Best Kids Headbands & Hair Accessories 2026

Last updated: September 2026

The best kids headbands and hair accessories are the ones that stay put without leaving a mark: a soft nylon or bamboo knot headband for a baby, a tie-on head wrap or bow headband through the first two years, then snap clips, claw clips and scrunchies once there is real hair to hold. This guide covers every style we carry for newborns through big girls, the brands parents pick most, a fit-by-age comparison table, and how to keep a headband on a wiggly baby.

Start with the style that matches your child's age and hair, and use the rails under each section to shop it. Baby headbands and hair clips are the two biggest groups; head wraps, claws and scrunchies each get their own section below.

What parents actually buy: headbands & hair accessories

Rank	Brand	Popularity index
#1	Angel Dear	100
#2	Parker Baby Co.	75
#3	Mebie Baby	66
#4	forever french baby	62
#5	Sweet Wink	50
#6	Rylee Faith Designs	45
#7	EMI LEI	32
#8	Luna + Luca	27
#9	Little Mae & Co	26
#10	Bailey's Blossoms	23

Based on what parents ordered over the last 30 days, across the kids' hair-accessory brands we carry. The bar shows each brand relative to the category leader (leader = 100). Updated September 2026.

Soft Headbands for Babies & Toddlers

The best toddler headbands are soft knot headbands in stretchy nylon or bamboo viscose: they grip a nearly bald head, leave no mark, and survive being pulled off and put back on twenty times a day. The knot on top is not just decoration; it gives the band a little weight and a little width where it needs to stay put.

Angel Dear's knot headbands are cut from the same bamboo viscose as their gowns and rompers, so a floral or hockey print matches an outfit exactly. Three Little Tots makes the plain-color knotted band you reach for every morning, and Parker Baby Co. sells cable-knit knotted headbands in five-packs of neutrals sized to stretch from newborn to 3 and up.

For a newborn, choose the thinnest, softest band you can find and check that it slides on without stretching hard. Between 6 and 18 months, when hair starts to fill in, a slightly wider knot band still holds. Past 2, most toddlers keep a knot headband on happily, but a tie-on wrap or a clip becomes the better hold once hair reaches the eyes. The Angel Dear bamboo review covers how the fabric wears and washes.

Tie-On Head Wraps & Turban Headbands

A tie-on head wrap is a wide band of stretchy bamboo or ribbed cotton knotted at the top, and it is the most forgiving headband style there is: you set the size yourself with the knot, then re-tie it a little snugger as your baby grows. Because the fabric is wide and flat, it covers more of the head than a thin band and does not roll up over the ears.

Mebie Baby's one-size head wraps come in 95% bamboo, 5% spandex and match their stretch knot gowns and swaddles. forever french baby does the same in gingham, stripes and seasonal prints with a sewn bow. Tiny Toes Baby Co's headwrap bows are the big, soft, statement version, and Boosh Baby's ribbed tie-on wraps sit flat under a hood.

Head wraps are the answer for babies whose heads fall between sizes, and for older toddlers with real hair, because the knot holds where a slick nylon band slides. They also look right on any baby, boy or girl, in sage, navy, mustard or gingham.

Statement Pieces & Sets: Bow Headbands

A bow headband is the photo-day pick: a fabric bow sewn onto a soft nylon or knit band, big enough to show from across the room and light enough not to tip forward. The best ones put the bow on a stretchy band rather than a stiff one, so the bow sits up without the band pinching.

Sweet Wink's floral and lace bow headbands are rated by the brand for babies 0–24 months and pair with matching tutus and tees. Luna + Luca makes knit and pointelle bow headbands in cream, white and denim that match their sweaters, sized 0–12 months. EMI LEI sells two-bow packs where the same bow comes on a nylon headband or an alligator clip, so you can switch styles as hair grows.

Coordinated sets are the gift answer: Parker Baby Co.'s Essentials Set puts ten bows and headbands in one box for $10, and a multipack means a clean one is always ready after a spit-up. For a wardrobe of matching outfits, see our guide to toddler dresses.

Floral & Printed Headbands

Printed headbands are the everyday middle ground between a plain knot and a big bow: a floral, check or ditsy print on the same soft band, so a headband adds color without adding bulk. They are also the easiest way to match a headband to a gown or romper from the same brand.

Lovely Littles' Printed Headband is a ribbed cotton band offered in 6–12 month and 12–36 month sizes, re-adjustable as baby grows. Blush Lotus's bamboo headbands (95% viscose from bamboo, 5% spandex) come in the same prints as their sleepwear. Peppercorn Kids' bandana-scarf headbands are the floral option for 1–5 year olds, with an elastic back and a lining that keeps hair off the face.

Hair Clips & Accessories

Once your child has enough hair to hold a clip, usually somewhere in the second year, a whole new set of styles opens up. A fabric bow on a ribbon-covered alligator clip is the right first clip: the ribbon lining grips fine hair, the bow hides the metal, and nothing sharp touches the scalp. Pigtail pairs are sold as sets of two, with the clips facing opposite directions.

Little Popp Crew's bamboo clip-on bow sets are about 2 inches wide on a ribbon-covered alligator clip, in prints that match their pajamas. Baby Bling Bows' 2-pack Baby Fab clips are the dainty, lightweight pair for the finest hair, and Bailey's Blossoms sells piggie clips and six-piece clip sets at pocket-money prices. Rylee Faith Designs is the place for embroidered seasonal clips, from back-to-school pencils to Christmas bells.

Snap clips, the flat metal clips that click shut, hold a section of hair flat against the head and suit longer, thicker hair. Grech & Co.'s organic-cotton snap clip sets are labeled for ages 3 and up because of the small parts, and that age line is the one to watch on every clip listing.

