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12 fun kids' face masks for the COVID-19 pandemic

Illustration for la-ig-kids-teens-masks! by Micah Fluellen / Los Angeles Times.
(Micah Fluellen / Los Angeles Times)

With in-person school just starting for many children, face masks have become the new backpacks in terms of being necessities for at least 2020 and 2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children 2 and older “wear masks in public and when around people who don’t live in your household.”

As the world adjusts to life in the age of COVID-19, it’s safe to say many parents are probably adding fashionable face masks to their children’s back-to-school shopping lists. Although students in Los Angeles may be confined to online learning, kids in other states are returning to the classroom, for which the CDC also states, “Appropriate and consistent use of cloth face coverings is most important when students, teachers and staff are indoors and when social distancing of at least 6 feet is difficult to implement or maintain.”

We’ve rounded up 12 of the most-fun options out there for toddlers, children and teens.

1. Target

Children's mask options available from Target
(Target)

It's no surprise that retail giant Target has a large variety of children's face masks available. Notable options include PAW Patrol, SpongeBob, Batman and Wonder Woman (packs of 3 for $10). Target is also selling a wide array of classic cloth masks and cute patterned designs from beloved brand Cat & Jack sold in sets of two for $4. All masks are sized to fit most children ages 3 and older. Available at target.com.

2. Disney

Various face mask offerings from the Disney Store
(Disney)

For the "Star Wars" or Disney princess fan in your life, the Disney Store has you covered. Masks featuring the Hulk, R2-D2, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, characters from "The Little Mermaid" and "Frozen," and other iconic logos and symbols are available in six different bundles. The masks come in packs of four for $19.99 per set at shopdisney.com, with sizes ranging from youth small to adult large. (The ShopDisney website includes a chart to help navigate fit.) Additionally, Disney donated 1 million masks to children and families in underserved communities in the U.S. through MedShare.

3. Carters

Masks from children's clothing company Carters.
(Carters)

Children's clothing company Carters has masks available in a number of festive patterns from ladybugs and hearts to safari animals and dinosaurs. The double-layer masks are one-size-fits-most for children ages 2 to 14. Masks are $3 each at carters.com.

4. One Love Malibu

One Love Malibu's reversible bright bundle kids mask can be worn two different ways
(One Love Malibu)

One Love Malibu’s bright, reversible children's masks can be worn two ways. One side features a bright floral motif, while the other includes a more simplistic bouquet. A percentage of the masks’ proceeds will benefit No Kid Hungry. Each two-layer mask is $15 at 1lovemalibu.com. Inspired to create a positive project that gives back, the brand’s founders, Amber Farr and Tori Praver, launched One Love Malibu two years ago following the Woolsey fire. Each month, One Love Malibu donates a percentage of its sales to a different nonprofit organization.

5. Paigelauren

An adult, child and baby mask from PaigeLauren.
(PaigeLauren)

Los Angeles-based babywear brand PaigeLauren offers soft, matching mask sets available for children and parents. The adult-child sets are $18; adult-child-mini sets are $22; and solo children masks are $12 each. with proceeds benefiting the FIGS Frontline Responders Fund. The locally made masks are available in six neutral colorways at paigelauren.com.

6. Uncommon Goods

Children's mask from Uncommon Goods
(Uncommon Goods)

The quirky online retailer Uncommon Goods sells children’s rainbow face coverings as a set of two for children ages 4 to 8. (The mask set has labels with positive messages such as “keep smiling.") The sets retail for $25, with 100% of profits donated to NYC Health + Hospitals. Mask designs were created by 12 children from around the world. The retailer also has a set of five school-day masks available for $50 (for children ages 6 and older). Both sets are available at uncommongoods.com.

7. EleStory

Children's clothing label EleStory has delicate masks available for your little one.
(EleStory)

Children’s clothing label EleStory has delicate masks available for your little one. Handcrafted in the U.S., each cloth mask, which is best for children ages 4 to 9, retails for $18 at elestory.com. For each EleStory mask purchased, the brand will donate one medical-grade mask to hospitals in need.

8. Katie May

Mask options from Los Angeles bridal and contemporary designer Katie May.
(Katie May)

Los Angeles bridal and contemporary designer Katie May recently began making matching face masks intended for the whole family. The mother of three had her children test each style to make sure they were as comfortable and effective as they were stylish. Masks are available at katiemay.com and cost between $15 for a neutral crepe design to $20 for a sequin face covering. A portion of the masks' proceeds benefits No Kid Hungry, a national nonprofit organization focused on ending childhood hunger.

9. Maisonette

Kids clothing retailer Maisonette has a handful of designs available from a few different brands.
(Maisonette)

Children's clothing retailer Maisonette has a handful of designs available from different brands, including American prep label Busy Bees. These seersucker striped designs are available at maisonette.com in navy and pink for $16 each in children's sizes 2 to 4 years old; 6 to 8 years old; and 10 to 14 years old. For every mask sold, a donation will be made to Los Angeles children’s nonprofit organization Baby2Baby.

10. Pottery Barn Kids

Pottery Barn Kids' face coverings for children
(Pottery Barn Kids)

Pottery Barn Kids’ face coverings are sold in sets of two for $19.50 at potterybarnkids.com, with 30% of the sets' retail price donated to No Kid Hungry. Be sure to read each mask description closely. Some designs are exclusively for children ages 3 to 5; others are for children ages 6 to 10.

11. Janie and Jack

Oxford and striped mask two-packs from Janie and Jack
(Janie and Jack)

Children's clothing brand Janie and Jack, part of the Gap Inc. brands, has oxford and check and oxford and striped mask two-packs for $12 for kids ages 2 and older at janieandjack.com. The one-size-fits-most cotton masks benefit Baby2Baby through Sept. 30, with $5 being donated to the children’s charity for each pair of masks purchased.

12. Airband

Airband masks with elephant figure and comic graphics
(Airband)

This month menswear designer and Joe Boxer founder Nick Graham launched his latest entrepreneurial effort, called Airband. It's a company focusing on personal filtration products, apparel and accessories. Graham’s debut product is a line of protective face coverings. Each mask and gaiter style comes with a built-in filter made with the company’s patented RX99 material, which, according to the company, offers 99.9% particulate filtration. The recyclable face coverings are $12.99 for masks and $14.99 for gaiters, with prints currently available for men and women. Children's masks from the brand are set to drop Aug. 25 at airbandmask.com. Airband recently teamed with Bill Nye, of the popular TV alter ego the Science Guy, to create a capsule collection of masks. Proceeds from Nye’s collection will benefit the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.