How to Measure a Child’s Head for a Cowboy Hat? | Tape, Not Age

A child’s cowboy hat size comes from one head circumference taken across the mid-forehead and about 1/8 inch above the ears, then matched to that hat maker’s own chart.

Age tells a seller almost nothing about fit. Two seven-year-olds can sit three full sizes apart, and a “youth” label printed by one brand covers a head the next brand calls small. The measurement itself takes under a minute — sit the child down, run a flexible tape around the head where the hat will actually rest, and write the number down. What you do with that number is where most parents go wrong, and it starts with trusting a chart over a guess.

Where Exactly Does The Tape Go?

Wrap the tape around the middle of the forehead and roughly 1/8 inch above the ears, keeping it level and untwisted the whole way around. Stetson’s fit guide describes that position as the intended hat line, and small placement errors shift the reading enough to land a child in the wrong size.

1. Clear the path first. Remove clips, bulky braids, ponytail holders, and any hat already on the head — hair that sits under the hat adds circumference you don’t want counted.
2. Set the tape at the mid-forehead, about 1/8 inch above the ear tops.
3. Keep the tape horizontal. A tape that rides high in back or dips low in front reads smaller than the real fit.
4. Snug it to the head without pinching. Contact, not compression.
5. Write down the number in inches or centimeters, then measure a second time to confirm it repeats.

No flexible tape in the drawer? A piece of nonstretch string works — mark where the ends overlap, then lay the string flat against a ruler. Skip stretchy yarn or elastic; it elongates as you pull and hands you a false number.

Why The Maker’s Chart Beats Age And Letter Labels

The circumference you recorded only means something against the specific hat’s chart, because labels like XS, youth, and one-size are not standardized across brands. Stetson publishes its own conversion chart, and the same head can read XS at one company and S at another.

Stetson’s current chart runs from roughly 20 1/4 inches (51 cm) up through 25 1/2 inches (64 cm), mapping those measurements to letter sizes from XS to 3XL. One example from it: a 54 cm head circumference lands at size 6 3/4, listed as small. That single row explains why guessing fails — a parent who orders “child small” without a number is ordering blind.

Two more rules from Stetson’s guidance matter. First, if the measurement falls between two listed sizes, order the larger one and pad the sweatband if the hat sits loose. Second, always measure the child rather than sizing up for growth — a hat that slides over the eyes gets worn once and abandoned.

Once you have the number, the shopping gets simple — our roundup of the best youth cowboy hats lists the sizes each model actually offers.

What Messes Up A Kid’s Hat Measurement?

Most bad measurements trace back to the tape, the hair, or the tape’s angle — not the child’s head. Fix those three and the reading lands right the first time.

• Thick hair or a ponytail under the tape inflates the circumference, sometimes by a full size.
• Over-tightening squeezes out a number too small; a loose loop gives one too large.
• A tilted or twisted tape silently changes the distance around the head.
• Stretchy string or yarn stretches as you pull, so the marked length is wrong.
• Ordering by age — Stetson’s guidance points to circumference, not birthdays, for a reason.

Model details vary too. Stetson’s Rodeo Jr. youth cowboy hat is 100% wool felt with a stretch sweatband made for heads up to 54 cm, per Stetson’s product description — useful, but that spec belongs to that hat, not to youth cowboy hats in general.

Last, a fit check before the tags come off: the hat should stay put when the child nods, without pressing hard enough to leave a red line or blocking their view. A fashion cowboy hat is not protective headgear — for riding or biking, use a certified helmet instead.

Common Questions

Can I just use the child’s age to pick a size?

No — age is not a dependable stand-in for circumference. Kids the same age vary widely in head size, and brands label identical measurements differently. Measure the head, then match that number to the specific hat’s published chart. It takes a minute and prevents the exchange.

What if the measurement is exactly between two sizes?

Stetson’s guidance is to size up and add padding inside the sweatband if the fit runs loose. A slightly large hat with a padded band stays wearable; a tight one presses and gets refused. Recheck the fit once it arrives before the child wears it outdoors.

Can I measure with a piece of string?

Yes, as long as it doesn’t stretch. Wrap nonstretch string around the head at the hat line, mark the overlap point, then measure that length flat against a ruler. Elastic, yarn, and anything that gives under tension will read long and land you in an oversized hat.