The Best Swimming Goggles for Children

What are the best swimming goggles for children?

Start With Fit, Not the Fancy Stuff!

I’ve been teaching swimming for over 23 years and competing for over 30 and should have an honorary Phd in goggles by now. Swimming goggles, especially for children, is an absolute mine field and you can easily be taken in by more expensive means better quality. In this post I share my opinion on the best swimming goggles for children at various ages.

So, first things first, fit is everything. Not colour, not characters, not how cool they look in the shop. Those big mask-style goggles (the ones that look like mini snorkel masks), just don’t bother. They’re nearly always too big for a child’s face, they don’t seal properly, and they leak constantly. They look super comfortable, but in the water they’re useless.

You want a smaller goggle that sits properly around the eye socket. If it sticks on the face for a second with no strap, that’s usually a good sign.

Another common issue I see all the time, the swim hat. If the hat is sitting under the goggles and breaking the seal, they’re going to leak. Simple as that. If you have giant goggles it's hard not to end up with the hat under the goggles.

And the strap matters more than people think. The best goggles have one adjustment at the back of the head, not the two clips on the sides. They’re more comfortable, easier to adjust, don’t pull hair as much, and they just leak less and last longer.

Under 5s - Keep It Simple

For under 5s, I only really recommend one pair: Speedo Infant Illusion goggles.

I’ve put these on a 3-month-old baby before, no problem. They’re soft, small, and seal properly, which is rare at that age.

Speedo Infant Illusion

Goggles at this stage aren’t just about stopping sore eyes, they completely change how kids experience the water. Instead of it being a big blur, they can see what’s going on.

By about 18 months, a few children are happy putting their face in and picking up sinking toys. It becomes fun, not something they’re unsure about.

There are loads of fun goggles out there - Zoggs Paw Patrol, Bling2o, they look awesome to a 3 or 4 year old. But in my experience, they’re Armani price, Primark quality. Expensive for what they are, and they fall apart or leak. Speedo, on the other hand, is good quality, not ridiculous money, and they tend to last.

Even Speedo has its exception though, the ‘Speedo Biofuse Infant Mask’. It feels soft, looks comfy and is well marketed for toddlers… but they leak and have no hope of sealing properly. I’ve never had a good experience with them.

4 to 10 Years - What Actually Works

Once kids are a bit older (roughly 4 up to 8 or 10 depending on the size of the child), you’ve got a bit more choice.

The Arena Spider goggles are probably my go-to here. They’re comfortable, fit well on most faces, don’t leak much, and they’ve got that proper strap adjustment at the back of the head.

They’re also about £8, which is important, because kids lose goggles all the time. It’s a lot easier to deal with losing an £8 pair than a £20 pair.

SWMR goggles

Speedo’s version is the Biofuse 2.0 Junior (would love to have been in the room when they decided this name), and to be fair, they are comfortable. We used the adult versions for long training sessions back when I was training at Loughborough.

But they’re about £20, so depends how often your child loses things. Other brands like Maru and TYR, they’re fine. Nothing special. I’d say about a 4/10 compared to Speedo or Arena. If you like supporting small businesses, SWMR goggles are brilliant and come in a bunch of fun colours! Set up by a female swim teacher (and friend!), SWMR is a family-run business making high-quality, reliable goggles for kids.

Teens & Older - Just Go Adult

Once they get into their teens, just get them adult goggles. If comfort is the main thing, the Orca Killa Comfort goggles are really nice, soft, comfortable, and don’t leave as much of a red mark around the eyes.

Orca Killa Comfort

For racing and training, I’ve always been a ‘SpeedSockets’ fan. The originals were class,

everyone had them around 2008 when swimming was actually cool.

Now it’s the Speedo Fastskin Speed Socket 2.0. They’re still decent, but in my opinion not quite as good as the originals, scratch a bit easier and don’t seal quite as well. Still, they’re what I use, probably because I still want to look cool in the pool, if I’m honest.

At the end of the day, this is just my opinion, but it’s based on a lot of years around pools.

· Don’t get sucked in by gimmicks

· Avoid the big mask goggles

· Make sure they fit properly

· Go for the strap that adjusts at the back

· Stick with brands that actually last (mainly Speedo, Orca and Arena)

Good goggles make a massive difference. Kids are more comfortable, more confident, and actually enjoy seeing the world under the water. And once they enjoy it, everything else becomes a lot easier. If you want to help your child get started with swimming and make the most of their time in the pool, check out our Children’s Swimming Lessons designed for all ages and abilities.