7 Best Swim Goggles for Kids, According to Parents
Finally, swim goggles that your children might wear with no complaints!
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In my freewheeling childhood, my cousins, brother, and I never wore swim goggles. Honestly, we rarely even wore sunscreen. But these times are different; my kids and nieces go into the pool wearing a rash guard, covered in sunscreen, and sporting goggles that make swimming safer and more comfortable. Many kids say they like goggles to help them see where they're going when they're swimming underwater.
Our top picks:
- Best Overall: Aegend Swim Goggles for Kids
- Best Value: Findway Kids Swim Goggles
- Best for Little Kids: Speedo Sunny G
"When purchasing a new pair of goggles, I always expect to get at least two years of use out of a single pair," says Heidi Pare, the owner of Michael Phelps Swimming, which offers swim lessons to kids. "Obviously, this does not include how many I may lose in a single season!"
For this story, I crowdsourced the best swim goggles from colleagues, friends, and family, giving preference to well-established brands and prioritizing comfort and fit, leakproof performance, anti-fog lenses, durability, ease of use, and finally, packs of two, in case a pair gets lost or forgotten.
Best Deal
Pros
- Buckle in the back for easy on and off
- Sized for preschoolers to young teens
- Comes with protective cases, ear plugs, and a nose clip
- Can choose clear or reflective lenses
Cons
- Not the best for swim competitions
Parents told me that these stay on better than others. It's all about the buckle in the back. Kids can unclip the goggles instead of stretching them to get them on and off, so they stay nice and tight. They're sized for preschoolers to young teens. A two-pack comes with two goggle cases, ear plugs, and a nose clip set.
Some swim team parents told me that the goggles might not be best for competitions: “They don't stay on well when a child dives in from the starting blocks and can get scratched easily," one said. Using the goggle cases and not laying them face-down on concrete can help protect them.
Aegend offers mirrored, sun-reflective, and clear lenses, in many colors that appeal to both boys and girls. In some cases, you can get a two-pack with one clear set of lenses and one that is sun-reflective set so your child can try each. The brand says that all styles have an anti-fog coating.
Features at a Glance
| Ages | 3 to 14 years |
| Straps | Silicone with buckle |
Pros
- Low price
- Strong suction holds tight to face
- Anti-fog and sun-protective
Cons
- An adult may need to adjust the sides to perfect the fit
This brand has served my nieces well, and it's a bargain. Findway swim goggles aren't large, and though I get the appeal of having a wide field of vision, these small ones fit their faces well and sit high up on the bridge of their nose.
Findway goggles also have good suction. The straps hold tight; I haven't seen them leak or fog up. The silicone strap stretches easily when the girls are ready to pull them off or put them back on, but usually, adults have to step in to perfect the fit with the side adjustments.
Findway says these are anti-fog and UVA and UVB protective. The brand recommends them for ages 12 and under.
Features at a Glance
| Ages | 3 to 12 years |
| Straps | Silicone |
Pros
- Bungee cord straps are easy for little kids to use
- Many cute frame designs
- Parents like the fit and comfort
Cons
- Check the sizing before buying for a big kid
"We love these," a mom of two told me. "They are comfortable, easy to adjust, and have some very cute frames," including designs with sparkles, flag stripes, flowers, and more, to appeal to every kind of kid.
Myriam Sandler, a mom of three who posts to social media as @mothercould, has a cute video of her daughter yanking these over her wet head without any hair pulling (you can watch the goggles in action on her Instagram). The bungee cord strap is unique and stretchy, making it easy for little kids to handle independently.
A swim team mom who uses other Speedos for her competitive swim kids says the Sunny Gs are best for ages 5 and younger, citing their fit on small heads. But a staff mom with a 10-year-old said Sunny Gs are still her daughter's favorites. The brand says that they are UV protective and anti-fog.
| Ages | 3 to 8 years |
| Straps | Bungee cord |
Pros
- These get a vote for durability
- Many tie-dye colors
- Stretchy straps fit a wide range of face shapes
Cons
- Eye cups are on the smaller side
These are the swim goggles that Pare recommends to clients for kids taking lessons and doing competitive swim racing, due to their durability and fit, and they're available in a wide range of tie-dye colors.
The brand promises that the silicone straps mold to a wide range of face shapes, but the eye cups are on the smaller side—great for racing, maybe not as good for young kids just splashing around for fun. TYR says these are anti-fog and both UVA- and UVB-protective.
