Locally-Made Baby Sun Hat

An essential and integral part of parenting, as far as I can tell, is running around in circles trying to find all the gear. Socks, sweaters, mitts, and hats. There’s winter hats and ball caps and sun hats. There’s boys’ hats and girls’ hats, baby bonnets and hats with dinosaurs on them. I know I’ve got hats coming out the wazoo. I still wasn’t quite satisfied with the little tan baseball cap and/or denim sun hat I have for L’il I, though. I wanted a one-hat-fits-all for the summer and, yes, I wanted something a little more girly. (I know. What’s happening to me?) So when I ran around the apartment for twenty minutes last week on the way out to the park and found NO hats, I clearly needed to buy a new one. Right?

So I piled the kids in the stroller and walked one block west to Snug as a Bug. (Another reason to love the Junction.) I don’t often buy clothes for my kids at all thanks to all the hand-me-downs we get. And I don’t usually go to Snug as a Bug when I do because they are a bit pricey. What you get for the extra sticker price, though, is a quality children’s garment designed and made in Canada. That’s right. Everything is sewn by local seamstresses right in our own neighbourhoods. When I do need quality kids gear, then, that’s where I go.

I am so enamoured of this particular sun hat, though, that I wanted to dwell on it some more here. (My family and friends were getting a bit tired of hearing me go on about a baby’s hat, I could tell.) First it is adjustable via an elastic drawstring around the circumference of the head. So you can be sure of a snug fit right from the get go. I have hats that were loose for months, then fit right for about one minute before becoming too small. This hat only comes in two sizes (0 -2 and 2 – 8), and you know you’ll be able to wear the dickens out of it. It also has a chin strap which is a total must for the under two set. It has a nice wide brim that will shade the entire face and neck which means less sunscreen and fewer chemicals on sensitive baby skin. It is UV resistant and made of nylon; so light-weight and water resistant, too. And while nobody loves a fun pattern more than me, the simple bright white colour with pink trim will go perfectly with almost all little girl outfits. (There’s one for boys with blue trim, too.) It retails for $29.95 (Canadian dollars), but there’s a sale on hats right now. Well worth it.

Now, if I can just manage to hold onto this one.