My daughter Orla is four years old and has the energy of someone who has never once considered the consequences of her actions. She runs everywhere, climbs everything, and treats any object in her possession as something to be thrown, dropped, or abandoned the moment something more interesting appears on the horizon.
Last summer I bought her a pair of kids' sunglasses for a holiday in Portugal. They lasted four days before she pulled them off on the beach, set them down in the sand, and we didn't find them until we were packing up to leave — by which point someone had stood on them. I bought a replacement pair at the airport. Those lasted until the third day of our second week, when she took them off in the sea and the current took them. I bought a third pair from a beach shop. Those made it home, but only because I confiscated them for the last two days.
Three pairs of sunglasses in two weeks. I was determined not to repeat the experience this year.
The Real Problem: Sunglasses That Don't Stay On
The issue isn't that Orla doesn't want to wear sunglasses — she actually quite likes them. The issue is that children's frames, even well-fitted ones, simply don't stay on during active play. Running, jumping, bending down to look at something on the ground, diving into a pool — any of these things dislodges them. And a four-year-old doesn't notice when her sunglasses have fallen off, because she's already moved on to the next thing.
I needed something that would keep the frames on her face without being uncomfortable. A strap — obviously. But I wanted one that was specifically designed for kids' frames, made from something soft enough not to irritate, and secure enough to actually work during the kind of activity Orla gets up to.
I'd bought a pair of Babiators frames for this summer — they're well-made, UV400 rated, and designed for active kids. When I went looking for a compatible strap, the Babiators Silicone Sunglasses Strap in Light Grey was the obvious choice. Designed specifically for Babiators frames, soft silicone construction, and built for exactly the kind of outdoor adventures Orla specialises in.
Ordering and Fitting: Genuinely Simple
I ordered through Altoe and it arrived quickly. Fitting it to Orla's Babiators frames took about thirty seconds — the silicone loops slide over the arms of the frames and grip securely without any tools or fiddling. The light grey colour is neutral enough to go with any frame colour, which I appreciated since I wasn't sure which frames we'd end up with this summer.
The silicone is noticeably soft — not the stiff, scratchy elastic you sometimes get with cheaper straps. It sits comfortably against the back of Orla's head without pulling her hair or leaving marks on her skin. She put them on, ran around the garden for twenty minutes, and came back with the sunglasses still firmly on her face. First test passed.
The Holiday: One Pair of Sunglasses, Two Weeks, Zero Losses
We went to Lanzarote in May. Orla wore the same pair of Babiators with the silicone strap every single day for two weeks. She wore them in the pool. She wore them on the beach. She wore them running around the resort, eating ice cream, going on a boat trip, and doing approximately everything else a four-year-old does on holiday.
The sunglasses did not come off once without her deliberately taking them off. When she took them off — for meals, for swimming underwater, for the brief periods when she decided she didn't want them — the strap meant they hung around her neck rather than disappearing into the sand or the sea. We came home with the same pair of sunglasses we left with. I cannot overstate how significant this felt after last summer.
The Strap Itself: Still Going Strong
The silicone has held up to two weeks of sun, salt water, chlorine, and the general abuse that comes with being owned by a four-year-old. It hasn't stretched, hasn't discoloured, and hasn't lost any of its grip. I rinse it with fresh water after pool or sea use and that's the extent of the maintenance required.
The light grey colour has stayed clean-looking despite everything — it doesn't show salt residue or watermarks the way darker colours might, and it wipes clean easily.
What I'd Tell Any Parent Buying Kids' Sunglasses
Buy the strap at the same time as the frames. Don't wait until you've lost a pair — or three. The Babiators Silicone Sunglasses Strap is the kind of accessory that costs very little, takes thirty seconds to fit, and completely changes the experience of keeping sunglasses on an active child. It's not an optional extra. It's the thing that makes the sunglasses actually work.
- Soft silicone construction — comfortable against skin and hair, no irritation
- Compatible with most Babiators frames — designed specifically for the brand
- Secure grip — stays on through running, jumping, swimming, and everything else
- Hang-around-the-neck design — when taken off, frames stay close rather than disappearing
- Salt water and chlorine resistant — rinse and go, no special care needed
- Light grey colour — neutral, clean-looking, suits any frame colour
- No tools required — fits in thirty seconds, stays put indefinitely
Get yours here: Babiators Silicone Sunglasses Strap – Light Grey Kids' Eyewear Retainer
And if you're gearing up for summer with the kids, these collections are worth a browse:
Siobhan Daly is a primary school teacher and mum of two from Cork. She writes about the products that have genuinely made family life easier — no gifted items, no brand partnerships, just honest experience from the school of hard knocks (and lost sunglasses).
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