7 Ways to Get Kids to Keep Their Hats on

We're Little Hotdog Watson, and we make cool, fun hats for kids. We're looking at ways to get kids to keep their hats on and protected when out and adventuring! Come say hello over on Instagram!

Sometimes, trying to get your little one to keep a hat on when they're outdoors is like trying to keep a double sized fitted sheet on a king size mattress. As soon as your back is turned, ping! It's off again. 

Little Hotdog Watson was borne not only out of a love for quality family time outdoors but also out of frustration, of finding good quality, cool kids hats that little ones actually want to keep on their heads. From big headed babes and fussy toddlers to hot and bothered summer babies, it's difficult to know what to do to keep our little ones happy, and safe from the elements. 

Our range of childrens hats are designed to not only look great, but be comfortable and practical all year round, for whatever adventures your little ones are on. Check out our full range of kids hats here!

Here are some easy and innovative ways to help kids keep their hats on all year round!

1. Start them young

If you have a well fitting, comfortable hat, getting them on your little one as soon as young as possible is the perfect way to get them used to the feeling of wearing a hat. Outdoors, little ones can wear hats from newborn, but babies should not wear hats indoors. 

If you're looking for more guidance on infant safety surrounding wearing hats, why not check out our blog discussing when babies can start wearing hats!

But much like the infamous tummy time, starting early and doing little and often can get little ones used to the sensation of wearing a hat. By the time they're roaming around outdoors they'll be used to wearing a hat and should be happy to put one on! 

2. Consider chin straps 

In sizes up to 18-36 months, our bucket hats feature a soft touch velcro fastening chin strap for extra secure fit.  

This way, our little ones can focus on doing what they do best: getting out in the fresh air and enjoying themselves!

 

3. Check the fabric

One of the biggest reasons that kids will pull off a hat, aside from comfort, is that it's too hot or itchy. Always look for 100% natural materials for breathability and comfort.

In spring and summer, 100% cotton is best to keep cool and comfortable. In the colder months, wool is the best material to keep warm: double check the fabric label to see if it states wool, merino wool, cashmere or alpaca.

Some hats may look like wool but are sneakily disguised synthetic fabrics! Synthetic fibres can cause over-heating, sweat and general discomfort. 

4. Help Them Choose

Just like grown ups, our little ones want to feel like they're in control of their surroundings and able to make choices on what they wear. Why not scroll through our collection of summer and winter children's hats and see which design they like the best: getting them excited about a new hat is a great way to ensure it gets worn and loved! 

Are you looking for more ways to enjoy the outdoors with your little ones? Check out our blog on fun summer garden activities for kids! 

5. Choose the right hat

Choosing the right hat is a vital part of keeping your little one comfortable when out and about, so they're less likely to start practicing a new career as an olympic shot putter (if shot puts were made out of hats, naturally). 

 Think about what your summer adventures will look like with your little ones. Will you need the extra protection of a neck flap, or is a lightweight bucket hat going to be more effective? If you're planning sports and activities, then maybe something like a baseball cap will be best. 

Little Hotdog Watson's range of funky summer hats come with a UPF 50+ rating, shielding children's heads from harsh UVA and UVB rays. Along with this, they're coated with an innovative mosquito repellent, which helps to keep buzzies out of their face.

For winter, use the same approach. What do your winter activities look like? If you need a hat that is lightweight, easy to carry in a bag and perfect for under ski or bike helmets, then maybe a beanie hat would work well and keep kids heads cosy. If they're in a pram or in even colder weather, ear flaps and a faux fur lining can protect against the chill! 

Check out our blog on fun summer garden activities for kids! 

 

6. Matchy Matchy

Anything you can do, they can do cuter! If your little one sees you wearing a hat to keep safe out in the sun, or warm in the winter, they'll be much more likely to want to join in with the fun. All putting on your hats together before you leave the house will encourage them to wear one too.

This also goes for older siblings: little ones love to do whatever their older siblings, cousins or friends are doing. So praising the older child who wears their hat will encourage smaller children to be grown up and wear their hat too! 

We have a number of styles in both adult and kids sizes so you can match with your little hotdogs: getting the whole crew involved not only makes for great instagram content (!) but the little ones will love to all be part of the fun. 

7. Patience and Consistency

Ultimately, being patient and consistent is the key way to keep your little one wearing their hats. Much like other aspects of parenting, keeping consistent with hat wearing will reiterate how important it is to keep theirs on. It might be frustrating at times to keep encouraging them to keep their hats on, but keeping safe outdoors is so important and worth the effort. 

Do you have any top tips for keeping hats on little ones? Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook and Instagram! 
 

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After growing up in the North-west of England, Emma’s love of travel and style saw her career move to London with a fashion + business degree,  first working as a trend researcher then menswear buyer for some of the most famous stores in the UK. 

In 2015, having had her first baby she moved to Norwich to explore a family life closer to beaches and the countryside. Becoming a parent she found herself in a world of kidswear that didn’t look good or perform for the type of fresh air fun as a family so she set about creating her own brand. Little Hotdog Watson was born in 2016. The summer and winter hats for kids and adults, jam-packed with innovative protective technology have gone on to win awards, grace the pages of magazines, like Vogue, Grazia, Independent, Mother and Baby and celebrities alike. 

Emma had another daughter in 2019 and became a lecturer in Fashion and Business at Norwich University of the Arts.  She continues to design hats at her dining room table and share her passion to help families get outside more and explore the world. Here is one of her favourite outside blogs; 15 games adults will love playing with kids 

Email her anytime at; support@littlehotdogwatson.com or find her on Instagram.