Best Headbands to Hold Hair Back for Little Girls

The best headbands to hold hair back for little girls are a wide fabric-covered hard headband for school days and a small acrylic claw clip for half-up styles, both from about age 5. A hard headband keeps every strand off the face through a full day; a mini claw holds the top section back in seconds without a brush.

Peppercorn Kids' Classic Wide Headband is 1.5 inches wide, sized for girls 5–12, and comes in apple prints and plaids. Modern Piggy's velvet knotted headbands are a hard headband under cotton or velvet, suggested by the brand for age 5 and up. For claws, Bows and Knots Co. makes petite acrylic clips, about 5.5 by 3.5 cm for the Candy Pop Mini, in strawberries, hearts, florals and pastel bows.

Hard headbands pinch behind the ears if the arc is too tight, so look for a fabric-wrapped band with no teeth, and let your daughter wear it for an hour at home before a school day. Claws are for age 5 and up: they are hard plastic with a spring, and the mini sizes are small enough to count as a small part for a younger sibling.

Scrunchies & Hair Ties for Big Girls

A scrunchie is the gentlest ponytail holder for kids: the fabric sleeve spreads the elastic's grip across a wider band, so it does not snap hair or leave the dent a bare elastic does. Bamboo and seersucker scrunchies are soft enough for a toddler's first bun and stretchy enough to keep through the school years.

Little Popp Crew's bamboo scrunchies (95% viscose from bamboo, 5% spandex) are one size for toddlers through adults and come in the same seasonal prints as their pajamas; the brand labels them not for use while sleeping. Bits & Bows' seersucker bow scrunchies are cotton, sized for girls 3 and up. For a decorated hair tie, Bows and Knots Co.'s resin butterfly hair ties put a 30 mm charm on a natural-rubber elastic.

Hair Accessories by Occasion

Newborn photos: a thin bamboo knot headband or a small bow on a nylon band from Angel Dear or Luna + Luca photographs cleanly and comes off the moment the session ends. Our newborn photography guide covers the rest of the setup.

Holidays: Sweet Wink and Little Popp Crew both drop Halloween and Christmas headbands, clips and scrunchies each season, and Birdie Bean's red velvet headband is the classic Christmas-card pick for babies newborn to 12 months. Match one to a dress from our girls' Christmas dresses guide, or finish a look from the toddler Halloween costumes guide.

Game day and birthdays: a glitter bow headband from Sweet Wink or a baseball headwrap bow from Tiny Toes Baby Co turns a plain outfit into a team outfit. For a first-birthday present, a ten-piece bow set is the practical gift; more ideas are in our gifts for 1-year-old girls guide. And for a sun hat or beanie to go over it all, see kids and baby hats.

Which Hair Accessory Fits Your Kid: Comparison Table

Every row is a product we sell today, with the age range, material and hold taken from the listing. Prices are the current product-page price.

Brands We Love

The brands that offer fun and functional kids' headbands are the ones that make the band as carefully as the bow: Angel Dear and Mebie Baby for bamboo knots and wraps that match a whole outfit, Parker Baby Co. for nylon multipacks, Sweet Wink and Luna + Luca for bows, Little Popp Crew for prints and clips, and Bows and Knots Co. for claws and scrunchies once hair is long enough. Every one of them sells for babies and kids only, and every product below is live on our shelves today.

How to Keep a Headband On a Baby (and Off the Floor)

To keep a headband on a baby, match the band to the hair: a soft nylon knot band grips a bald or fuzzy head, a tie-on wrap holds once there is hair for the fabric to catch, and a thin band beats a wide stiff one on very fine hair. Position it just above the ears and across the top of the forehead, not the crown, and check that one finger slides underneath.

Three things make a headband slide off: a slick fabric (smooth satin has almost no grip), a band that is stretched to its limit so it springs back and rides up, and a bow so heavy it tips forward. Knotted and ribbed bands fix the first, buying the next size or a wrap fixes the second, and a fabric bow instead of a beaded one fixes the third.

Once a toddler can pull a headband off, the honest answer is that the headband has become a game. A tie-on wrap with a double knot lasts longest; an alligator-clip bow lasts longer still, because it is harder to find with a hand.

Headband & Hair Clip Safety: Sizing, Small Parts and Sleep

Small parts under age 3. Federal rules for toys and other articles intended for children under 3 years use a small-parts test: if the item, or any piece that comes off it, fits entirely inside the test cylinder, it fails (16 CFR 1501.4). That is why beaded hair ties, resin charms, mini claws and metal snap clips are labeled 3 and up, and why the brands we carry print the warning on the listing: Grech & Co. marks its snap clips "not suitable for children under 3 years," and Little Popp Crew marks its clip-on bows "choking hazard, contains small parts, adult supervision required." A fabric knot headband or tie-on wrap with nothing glued or sewn on is the under-3 choice.

Fit. A headband should leave no red line when it comes off. If it does, it is too tight for that head, whatever the label says; go up a size, loosen the knot on a wrap, or switch to a thinner band. Never put a hard headband on a baby.

Sleep. Take headbands, wraps, bows and clips off before naps and bedtime, in the crib and in the car seat. A band can slide down over the face, and a clip can come loose in the crib. Brands say the same thing on their listings: Little Popp Crew labels its scrunchies "not for use while sleeping."

Supervision. A clip is a supervised accessory for any child who still puts things in their mouth. When a bow comes off its clip, throw it away or re-sew it; a loose bow with an exposed clip is the piece that ends up in a mouth.

Shop all baby headbands at EasyTot →

Frequently Asked Questions