In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician
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Are you looking for a great pair of kids' swim goggles? We purchased and tested over 10 top pairs to find the best of the best. Do your kids long for a cool set of goggles for underwater viewing, or do they just want to avoid eye burn from saltwater or pool chemicals? Ours did too! We had kid testers review each pair for comfort, leaking, and visual quality, wearing each pair in the pool and on the shores to find the best goggle for every kid. Read on to find out which pairs win awards and which are still worth a look-see for some kids.
The Speedo Hydrospex are impressive goggles that stayed put no matter how we tried to dislodge them (jumping, diving, underwater acrobatics, and lap swimming). Testers liked the slight tint that provides sun protection without color distortion of the world or underwater vision. The goggles are comfortable and leak-free and a popular choice for many of our testers of various ages.
The Speedo goggles are more challenging to adjust than some competitors, and we wish they had the push-button release we saw on some of the less impressive contenders. However, we concede that their design could be why we didn't have to tighten them as often as the competition, which we appreciated. We think these goggles are great for most children for any water-based activity, and the sun tint gives them a leg up on providing better protection that parents will love. If you want a model the kids can more easily adjust themselves, check out the OMERIL Swim Goggles.
The Speedo goggles are perfect for all active kids who like to challenge a goggle's ability to stay put.
The OMERIL Swim Goggles come in a pack of two with a clear soft-sided zippered carry case. The goggles adjust on each side by the eyepieces with the push of a button and a pull of the strap, allowing older children to perform self-adjustments, saving parents from the repeated changes for a good fit. Testers report the goggles are comfortable and stay put during swimming and jumping. These goggles are leak-free and provide a clear view of the underwater environment with no blurry vision or fogging in our tests. Even after months of continuous use, our testers still rave and choose these goggles over competitors.
There isn't much we don't love about these goggles. Perhaps the only drawback is their lack of tint or sun protection. Overall, we think these goggles are a great buy, and the pack of two gives you a backup if you lose or break a pair. Most kids and parents will agree they check all the boxes for a great pair of fun swimming specs. For better sun protection, take a look at the tinted Speedo Hydrospex.
The Omeril were a tester favorite winning points for comfort, no leaks, and great visual clarity.
The Skoogles Kids Swim Goggles arrived in a cool car-shaped case that our testers loved. It has an easy-to-open and close zipper and helps keep goggles safe when traveling or not in use. These specs provide a comfortable fit, an unobstructed view, and no water leaks during testing. We appreciate the simple design, and our testers gave a big thumbs up to their ability to stay on during play.
These tie-dyed goggles have relatively small eye openings compared to the competition. This design could cause trouble for older children or some with wider face shapes. While our testers didn't have any trouble, we think the design has the potential to create fit problems for others. Overall, we feel this wallet-friendly product is a good one to consider if you need a good pair of goggles and stay within budget. Still, the smaller fit may be a dealbreaker for some. In this case, the AqtivAqua Wide View is our top pick for a wider view.
The Skoogles are leak-free and comfy with a budget-friendly price.
The Splaqua Kids Swim Goggles is straightforward, basic goggles with one strap that wraps around twice for a forward pull adjustment process that allows kids to tighten the goggles in place and on their own. Our tests revealed no leaking, and users report that the goggles are comfortable compared to the less impressive competition.
The Splaqua occasionally suffered from random bouts of fog we couldn't repeat or determine a cause. They also have smaller eyepieces that might be uncomfortable for some with wide-set or larger eyes. Last, they can be harder to make bigger without an adult's help, but this shouldn't be a huge issue if only one child uses them. Overall, we think these are an excellent swimming solution for younger children or those with smaller faces, and parents will enjoy the quick adjustment method. On the other hand, you may also want to consider the kid-adjustable OMERIL Swim Goggles, which didn't fog up during testing.
Great in most ways the Splaqua scored big with testers for comfort and lack of leaking.
If your little one wants a wider view or better peripheral vision, the AqtivAqua Wide View are the goggles for you. These tinted, wide-angle goggles have a comfortable fit and provide leak-free, clear viewing with a broader field of view than the competition with smaller eye openings. Kids enjoy the cool look, and parents appreciate the easy push-button release for quick strap length adjustments.
Kids with narrow faces may not like these goggles as much, though the fit is dependent on so many factors it's impossible to say for sure. Younger kids' faces may also be too small or narrow for a proper fit, giving way to potential leaks. These concerns aside, we like the idea of better full-view vision, and finding goggles that offer this with comfort and clarity is a bonus. We think this choice is suitable for children who want to see more or ocean swimming where there is more stuff to see. If your kid requires a narrower fit, check out the smaller Skoogles Kids Swim Goggles.
