Summer officially started last weekend, and we’re continuing the kick-off in style by celebrating National Sunglasses Day. Yes, that’s a real thing. And while honestly, there isn’t a kid who doesn’t look adorable in any pair of sunglasses at all, we put together some of the very coolest ones based on warranty, style and function.  After all, it’s about eye protection; not just looking cute in Mom’s Intstagram photos.

 

Best Kids' Sunglasses at Cool Mom Picks | Babiators original

Best Value
Babiators original sunglasses for kids come in 11 trendy colors and have full UVA and UVB protection. They’re an amazing buy at $20, in part because of their fantastic lost-and-found guarantee to replace any pair of glasses lost or damaged by your kids. Impressive warranty, especially at this price.

 

Bon Look Birdie Sunglasses | Cool Mom Picks

Best Innovation
Bon Look’s Birdie sunglasses for kids (also at top) are adorable, although they’re slightly more pricey at around $40. The innovative flexible arms for kids who are prone to grab and stretch their glasses make these some of the most durable we’ve seen, which is worth a few extra bucks.

 

Pink Lemonade Sunnies at J. Crew | Cool Mom Picks

Best Classic Look
These Pink Lemonade Sunnies from J. Crew are the perfect color for summer. But if pink isn’t your thing, they have half a dozen other options, from neon yellow to black. They’re priced at $24.50, but they’re 30% off for a limited time with the code HISUMMER.

 

Oakley Quarter Jacket Youth sunglasses | Cool Mom PicksBest for Summer Athletes
These Oakley Quarter Jacket shades are a serious splurge for sporty kids at $100, but they’ll last you. (At least if they don’t lose them first.) They’re made with a stress-resistant O Matter frame and interchangeable lenses made with Plutonite, which filters out 100% of UVA, UVB, UVC, and harmful blue light. I don’t know what half of that means but sounds like $100 worth of good stuff to me.  You can even get them with Oakley prescription lenses if your child athletes wear glasses.

 

Al e Ro sunglasse for kids are flexible and soft

Best Quality
The kids shades from Al e Ro are in the $90 range, but they’re worth the investment if your kids are everyday sunglass wearers because they’re soooo well made. They block out 100% of UV rays but still allow for light perception; and the flexible, soft frames are perfect  for kids who are hard on their glasses. (Bendy!) Our editor Liz swears by the brand as one of her very favorites. They’re a little tough to track down in the US, but several of the 14 colors are available at Amazon.

 

Fashion Angels DIY Tapefetti sunglasses kit | Cool Mom Picks

Best for Up and Coming Fashion Designers
If your child is a budding Betsey Johnson, she’ll love this Tapefetti design-your-own sunglasses kit at Nordstrom. For just $9.99, you get a pair of plain white sunglasses with nine rolls of decorative tape and a couple pages of glam stickers. Not that we can guarantee much protection with these, but as a pure style statement, my daughter would die for this.

 

Ro-sham-bo Baby Sunglasses | Cool Mom Picks

[EDITED TO ADD] The Bon Look glasses we originally recommended are no longer available, so instead we recommend the fun shades from Ro-sham-bo Baby. They have really fun names for all the colors like the purple Punky Brewster or the white Ice Ice Baby. The sunglasses are BPA free, the price is terrific at $25 for total UVA/UVB protection, and even the case is food-grade plastic. Which is great, since young kids tend chew on everything. The full year guarantee against breakage or damage is reassuring too.

 

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