Now Testing: Face masks for kids

An exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at our testing Rozette Rago Vaccinated adults are finally becoming reacquainted with one another’s unadorned faces. But for kids who are not yet eligible for vaccination, the cloth face mask may be a constant companion through the summer—and likely into the fall. Many kids who have been cooped up at home with their laptops for most of the school year are back to in-person learning. Meanwhile, camps are gearing up for a busy summer. Long-delayed sports seasons are joyfully underway. Kids are getting back to a new normal—that is, everything they were doing in the Before Times, only with their smiles and giggles hidden behind masks. —Kalee Thompson When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. [Learn more]( → What we tested We’ve been comparing the fit and feel of various face-mask designs with everyone in our households—including kids between the ages of 3 and 10. (It’s generally advised not to use masks with [kids younger than 2](. And many preteens and most teens will be fine with a smaller-size adult mask.) Once we identified masks that were comfortable and provided a good fit for a range of faces, we sent models to Colorado State University’s Center for Energy Development and Health to see how well each mask filtered droplet- and aerosol-sized particles. In the past nine months or so, we have home-tested more than two-dozen kids face masks and lab-tested 11 including: - [Athleta Girl Made to Move Masks]( // $25 for a three-pack - [City Threads Face Mask]( // $10 per mask - [Enro]( // $17 per mask - [Gap Kids Full-Coverage Accordion Mask]( // $8 for a three-pack - [Gap Kids Contour Mask with Filter Pocket]( // $5 for a three-pack - [Happy Masks Pro]( // $24 per mask - [Inex Gear Better Mask for Kids]( // $23 per mask - [Old Navy Triple-Layer Pleated Face Mask for Kids]( // $13 for a five-pack - [Scout & Indiana Kids Face Mask]( // $10 per mask How we tested Bill Cotton/Colorado State University Fit is the single most important factor in choosing a good cloth face mask—for adults or for kids. A mask must form closely to the face, landing high on the nose bridge and well under the chin, without gaps where air can sneak through. We tried a lot of masks that wouldn’t stay put above tiny noses or comfortably loop over small ears. Many used fabric that our little testers found too stiff or too scratchy. It didn’t take long to realize that simply finding a mask a young kid will happily wear all day is a substantial accomplishment. By late fall, we’d identified half a dozen kids masks that stood out in providing a secure, comfortable fit, among them popular masks from the Gap, Old Navy, and Athleta. But, assuming a good fit, did some actually provide more protection against the coronavirus than others? In December, we began sending face masks to a lab at Colorado State University’s Center for Energy Development and Health. The researchers there sealed each mask down to a machine that pushed particles of various sizes through the mask’s layers, with the goal of determining how well each mask filtered droplet- and aerosol-sized particles. Though all of the kids masks we’ve lab-tested were effective at blocking 5- to 10-micron particles—equivalent in size to the largest droplets people release while breathing and talking—most of the kids masks were only about 20% effective at blocking the smallest particles tested, those that were 0.5 micron in size. That 20% isn’t as bad as it sounds. All of the masks still do a good job with bigger droplets. And when everyone is masked, the overall effectiveness rises. Still, we wanted to identify more kids masks that would provide a higher level of protection, which meant testing more masks with built-in filters. The [Happy Mask]( and the [Enro]( were clear standouts in the lab. The Enro mask. Photo: Rozette Rago The Happy Mask, which has a built-in filter made of nonwoven material, captured 94% of 0.5-micron particles. But the Happy Mask has to be hand-washed and costs about $24 per mask. And it has a stiffer, cone-like shape, which our kids didn’t find universally comfortable. The Enro offers even more protection: It effectively filtered out 99% of the smallest aerosols. That’s on a par with a medical-grade N95 mask. Better yet, of all the cloth masks with built-in filters that we’ve tested at home, the Enro was our collective favorite in terms of fit and comfort. It’s lighter and softer than most masks we’ve tested, and it can be thrown in the washer. Though it’s pricey, at $17, it has an exceptionally crisp, cool feel, and it comes in lots of bright colors and pretty patterns that we like for our kids—and for ourselves. By the numbers 10 Kids, ages 3 to 10, enlisted as mask testers 11 Kids cloth face masks sent for filtration testing at a Colorado lab 31 Experts interviewed as part of our background research on face masks 90 Kids cloth face masks considered The verdict We’ll be making the [Enro]( a pick in our guides to masks for both kids and adults. And some of our own kids will be wearing this mask on plane trips, to doctor appointments, and to end-of-school celebrations this year. That’s not to say our older masks are retired. For lower-risk, everyday activities, much-less-expensive masks, like those from [Old Navy]( and [Athleta]( will still be many of our go-tos. What we learned early on in our kids mask testing is still true: The mask your kid will pick up, put on, and happily keep on is a mask that works. What else we’re testing - Bird feeders - Soundbars - Scented candles We share even more about our testing on Instagram. [Make sure to follow us](. Copyright © 2021 Wirecutter, Inc., all rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for Wirecutter's newsletter. [Forward this email to a friend](. [View this email in your browser](. Getting too many emails from us? [Get only our Sunday newsletter](. To stop receiving all our emails, [unsubscribe here](. 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