RELATED: Best Swim Caps
| Ages | 3 to 10 years |
| Straps | Silicone |
Pros
- Large lenses for a wide field of vision
- Nice for beginner swimmers
- Lots of positive Amazon reviews
Cons
- Not for swim racing
Seago Swim Goggles have large, curved lenses for a wider field of vision than most. That's a feature that a mom on our Good Housekeeping staff told me she looked for when her daughters were beginner swimmers. They're sized somewhere between a snorkel mask and regular swim goggles, good for fun in the pool but not meant for swim racing.
The brand says the lenses are UV-protective and anti-fog, and users have said they don't leak. Like our best overall choice, these are age-graded up to age 14.
Features at a Glance
| Ages | 3 to 14 |
| Straps | Silicone with a buckle |
Pros
- Adjustable neoprene straps are softer than silicone
- Good for long hair and sensitive scalps
- Solid choice for beginning swimmers
Cons
- Wider mask version gets lower marks in user reviews
The patented neoprene straps of Frogglez, which fit all around a kid's head, can make for a more pull- and pain-free experience for kids who have sensitive scalps or long, thick hair. They're softer than silicone, and you can adjust the fit using the Velcro straps.
They're another choice that are good for beginner swimmers. The goggles with the smaller eye cups, shown, earn better Amazon reviews for leaking and durability than the Frogglez Wide View Swim Goggle Mask, but either can be attached to your child's favorite Frogglez strap—they're interchangeable. The brand says all of its goggles are anti-fog and UV-protective.
Features at a Glance
| Ages | 3 to 10 |
| Straps | Neoprene |
Pros
- Good choice for older kids who do swim racing
- Highly rated by Amazon users
- Mirrored lenses fight glare
Cons
- Not made to fit little kids
Back to our swim team moms: This is the design they most often recommend for tweens and teens who swim competitively. "Vanquishers stay on best when racing," one mom said, noting that their swim coach recommended them.
Of all the goggles on our list, these have the most five-star Amazon ratings. People like ones with mirrored lenses, as shown, to reduce glare. Depending on your child's preference, there are also versions with tinted or clear lenses.
These are made for ages 11 and up and are not recommended for little kids. Speedo says these have UV protection and are anti-fog.
| Ages | 11+ |
| Straps | Silicone |
How I choose the best kids' swim goggles
I crowdsourced from my fellow Lab pros, Hearst colleagues, friends, and family who use swim goggles on their kids for swim lessons, swim racing, and recreation. I also asked the Michael Phelps Swimming management team for advice they offer to parents.
I gave preference to well-established brands with thousands of five-star Amazon reviews. I looked for goggles that reviewers say are leakproof, anti-fog, durable, and easy to get on and off. The final picks are based on real-person reviews rather than in-Lab testing.
What to look for when shopping for the best kids' swim goggles
"When I purchase swim goggles at my swim school, I have lots of requirements," says Heidi Pare, the owner of Michael Phelps Swimming school, with three locations in New York state. "My first requirement is that the goggles be made out of pliable rubber or silicone that is a single, molded goggle. My second requirement is that the goggles are easily adjustable for the swimmer as they grow. The third and most important requirement is that the goggles not cover the child's mouth or nose."
This means you can't substitute a snorkel mask for swim goggles. "If the child is using a mask-type goggle that covers their nose, it makes it impossible for them to learn breath control underwater," Pare says. "Every swimmer should strive to feel comfortable underwater without holding their nose or wearing a mask that covers their nose." Other considerations:
✔️ Fit: Pay attention to the age grading and who the goggles are meant for: little kids, big kids, tweens, or teens.
✔️ Comfort: Soft, adjustable straps and soft gaskets around the lenses can keep the goggles from pulling hair and the eye cups from leaving marks on your child's skin.
✔️ Leakproof performance: A good seal will keep the water out, and choosing swim goggles for your child's age will help.
✔️ Anti-fog lenses: All of the choices on our list claim to be anti-fog. That usually means the manufacturer adds a thin, clear, water-repellant silicone layer to the inside of each goggle lens, to discourage condensation. Aegend recommends that users do not scrub the inside of the lenses because it can wear down the anti-fog material.
Speedo offers this additional tip: Have your child wet their face and wet the goggles in the water before putting them on. That helps prevent an immediate burst of fogging because their face and the goggles will be close to the same temperature.
✔️ Durability: Kids are hard on goggles, so most parents we spoke with mentioned buying new ones each year. You can help extend their life by storing them in a case or bag and teaching your kids to sit them at the side of the pool with the lenses facing up.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
This article was researched and written by Contributing Writer Jessica Hartshorn. Formerly a senior editor at Parents magazine, she's covered the baby and kids' market for 25 years and is a mom of two young adults.
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