How To Keep The Hat On With Toddlers

It’s a fight every parent has. There’s not a cloud in the sky, the mercury’s up past 30 and your toddler just won’t. Keep. Their. Hat. On! And what’s worse, it’s not a battle you have to fight once, it’s ongoing.

So how do you do it? How do you ensure that your little one is keeping themselves protected from the sun when they’d really rather not be? While there’s no way that gives you all success and no fuss, there are a few tips and tricks you can employ that will help even the odds a bit against a screaming toddler. Read on and fight smarter, not harder.  

Set yourself up for success

First things first, choose a hat that’s more likely to stay on in the first place! This means looking for two things – a hat that’s actually in their size, and a hat that’s got some kind of fastener on it. Finding the right sized hat can be difficult if you’re not sure what you’re looking for, but ensure you’re getting the best fit possible by knowing your baby’s hat size beforehand. Measure the widest part of your baby’s head with a tape measure and match it to the size chart from the seller.

Getting a hat with a fastener is absolutely essential. Not only does it make it that much harder for baby to take off, it also decreases the chance that they’ll lose it in a gust of wind. These can be anything from a broad-brimmed hat with a chin strap to a snapback. Just because you’re looking for a hat with function doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style. Many baby hat manufacturers are turning out beautiful, modern hats that are designed to stay firm and straight on baby’s head.

Start young

Get them in the habit! One of the biggest secret to keeping hats on with toddlers is to start before they’re toddlers. The earlier you start with hats when the baby is too young to complain, the fewer problems you’ll have in the next few years when they decide they don’t want to wear it. Having them growing up wearing a hat is a great way to avoid fights over it.

Be a role model

Don’t just preach, practice. Show how important sun protection is in your home by having both parents and older children wear sun hats when they go outside. Seeing that they’re not alone can go a long way to normalising wearing a hat for a little one.