If peripheral vision is what you're after, then the AqtivAqua Wide View might be what you're looking for.
The 2-pack OutdoorMaster Kids Swim Goggles comes in a plastic zip-lock style case that feels more like packaging than a protective cover. The goggles are budget-friendly and offer a pair for backup or a sibling or friend. We like the price, and kids like the comfortable fit.
Unfortunately, these goggles can leak, and while the leaks are slight, it is enough to cause vision problems or potentially let eye irritating chemicals inside. While these are not high-quality goggles, we think they might work for some or for temporary use for guests or a kid's pool party, as something is better than nothing. But if you do want something better, we highly recommend the leak-free Speedo Hydrospex.
The OutdoorMaster two-pack is perfect for siblings and pool parties.
The TYR Swimple Goggles has a surprisingly low price for a brand-name product, and they offer a clear view of underwater exploits. Kids like the fun tie-dye design, and the strap feels soft.
Unfortunately, during testing, the goggles leaked. More than most of the competition and enough that testers didn't wear them for long. They are also one of the most uncomfortable pairs compared side-by-side, and some testers tried to discard them before even getting in the water. Given the lower comfort level and the leaking we experienced during testing, the TYR just didn't stand up to the competition in this review. Instead, we recommend considering the Speedo Hydrospex. Not only are these goggles comfortable, but they also didn't leak during testing.
The Tyr had occasional leakage problems in our tests, which hurt their overall rank.
Testers preferred to us the Tyr goggles for watersport activities that didn't include underwater swimming or exploration.
If looking good is what you're after, look no further than the Aegend Swim Goggles. Kids were instantly drawn to these mirrored glasses that look like cool motorcycle goggles or snowmobile staples. We like the mirrored tinting for sun protection, and some testers loved the distorted coloring and feel of what they swiftly dubbed "the 4th dimension."
Unfortunately for the Aegend, things took a swift turn for the worst once little ones hit the water. The goggles tended to leak in our tests, and this, combined with the heavy mirroring, created a blurry and distorted view of the underwater world. Given the potential for leaks and the blurry view, we aren't big fans of these slick-looking specs. Instead, we much prefer the clear and leakproof construction of the Skoogles Kids Swim Goggles.
Testers loved the look and cool factor of the Aegend, but they lost their luster when used underwater.
EverSport Kids Goggles have a cool look with a wide lens design that we thought would improve visibility. They have a budget-friendly price and come in a 2-pack suitable for siblings or as a backup pair should you lose or break the first pair.
These goggles don't offer much to improve water time activities. In our tests, the wide lens created visual distortion that kids thought was blurry at best and annoying at worst. The goggles also suffered from regular leaking, and kids thought they were uncomfortable. Overall, the EverSport Kids were disappointing for parents and kids, and we believe there are better options in this lineup you should explore first, like the clear and comfy AqtivAqua Wide View.
The EverSport generally disappointed despite testers liking the wide view look of the eyepieces.
EverSport Goggles are similar to their kid counterparts but have mirror tinting on one pair and are slightly different in their design. Like their smaller cousins, these goggles look cool and are less expensive than some competition, as you get two for a lower price.
These goggles are equally disappointing to the kid's version with leaking, blurry vision, and discomfort experienced in our tests. While we can see why and how little ones will gravitate to these goggles, our testing indicates they won't be happy for long, making these goggles we don't recommend. On the contrary, the Speedo Hydrospex is comfortable, leak-free, and highly recommended.
Blurry vision and consistent leaking in our tests make the EverSport adult goggles a no-go in our book.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Why You Should Trust Us
We researched more than 20 potential goggles contenders for kids before purchasing 10 to test. We chose options specifically for children and youth with an eye for features and functionality kids need and want. Our kid testers wore each pair in the pool, wave pool, slides, and at the lake to determine which were best for underwater viewing and keeping leaks at bay. Our testing included kayaking, snorkeling, diving, jumping, swimming underwater, underwater flips, and laps. We tested the goggles for fit, adjustment, quality, leaks, and viewing. With all our data and tester feedback, we ranked the goggles and chose award winners.
The swim goggle review is led by Senior Review Editor Wendy Schmitz, mother of two eager testers who spent ample time over several days testing kids' swim goggles. Wendy chose options based on her experience as a mother and years of kids' swimming lessons, and her long history of testing and rating baby gear for BabyGearLab. The products were rigorously tested hands-on at the lake and in the pool to determine how well they stood up against the competition during normal water activities for kids.
We had testers attempt to make their own goggle adjustments to see just how challenging it could be.
No matter how cool a pair of goggles look, leaking was a no go and source of frustration during testing.
