Hat Sizing for the Whole Family: Beanies, Snapbacks and Sun Hats That Actually Fit
Nothing ruins a good family photo faster than a hat sliding down over somebody's eyes. Because we make most of our styles in baby, kid and adult sizes, fit is the thing we get asked about most, so here is everything worth knowing before you order.
Measure once and write it down
Head circumference is the only number that matters. Wrap a soft tape measure around the widest part of the head, just above the ears and across the middle of the forehead, and keep it snug without pulling. If there is no tape measure in the house, a piece of string marked with a pen and held against a ruler does exactly the same job.
Write the number down somewhere you will find it again. Adult heads barely change, and children's heads change slowly enough that one measurement will serve you for a season or two.
Beanies stretch, so trust the age range
Our knit beanies come in Baby, Kids and Adults. The knit is soft and genuinely stretchy, which makes those age bands forgiving: Baby covers roughly one to eighteen months, Kids covers two to twelve years, and Adults fits most grown-up heads.
Because the fabric gives, the more interesting question is how you want to wear it. Left as it comes, the beanie slouches at the back. Rolled up at the bottom it becomes a cuffed beanie that sits higher and shows more forehead. Same hat, two different looks, and that cuff is also the easiest way to buy a season of growing room for a toddler. Pom or no pom is purely a style call.
Have a look through the beanie collection to see the full colour range.
Snapbacks adjust at the back, not the crown
The plastic strap on a snapback gives you plenty of room at the back of the head, so the strap is rarely the problem. Crown depth decides whether a hat looks right, and crown depth is fixed. That is why we size snapbacks by age band instead of selling them one-size-fits-all: our OG five-panel comes in Baby for four to twelve months, Toddler for twelve months to three years, and Kids for three years and up, while styles like the Anchor, Maritime and Canadian Classic add an adult size on top.
If a measurement lands between two bands, size down on a snapback. A slightly snug crown sits properly and the strap will let it out, whereas a crown that is too deep perches too high no matter how tight you pull the back.
The current line-up lives in Snapbacks, and everything with a brim is gathered under Hats.
Straw hats: measure, do not guess
Straw is the one material with no forgiveness in it, so this is where the tape measure earns its keep. Our lifeguard-style straw hats are sized in actual centimetres rather than by age: X-Small at 44 cm suits a baby, Small at 48 cm a toddler, Medium at 52 cm a kid, and Large at 58 cm an adult. Match the number to the size and you never have to think about it again.
Because the brim is wide and stiff, a straw hat that is even slightly loose will lift in the wind coming off the lake. Snug is correct here.
See what we have in Lifeguard Sun Hats.
Three habits that make hats last
Never hang a knit beanie by its pom or by the crown, because both stretch out and never fully recover. Fold it flat the way you would a t-shirt. Keep snapbacks off the dashboard in summer, since heat is what warps a flat brim. And air-dry everything: a single dryer cycle will shrink a knit beanie and can pull the shape out of a structured crown.
When in doubt
Every product page has a Size and Fit tab with the measurements for that specific item, and those head circumference figures always take priority over general age guidance. If you are buying for the whole family and want the hats to look consistent in photos, the simplest approach is to pick one style and take it across the age bands rather than mixing three different crown shapes.
If anything is still unclear, use the enquiry link on any product page and we will measure the actual hat before you commit to a size.
