Looking for a pair of sports sunglasses for your active child? It can be tough to find a pair of glasses designed to protect little eyes AND stay put while playing sports.
Whether your child is into mountain biking (like ours), baseball, running, hiking, water sports, or just being rowdy at the playground, they need a good pair of sunglasses. Sunglasses protect your child’s eyes from UV rays, dust, rocks; and perhaps most importantly, they’re fun and look cool!
In an effort to compile a list of the best kids sports sunglasses, we’ve tested shades on our kiddo, surveyed our Rascals community, and read LOTS of reviews.
Here are our top picks for both kids and toddler sunglasses. These will work great for cycling, hiking, boating, and just about any other sport, you can think of.
What to Look For in Pair of Kids Sunglasses
Not so fast! Before you start shopping for sunglasses here are a couple of things to think about.
UV Protection
The most important thing to look for when shopping for kids sunglasses is UV protection. The glasses should provide 99%-100% protection against both UVA and UVB rays (all the glasses listed here do).
Why is this so important? Because kids eyes are not as capable as adults eyes in filtering sun rays. In fact, children take in about three times the annual UV exposure of the average adult. Yikes!
Polarization
Polarized lenses are useful for times when your child is going to be explosed to highly-reflective surfaces like water or snow. If your kiddo is going to be using their sunglasses for cross-country skiing, sledding, boating, fishing, or playing at the beach, you might want to invest in a pair of shades that offer polarized lenses.
Fit
You need to make sure you are buying sunglasses that are actually going to stay on and be comfortable for your child. We’ve bought several pairs of gas station sunglasses for my son, and what a mistake that is. They constantly slip off, fall down, etc. Invest in one of these pairs of lightweight sunglasses instead and your child is going to be much more likely to keep them on.
We’ve also broken these sunglasses down into recommended age groups (see the comparison chart at the bottom), so you can make sue to get a pair of sunglasses that isn’t going to be too big for your child’s face.
Straps, Wrap, or Croakies
One piece of advice: buying glasses with a band or adding a pair of croakies can be hugely helpful. They let kids take their glasses on and off without worrying about losing them, and if they fall off they won’t land on the ground (or in the water, as the case may be).
For babies and toddlers, strappy sunglasses are THE way to go. Older kids are usually better off with croakies.
For other sports (baseball, running), wrap glasses are ideal. These stay in place without the need for croakies or straps. You’ll see a couple of these type glasses below.
Price, Durability, and Warranties
One thing to think about before buying a pair of sunglasses is the trade-off between price and durability. Cheap sunglasses are usually, well cheap, and break easily. You want a pair of glasses that’s going to hold up for a while and not end up in the landfill.
On the flip side, kids are notorious for dropping, breaking, sitting on, losing, or otherwise obliterating their shades. Before spending a bunch of money on a pair of sunglasses, think about how responsible your child is in general. Can they handle taking care of a $50 pair of sunglasses.
Before buying, also check the warranty. Some manufacturers will replace broken lenses or even lost glasses, making the investment more worthwhile.
MiniShades Classic Kids Sunglasses
These sunglasses top our list because the manufacturer’s warranty is so great. It covers scratches, broken lenses, and even loss. Which is great because we all know our kids are going to do one of those things.
These glasses are advertised for kids ages 3 to 7, but we’ve found that they work great for toddlers too.
Price (MSRP): $22/30
Julbo Kids Rookie Polarized Sunglasses
It’s a little scary to spend this much money on a pair of sunglasses for kids, but if you want a really high-quality pair of shades, these fit the bill. They offer lots of protection and stay firmly in place even when kids get rowdy.
Fits kids ages 8-12, and runs pretty true to size.
Price: Price not available (Last updated: 2023-03-07 at 21:42 – More Info)
Rivbos Polarized Kids Sunglasses with Strap
These adorable glasses come in a ton of fun colors and are virtually indestructible. The Rivbos frames are made of food-grade rubber so they are both flexible and safe. (Evidently, I’m not the other parent who has a child that likes to chew on EVERYTHING). They’re also super affordable and suitable for kids ages 3-10.
Price: Price not available (Last updated: 2023-03-07 at 21:42 – More Info)
RKS Explorer Kids Sunglasses
For toddlers, I love strappy sunglasses. For biking, they fit easily under a helmet, stay in place, and keep dust out of little eyes. The RKS toddler glasses are attractive and durable enough to withstand life in the outdoors. Order a size up because they run small.
Price: Price not available (Last updated: 2023-03-07 at 21:42 – More Info)
SunCloud Sonny Polarized Kids Sunglasses
The polarized lenses on these glasses are great for kids spending time around highly reflective surfaces like snow and water. And the frame is flexible and difficult to damage–which is a plus, because we all know what a pair of kids sunglasses is going to be put through.
These glasses are advertised for kids ages 6-10, but they run a bit smaller.
Price (MSRP): $30
Julbo Looping Sunglasses
These glasses are ideal babies, toddlers, and young kids and come in several sizes and versions. They are virtually indestructible so kids can throw them, bend them, and otherwise abuse them. Unlike some strappy sunglasses, they are also really easy to take on and off and most young kids will be able to do this themselves. They stay in place and are comfortable even for picky toddlers.
The looping 3 version fits ages 2-4 and runs true to size.
Price (MSRP): $35 at Moosejaw.com*
Under Armour Kids Menace Wrap Glasses
These are a favorite of baseball families. Why? They stay in place, are lightweight, and kids think they are comfortable.
This makes them good not just for baseball but for a variety of sports including running, soccer, and cycling. They fit well on kids ages 8 to 12.
Price: Price not available (Last updated: 2023-03-07 at 21:42 – More Info)
Pit Viper 1993 XS
Although this rowdy company started by making glasses and goggles for skiers, the bike crowd took to the stylish lenses like no other. The 1993 XS is one of four styles offered for kids and the colors/open lens frame are attractive and durable at the same time.
Sizing indicates 4.9 inches wide by 2 inches high, so bigger kids will wear them well. Fair warning, if you visit their website, do expect some questionable marketing materials.
Price: $69.69
Comparison Chart: Kids Sunglasses
Still not sure which pair to buy? Use this handy comparison chart.
| Sunglasses | Recommended Age Range | Polarized? | Strap/Wrap? |
| MiniShades Classic* | 3-7 | No | None |
| Julbo Rookie* | 8-12 | Yes | Wrap |
| Rivbos Polarized* | 3-10 | Yes | Strap |
| RKS Explorer * | 1-5 | No | Strap |
| SunCloud Sonny * | 6-10 | Yes | None |
| Julbo Looping 3* | 2-4 | No | Strap |
| Under Armour Menace* | 8-12 | No | Wrap |
| Pit Viper 1993 XS | 8-12 | No | Wrap |
I came looking for an alternative to Julbo for a 2 year old. My son has already gone through 2 pairs of the looping sunglasses on this listing – same color too! Unfortunately the frame around the lens snapped on both pairs. I figured future readers ought to be warned.
Yikes–thanks for the heads-up! That’s not great.
Why all of above are sunglasses while good bike glasses should be transparent 🙁 Any idea where to find transparent sport glasses with UV filtering?
Wearing the youth sunglasses pair does not only protect my kid’s eyes, but also enhances the performances, particularly when hitting a ball. Thanks for a marvelous posting! I definitely enjoyed reading it, you may be a great author.