Headbands for Children Swimming

A weeping child stands on the edge of the pool "mommy your pulling my hair" the entire time that your wrestling to get the bathing cap on.

Wait... Get Your Lesson Plans Here

Do you ever breath with a sigh of frustration when you hear, once again and you know it wont be the last time "daddy it's still getting in": as you pull that bathing cap down over your child's ears and you think to yourself with sarcasm "oh the joys of bathing caps".

You are not alone in this malaise.

Of course the simple solution is to leave the bathing cap off but many of us don't have a choice because of medical reasons or just because your child can't stand water in their ears.


Now I would love to say "head bands to the rescue" but I would be lying if I said they are the complete solution. Never-the-less they are an alternative and the right way to go for many children.

Sometimes headbands are better than bathing caps because they only go around the head rather than cover the entire head. This results in your child's head being allowed to breathe resulting in a cooler head, practically no pulling in their hair and a much easier fit.

Not only that but they look cooler!

Head bands still need to be adjusted occasionally but they are easier to adjust because they don't cover the whole head. Easier to put on before swimming starts also, because of the Velcro.

The down side of head bands is when they are worn with goggles: which is most of the time. Unlike bathing caps they have a ridge which can often interfere with the fit of the goggle eye piece and strap. Whilst not a deal breaker it does sometimes mean a reasonable effort needs to be put into getting their placement correct so head band and goggles are not in conflict.

You will need to experiment a little. My suggestion is to put the goggles on first and the head band over the strap of the goggles rather than under the strap like you would with bathing caps and adjust from there.

Bathing caps do manage hair and keep the head warmer. But nothing will hold ear plugs in place better than head bands. This is where they simply excel.

Weather bathing caps or head bans keep water out better is purely subjective. Some people will argue for one or the other but there is no doubt that head bands are effective, it just may depend on the scale of the head that the band is going around.

In brief head bands keep heads cool as well as look cool. They are easier to fit, help reduce water getting into the ears and are an excellent alternative for keeping ear plugs in.

Enjoy
   Richard