When bitterly cold temperatures hit, you have to be careful to avoid staying out in the frigid air for too long. A cold weather emergency can happen relatively quickly, especially with children.
Your child should never leave the house without a hat in this kind of weather. Children, especially younger children, can lose a third of their body heat through their heads when they’re outside, so make sure they are properly dressed.
1. The sun can still do damage
There are roughly four weeks of the year when they UV levels are low enough that it’s safe enough to be out in the sun without sun protection. And because I’m sure you have better things to do than work out when those four weeks are, it’s best you assume those UV rays are coming for you so keep those hats on!
The sneaky thing about wintertime is that we are lulled into a false sense of security. It’s cold so the sun draws us out into its warmth and because it’s not as stifling hot as it is in summertime, we spend more time basking in its glow. We crave it! We’re also more relaxed about sunscreen because we’re covered up, but the part most exposed for the longest time – our heads – needs to be protected. All of our sun hats have a UPF rating of 50+ which means they’ve been designed and manufactured to filter UVA and UVB rays to prevent them penetrating the skin.
2. We lose heat from our heads
Our bodies are great at adjusting to cold and warm temperatures, but above the neck isn’t as good at adjusting the blood flow to warm us up. And because most of our body heat is predominantly lost through the head, a hat acts as a lid to keep that warmth in! Also remember babies lose body heat as much as four times more quickly than adults, so it’s important to keep their little heads covered.
3. You don’t want to break good habits
If you’ve spent all summer instilling good hat-wearing habits in your children, you don’t want to relax the rules when it’s cooler – it’ll only mean you’ll have to start all over again come the warmer months! Wearing a hat all year around means it becomes second nature to kids – which means no more fights or tantrums! If your baby is born in the cooler months, a beanie is a great start to sun safety: getting them used to wearing something on their heads from birth means it’s not so strange to them when they’re a little older and wiser and much more mobile – once those little hands start moving and you suddenly stick a hat on their heads, they’ll take it off if they’re not used to it.
4. They look super adorable
Nothing really is cuter than little kids in cute character hats! And do we have cute character hats! Our koalas and Teddy fleecy beanies in particular are popular for their sweet style and toasty cosiness. Kids AND parents love them, so it’s a win-win in the good parenting/happy child department which doesn’t happen very often!
But how to select suitable baby hats?
1. Choose the right style for your child
There are 3 hat styles that kids can work their way through as they grow. Some will overlap a little and you really need to work with your child’s preferences during that overlap stage.
Legionnaire/Baby Flap Hat style: Best suited to newborn and young babies and is ideal for wearing in prams and carriers as the flap lies flat as baby does.
Toddler/baby buckets: Once they’re up and about on their own exploring, they need that extra protection all around their head and shoulders that the brim of a bucket hat will provide.
Kids buckets/broadbrims: Bigger kids get to graduate to the larger bucket hats with the foam insert in the brim that is slightly stiffer. The broadbrims have more upright and deeper brims which provide more coverage to shoulders and chests.
2. Be persistent + consistent
Don’t take no for an answer – let them know they HAVE to wear a hat whenever they go outdoors. Keep putting it back on every time they take it off and adopt the “no hat, no play” rule. They’ll eventually either learn to love it – or just give up on fighting with you about it!
3. Make sure it fits (and sits) correctly
Measure your child’s head before purchasing a hat to ensure the right fit. Too big can impede their vision; too small will slide off the top of their head. Ponytails can also be an issue – our ponytail bucket and broadbrim hats take care of that!
4. Include them in picking the hat
As well as the initial purchase, give them a choice of what hat to wear each day. Let them choose the swim hat even if you’re not going to the beach! And let them pick their outfit the night before – hat included. That way it’s part of their outfit and there is no harm in them wearing a hat inside.
Getting your baby or toddler used to wear hats doesn’t have to be a stressful situation. Follow the tips I’ve mentioned and buy a variety of hats if possible. Choose hats that are age-appropriate and provide your little one with comfort.
Encourage your little one to touch the hats and play with them and encourage dress-up where the older siblings are involved to create more fun and excitement. Make hat time fun by not giving up!