sides.
Bucket hat
5 cm (2 in)
At least this much brim, angled down all round, on a deep crown that sits low. That is the minimum for a child.
Wide brim
7.5 cm (3 in)
Brim all round, and at least 6 cm of it on a child's hat.
- EyesIn the shade
- CheekIn the shade
- EarPartly in the sun
- Back of the neckIn the shade
- EyesIn the shade
- CheekIn the sun
- EarIn the sun
- Back of the neckIn the sun
- EyesIn the shade
- CheekIn the shade
- EarIn the shade
- Back of the neckIn the sun
- EyesIn the shade
- CheekIn the shade
- EarIn the shade
- Back of the neckIn the shade
- EyesIn the shade
- CheekIn the sun
- EarIn the shade
- Back of the neckIn the shade
- EyesIn the shade
- CheekIn the shade
- EarIn the shade
- Back of the neckIn the shade
- EyesIn the shade
- CheekIn the shade
- EarIn the shade
- Back of the neckIn the shade
- EyesIn the shade
- CheekIn the shade
- EarIn the shade
- Back of the neckPartly in the sun
- EyesIn the shade
- CheekIn the shade
- EarIn the shade
- Back of the neckIn the shade
- EyesIn the shade
- CheekIn the shade
- EarIn the shade
- Back of the neckIn the shade
- EyesIn the shade
- CheekIn the shade
- EarIn the shade
- Back of the neckIn the shade
- EyesIn the shade
- CheekIn the shade
- EarIn the shade
- Back of the neckIn the shade
How to choose a sun hat
1. A brim that holds its shape
Rows of stitching keep even a soft brim level and out of the eyes, and it still folds into a bag.
- Good: Stitched rows round the brim
- Good: Brim stays level when held
- Not good: Brim that sags over the eyes
2. Light, close-woven fabric
Your baby loses heat through the head, so the fabric should be thin. A close weave keeps the sun off. You want both: a light fabric with a tight weave, and small vents near the top.
- Good: Light woven cotton or linen
- Good: Small vents near the top
- Not good: Thick or lined crown
3. A breakaway safety clip
A breakaway clip pops open if the strap ever catches on something.
- Good: Clip that pops open
- Not good: Strap sewn in one closed loop
4. An adjustable crown toggle
The cord sets the fit: snug in a breeze, and let out as the head grows.
- Good: Drawcord with a toggle
- Good: Snug without pressing
- Not good: No way to tighten the crown
How to use it and keep it on
If your baby pulls the hat off, look at the brim first: a brim in the eyes gets swiped away. Pull in the cord at the back until the brim sits just above the eyebrows, where your baby can see under it.
Put the hat on once you are outside. There is so much to look at that the hat is soon forgotten. If it still comes off, a chin strap holds it, and the tricks for keeping a hat on work for any hat.
Questions parents ask
Do newborns need a sun hat in summer?
Yes, for the moments in the sun. Under 6 months, keep your baby out of direct sun as much as you can, in the shade of trees, an umbrella or the stroller canopy. When you have to walk through the sun, a light wide-brim hat shades the head and the face, as part of a sunny-day outfit.
What hat size does a 6-month-old wear?
Usually a hat for a head of 42 to 44 cm (about 16.5–17.5 in). Heads differ a lot at the same age, so measure your baby's head before you buy.
Do bucket hats protect from the sun as well as wide-brim hats?
Nearly. A bucket hat's brim is narrower and slopes down, so it shades a little less of the neck and the sides of the face. It stays put better in a breeze. Both are among the best hats for children.
Are chin straps on baby hats safe?
Yes, outside with you there, if the strap can let go: a breakaway clip, or short ties for a baby in a stroller.
Can my baby sleep wearing a sun hat?
No. When your baby falls asleep, in the crib, the stroller or the carrier, the hat comes off: babies cool down through the head and face, and a hat can trap the heat or slip over the face. Shade the face with the canopy instead. In a warm car the hat comes off too, asleep or awake.
What is a baby hat with a neck flap called?
A legionnaire sun hat. US shops often call it a neck flap hat.
What makes a baby sun hat UPF 50?
A close weave. UPF 50 means no more than 2 in 100 of the sun's rays get through, and a tight weave does most of that work, in cotton or in synthetic fabric. Hold the hat up to a window: the less light shows through, the better.
Can my baby wear a sun hat in a baby carrier?
Yes. In a front carrier, a stiff brim bumps your chest and tips forward over your baby's eyes. Turn the back of the brim up, or choose a soft bucket hat or a legionnaire hat: both lie flat against you.
Does my baby need a special sun hat for swimming?
No, but for splashing and the pool, a nylon or polyester hat dries faster and keeps its shape when wet. For walks on dry land, light woven cotton is cooler. By the water, light also bounces up under the brim, which is where baby sunglasses help.
