The Best Cloth and KN95 Face Masks for Kids and Toddlers
The ideal mask for kids is “one that a child is willing and able to wear for most of the day, put on and remove correctly, and that she won’t be constantly touching,” said Dr. Jennifer Shu, pediatrician and AAP spokesperson. Additionally, for a kids face mask to be comfortable and effective, it needs to fit properly, be made from multiple layers of a breathable material, and be appealing to kids.
Shape and fit
Fit is one of the most important factors when choosing a mask, said Virginia Tech engineering professor and aerosol expert Linsey Marr. A properly fitting mask should cover the nose and mouth, be secured below the chin, fit snugly against the sides of the face, and allow the child to breathe easily. It should not have gaps at the nose, cheeks, or under the chin.
Cloth masks come in three styles: pleated, cone, and flat. Pleated masks expand to cover the nose and chin, whereas cone-shaped masks are shaped to arch up over the nose, and many extend below the chin. Flat masks are simple rectangles of fabric and are less likely to conform to the face. Masks should fall just below the eyes and go up a bit higher over the nose.
Disposable masks for kids are available in a pleated style, like the surgical masks worn by medical staff (these tend to be cheaper but leave gaps around the face), or in a closer-fitting, cone-shaped or boat-shaped KN95 or KF94.
Some masks have nose-bridge wires, which help the top of the mask contour to the nose. Masks with nose-bridge wires seem to have the most benefit for older children and children with nasal bridges that are higher relative to their upper cheeks; we found that nose-bridge wires didn’t make much of a difference in fit for younger kids (around ages 2 to 6) with smaller noses. A nose-bridge wire may be especially beneficial for kids who wear glasses, if they experience fogging.
As with masks for adults, when it came to kids masks, we found that one size definitely did not fit all. Even brands offering multiple kids sizes weren’t well suited to every tester in the target size. To increase the odds of getting a good fit, look at the dimensions of the mask and compare them to the measurements of your child’s face before you order. But know that even if the dimensions of the mask seem appropriate, the ear loops play a big role in fit. Several of our picks have adjustable ear loops to allow for a comfortable fit for a wide range of face sizes. For safety reasons, we don’t recommend kids masks that wrap around or tie behind the head.
Filtration and other factors
When we began testing for this guide, in summer 2020, few masks were available for kids, and most of them were simply constructed with a few layers of cloth. Since then, many more masks for kids have become available, including those with medical-grade filters. Updated guidance from the CDC places more emphasis on masks with these protective filters. Our current picks — the Enro mask, Happy Masks Pro, WellBefore Kids KN95, and Powecom KN95 — all offer robust built-in filtration.
N95 masks are designed to meet US standards, and they can block 95% of particles as small as 0.1 micron in diameter. There are no N95 masks made specifically for kids (and if you see one, it’s counterfeit). Other high-performing medical masks are produced in children’s sizes, including the KN95 (China’s N95 equivalent) and KF94 (Korea’s N95 equivalent). All are made with similar layers of high-filtration, nonwoven materials and can block 94% to 95% of tiny airborne particles.
In addition, some cloth masks come with filters sewn in. In independent lab tests commissioned by Wirecutter (you can read more details below), our cloth picks with incorporated filters, the Enro mask and the Happy Masks Pro, blocked about the same amount of airborne particles as a KN95 mask. Additional research (by Marr and others) has found that cloth masks with incorporated filters improve the mask’s ability to block particles, but that KN95 and KF94 masks still performed better.
There are a few caveats: First, a filter layer was more effective only when it fit the entire expanse of the mask; otherwise, air could get in or out around any areas the filter didn’t cover. (Both Enro and Happy Masks Pro masks have built-in filters that span the entire mask. Cloth masks with filter pockets, which allow you to add an extra fabric layer of disposable filter, tend to be less effective.) And though we sent only comfortable and adjustable cloth masks to be tested, the lab tests also didn’t specifically account for fit or comfort (which Dr. Shu and Marr said should still be a priority in masks for kids). The filtration of Enro and Happy Masks models diminish over time with repeated washing.
Layers and breathability
Generally speaking, the more densely woven the material is, the better it can block particles. However, very densely woven materials, particularly when it comes to reusable masks, can come at the expense of breathability.
