The Best Kids' KN95 and KF94 Masks to Follow the Latest CDC Guidance

The importance of finding reliable KF94 and KN95 masks for kids is more evident than ever right now. With COVID-19 case rates still at an all-time high thanks to the Omicron variant, parents and caregivers are scrambling to do everything we can to protect ourselves and our children from getting sick and spreading the virus. On January 14, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at last clarified its guidance about masks and respirators to reflect the fact that cloth masks provide the least protection from COVID.

"Loosely woven cloth products provide the least protection, layered finely woven products offer more protection, well-fitting disposable surgical masks and KN95s offer even more protection, and well-fitting NIOSH-approved respirators (including N95s) offer the highest level of protection," reads the updated page on "Types of Masks and Respirators."

Though we're still waiting to get vaccines for children under 5, for officials to get their act together on school quarantine rules, and for access to testing to become easier and faster, getting an official statement on masks feels like a bit of a relief for parents. Of course, we're still left with the question of where to find the best masks for kids.

How to Tell If a Mask Is Fake

Finding these masks is not as easy as searching "KN95 masks for kids"—as if anything in this pandemic has been that simple. Manufacturers eager to supply us with KN95s have been flooding the market (including Amazon) with masks. This also meant that many of those masks are counterfeit, as tests by the CDC and other agencies showed, and they may not be providing the amount of protection that you may think they do.

Last year, when N95s were in short supply, the FDA issued emergency-use authorization (EUA) for some KN95s, which are produced in China, because they have similarly high filtration rates of at least 95 percent. That meant federal officials were testing adult sizes of KN95 masks and giving us a handy list to cross-reference. But they didn't test for children's sizes (since, we hope, no children were out working in health-care settings), and the FDA has since revoked that EUA list as N95s are now more widely available. (No N95 masks are made for children because their stated purpose is still for occupational use.)

Parents searching for high-filtration masks for kids don't have to choose blindly: First of all, you can cross-reference the list of KN95 masks that the FDA formerly gave EUA to with the database of masks that the CDC has tested. When we did the research to arrive at the list below, we took that EUA info and assumed that the same manufacturers use equally high standards for their kids' masks. That's how we landed on brands like Vida, evolvetogether, and Powecom.

We also looked to experts for advice. One great resource is mechanical engineer Aaron Collins, who has been using his background in aerosol science to test masks in his bathroom and share his findings on Twitter @masknerd and on YouTube. He is a big proponent of Korean-made KF94 masks, since there is more regulation of these masks for kids and adults in Korea compared to China. These masks must have a particulate matter filtration rate of at least 94 percent, but many test at rates above 99 percent.

When you purchase KF94 masks online, look for certification from the Korean FDA to prove it's not counterfeit. KN95 masks should list their manufacturer, be stamped with "KN95," and state that they meet China's GB 2626-2019 standard. When a brand says a mask is "FDA-registered," that doesn't mean the FDA has approved it, only that the company has filed paperwork with the FDA.

Lloyd Armbrust, the CEO of Texas-based mask manufacturer Armbrust USA, also took it upon himself to test every mask he could buy on Amazon (plus several that viewers have sent him) and shows the whole process and results on his entertaining YouTube channel. Even though many of these are now his direct competitors, Armbrust gives many KN95s and KF94s his seal of approval as well.

Finally, we looked for masks with lots of good reviews and read through some of them to see if anyone has spotted counterfeits. (Tip: Google the manufacturer name plus "CDC" to see if it's been tested or "counterfeit" to see if it's been called out as a fake.) Be aware, however, that the CDC does label masks counterfeit if the packaging makes any claims to be NIOSH-certified and are not; those masks may still be legitimate KN95s.

Below are some of the best KN95 masks for kids, as well as KF94 masks and other disposable masks that have high filtration rates and are a good fit on children.