Analysis and Test Results
We purchased and tested 10 of the top swim goggles for kids. These products were tested side-by-side by multiple testers of different ages to determine which are the best of the bunch and which options don't make the water fun cut.
Comfort is uber important when it comes to goggles, ranking just as important as being leak-free n the minds of our testers.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Comfort/Fit
Swim goggles should be comfortable and almost feel like they aren't there. If your child is uncomfortable, they will be frustrated using the goggles and will likely skip them altogether or complain. We looked for easily adjustable goggles that went around the entire eye without crowding or placing pressure on it. We assessed the straps and nose pieces' design and whether or not kids could make changes to the size by themselves. As experienced parents know, "Can you tighten these goggles?" is a mantra of many little ones over the summer.
Testers were not big fans of the single strap design on the OutdoorMaster as they got caught on even short hair and moved more on the face than other goggles.
Despite its other charms, the Speedo goggles were harder to adjust for fit and even our oldest testers asked for parent help to tighten the strap.
We preferred the options with button push adjustment, as did our kid testers. They liked two straps over one, so the goggles shifted less while swimming and jumping, and they liked wider eye openings over small ones but didn't seem fond of the really wide choices like both versions of the Eversport goggles, which altered the viewing in a distracting way.
The Omerils were considered top of the line for comfort being worn both in the water and out.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Those given the comfort thumbs up from testers were the Omeril, Speedo, and Skoogles. The most uncomfortable products were the Eversport Kids (with the super-wide eye openings and the OutdoorMaster Kids Swim Goggles with the single strap design that pulled hair and shifted during swimming and underwater activity.
The EverSport Kids goggles leaked more than the competition in our tests, making them the least favorite in the lineup.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Leakage
Being leak-proof is arguably the most important functionality for a great set of goggles, but only about half of the products in this group are functionally leak-free. We had multiple kid testers wear each goggle pair during water activities like jumping, cannonballs, paddle boarding, swimming, Marco Polo, and underwater diving for objects to see how well each stood up to the types of fun kids typically engage in while participating in water play. Overall, sadly, we were disappointed. About half of the goggles leaked during testing, which was a surprising disappointment. Some products managed certain activities without leaking, but not others, while only about half remained leak-free no matter what we tried.
Even diving and cannonballs couldn't dislodge the stuck like glue Speedos, remaining leak-free even when hitting the water hands-free.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
The best goggles with the fewest or no leaks were the Speedos, which excelled at lap swimming and dock jumping. Kids also loved the Omeril options that stayed put with no leaks underwater for long periods and after acrobatic front flips from the pool's edge. The Skoogles and the Splaqua also remained leak-free during regular use. In our tests for leaks, the worst in the group were the EverSport products and the Aegend, which were popular with dry-land testers but dubbed as "garbage" (by the kids) when in the water.
The EverSport mirrored goggles leaked around the edges in our test, but we think they might leak less on children with wider face shapes.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Visual
Having a clear view underwater without stinging eyes is at least part of why children like wearing goggles. Foggy, blurry, or strange underwater visual effects when wearing goggles will impact your child's desire to wear them. We assumed the "wide" view lenses would be popular and offer an increase in peripheral vision that would make them popular choices with testers.
The EverSport kid's goggles wider view caused underwater distortion giving a blurry and unrealistic view for most testers.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
However, our testers felt that most of the wide view products, the EverSport brand, were blurry underwater and had noticeable distortion that caused strange visual changes underwater. Perhaps this style doesn't play well with how light reflects and refracts off the water, but most of them were disappointing, except for the AqtivAqua Wide View. The Aegend was blurry, and the mirroring of the lenses resulted in surreal visuals that kid testers called "the 4th dimension." Most managed to remain fog-free, but the Splaqua would fog up for no reason, as it only happened occasionally and out of the blue.
Kids liked the tinted lenses of the Speedo and felt it improved underwater vision in the pool, though it made it too dark in the lake water.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
The best for visual clarity are the Omeril (above left) and Speedo (above right), which offer clear views above and below the waterline with no distortion or blurring in our tests.
We had loads of fun testing the 10 top swim goggles for kids for this review.
Credit: BabyGearLab Staff
Conclusion
After much fun and testing in pools and lakes, we can confidently say that not all kids' swim goggles are the same. We noticed significant differences in goggle performance and whether they could keep water from reaching the tester's eyes. Our kid testers tried each pair of goggles in our review, putting them through a rigorous testing process of jumps, dives, and laps to give you insider details to help you choose the right pair for your child. Whether you want a little sun protection, easy-to-adjust straps, or the ultimate leak-proof lap swimmers, there is something for every child in this lineup of competitors.