Because breathability is important both for comfort and protection, more layers is not necessarily better, said Taher Saif, PhD, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Adding too many layers of fabric or a filter can force air in and out around the mask (where there are gaps between the mask and your face), instead of through it; this could make the mask less effective overall. A review of 25 studies agreed that “there is a trade-off in that more layers increases the resistance to breathing.” The Happy Masks Pro was the only cloth mask we tested that has more than three layers — including a built-in filter layer — but that still remained breathable, comfortable, and well fitted.
Helping kids wear a mask
Parenting expert and psychologist Laura Markham, whom we interviewed during the height of the pandemic, said that parental attitudes and actions are paramount in getting children to wear masks. “If you always wear one when you are out, they’ll want to wear a mask,” she said. While working on this guide, I discovered that my then 3-year-old especially liked wearing light-blue masks because they reminded him of the surgical masks my husband wears at work: “I look like Daddy,” he said, beaming.
Whether you’re masking while traveling or when you’re sick, explain to your child that wearing a mask is “a way we show that we’re caring for other people,” Markham recommended. And to make it fun, you could say, “We’re superheroes, just like superheroes wear masks, we’re protecting other people.”
It’s important to start small and work up to longer periods, Markham said. If your child is new to wearing a mask, Markham recommends starting in your home. You could perhaps play a game like “guess my emotion” — a twist on charades in which everyone in the family puts on a mask, and then you each take turns acting out an emotion while others guess what it could be. We tried this with my 3- and 6-year-olds, and we had fun using our whole bodies to show feelings like “frustrated,” “excited,” and “bored.” We also tried Bill Nye’s makeshift way to “show” that a mask is working by taking turns trying to blow out a candle while wearing each of the masks we tested.
Dr. Shu suggested that a good time to practice wearing a mask is when a child is doing a quiet activity, like watching videos or listening to a story. These small sessions will give you an opportunity to troubleshoot the mask and find ways to make it comfier (read more in the Making it comfortable section, below). Children should also be encouraged to wash their hands after handling their worn masks in practice sessions. And even if a parent decides on the brand of mask, Markham said it’s valuable to have your child choose the pattern or color so they feel a sense of ownership.
Making it comfortable
Comfort is another important factor when it comes to masks for kids, Marr said, “because if they’re not going to wear it, then there’s no value to it.” You may have to try more than one brand or style of mask before you find the right one for your child. But there are several things you can do to help make masks more comfortable to wear for long periods. To take pressure off the back of the ears, you can add buttons to a hat or headband and attach the ear loops to the buttons. Alternatively, you can make or purchase “ear savers” or “strap extenders,” so the mask secures behind the head. (As we note elsewhere, we didn’t test any masks that tied or fastened behind the head, due to the potential strangulation hazard.)
Kids who wear glasses may find that fogging becomes a problem while they’re wearing a mask; a nose-bridge wire may be valuable because it helps create a closer seal along the top of the mask, limiting exhalations from going up toward the glasses. If the mask you purchase doesn’t have a nose-bridge wire, you can buy stick-on ones. You can also try resting the glasses on top of the mask. Washing glasses with soap and water or an anti-fogging solution may also help.
Wearing a mask for hours can cause skin irritation, chafing, or chapped lips. Petroleum jelly may help with chafing; for more guidance troubleshooting skin problems, including maskne, the American Academy of Dermatology offers these tips.
What to avoid
Everyone should avoid masks that have “breathing valves,” which are round plastic pieces on one side of a mask that allow exhaled air out, often without passing through all the layers that serve to filter air (you sometimes see these valves on N95 masks, including the ones Wirecutter recommends for wildfire smoke). These types of masks are intended for use when there is debris in the air, like at a construction site or for smoke or pollution. Dr. Shu warned that “masks with exhalation valves are not recommended for prevention of viral transmission since they release particles from the wearer into the air.”
Masks with straps and ties that go around the head or neck pose a safety concern for young children, especially while they’re at play. Dr. Shu and other child-health experts have noted that children need to be able to remove their masks independently. For these reasons, we did not include any masks with ties or elastic that fastened around the head or neck in our testing.
