Key takeaways
American Family gives parents different payment options to choose from.
Mutual of Omaha offers many opportunities to increase coverage later in life.
Gerber Life, a well-known name in children’s life insurance, has whole life policies that are best for babies.
Reviewed monthly. Last updated: December 2025
As a parent, grandparent or legal guardian, buying life insurance for children is one way to guarantee coverage later in life.
Our list of the best life insurance for kids highlights companies that offer stand-alone life insurance policies for children — not just child term riders. We assessed age eligibility, coverage amounts available, and the ease of getting a quote or buying a policy. We also looked at additional benefits, like the ability to increase coverage when the child grows up.
All of the life insurance companies on this list scored at least 4.5 out of 5 stars with NerdWallet.
Best life insurance for children in 2026
Best for flexible payments | Available to children from 0 to 17 years old. | ||
Best for boosting coverage | Available to children from 14 days to 17 years old. | ||
Best for babies | Available to children from 14 days to 17 years old. | ||
Note: With some insurers, a newborn may need to reach a certain age, such as 14 days old, before becoming eligible for coverage. | |||
NerdWallet rates insurers at the company level, not the policy level. This means our star rating reflects the company as a whole, and not its child life insurance policy specifically. | |||
Best for flexible payments: American Family
Why this insurer made the list: AmFam offers a range of payment plans and guaranteed purchase options, but you need to apply through an agent.
Rating Breakdown
Financial strength rating
Strong
Online purchase
No
NAIC complaints
Fewer than expected
Policies offered
Term, permanent & no-exam
About American Family child life insurance
Along with its high coverage levels, American Family Life Insurance Company — also known as AmFam — stands out for its payment options. You can choose a 10-year plan to pay off the policy sooner or a 20-year plan for lower monthly premiums. Regardless of which plan you pick, the premiums are locked in.
Policy name: DreamSecure Children’s Whole Life Insurance.
Coverage amounts: $25,000 to $75,000.
Age eligibility: 0 to 17.
Riders: None.
Online experience: AmFam has some information about their children’s whole life insurance online, including coverage amounts and paths to payment. But you’ll have to provide a lot of personal details to get a quote from the website and you can’t purchase a policy online.
What to know about applying for a policy: Medical exams typically aren’t required for children’s life insurance policies. Note that American Family only services these states: Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
⭐Where this insurer stands out: AmFam’s whole life insurance for kids has a built-in guaranteed purchase option benefit rider, which lets you increase coverage at certain ages or major life events, like getting married, buying a house or becoming a parent.
» Read the full review: American Family insurance
Best for boosting coverage: Mutual of Omaha
Why this insurer made the list: Mutual of Omaha gives policyholders more opportunities to top up coverage as adults. However, its child policies aren't available in Washington.
Rating Breakdown
Financial strength rating
Exceptional
Online purchase
No
NAIC complaints
Close to expected
Policies offered
Term & permanent
About Mutual of Omaha child life insurance
Mutual of Omaha’s maximum coverage amount for this type of whole life insurance is relatively high at $50,000. The company also makes it easy to get a quote, apply for and purchase a policy online.
Policy name: Children’s Whole Life.
Coverage amount: $5,000 to $50,000.
Age eligibility: 14 days to 17 years.
Riders:
Waiver of premium.
Guaranteed insurability.
Online experience: Mutual of Omaha’s site has some details about its whole life policies, including those for children. Policyholders can manage life insurance and change beneficiaries through Mutual of Omaha’s online portal but there’s no dedicated app.
What to know about applying for a policy: Mutual of Omaha’s policy offers simplified life insurance underwriting. This means you answer three health questions about the child or grandchild you’re hoping to cover. You can buy online or over the phone if you’d like to speak to an agent.
⭐Where this insurer stands out: As with most children’s whole life policies, you have the option to buy additional whole life coverage when the child is an adult and gets married, purchases a home or has a kid of their own. You can increase coverage during these milestones without the need for a medical exam. Mutual of Omaha stands out for also allowing you to buy more coverage at specific birthdays: 25, 30, 35 and 40.
» Read the full review: Mutual of Omaha life insurance
Best for babies: Gerber Life
Why this insurer made the list: The Gerber Life Grow-Up Plan is a popular whole life insurance policy for children with a policy face amount that doubles at age 18.
Rating Breakdown
Financial strength rating
Exceptional
Online purchase
Yes
NAIC complaints
Close to expected
Policies offered
Term, permanent & no-exam
About Gerber Life child life insurance
Gerber Life is a well-known name in children’s life insurance with policies underwritten by its parent company, Western and Southern Financial Group. When the child insured by these whole life policies turns 21, they become the policyholder and can decide whether they want to keep the coverage, borrow against it or cash it in.
Policy name: Gerber Life Grow-Up Plan.
Coverage amount: $5,000 to $50,000.
Age eligibility: 14 days to 14 years.
Riders: Gerber offers a Payment Protection Option (PPO) rider, which covers all premium payments if the policy owner becomes totally disabled or dies before the insured child turns 21.
Online experience: Gerber makes it quick and easy to get life insurance for children on their website. You can get a quote, apply for and purchase a Grow-Up plan policy online. Once you’re a policyholder, you can use the online portal or manage your life insurance through the Fabric by Gerber Life app. (Like Gerber, Fabric is another subsidiary of Western and Southern Financial Group, so some systems are integrated).
What to know about applying for a policy: No medical exams are required, but you’ll need to be a parent, grandparent or legal guardian to take out a life insurance policy for a child. If you need a policy for a child over 14, consider Gerber’s life insurance for young adults.
⭐Where this insurer stands out: One of the main draws of Gerber Life’s life insurance for children is that the face amount of the policies doubles when the insured child turns 18. For example, if you bought a $50,000 life insurance policy for a grandchild when they were two weeks old, that policy would be worth $100,000 when your grandchild turns 18 as long as you keep up with the premium payments.
How we rate the best life insurance companies
✅ 445 life insurers reviewed
📝 210 policies assessed
🔢 1,515 data points analyzed
📊 Star rating categories
When NerdWallet evaluates life insurance companies, our editorial team considers the insurer's strengths and weaknesses, as well as the things that matter most to customers buying a long-term financial product. We then weigh these factors carefully:
💰 Financial strength (35%). We use AM Best ratings to confirm an insurer’s financial stability and ability to pay claims far into the future. The top life insurance companies have an exceptional financial strength rating of A+ or A++ (Superior).
🗣️ Consumer complaints (35%). Our top-rated life insurance companies have fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators over a three-year period, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners — so you can expect a smoother customer experience.
☎️ Consumer experience (20%). Insurers who allow consumers to contact them by email, phone and live chat earn the highest scores. The same goes for insurers who support online quotes, beneficiary changes and claims.
👀 Transparency (10%). Our methodology gives higher scores to transparent insurers who clearly display information about their policy options, coverage amounts and term lengths (if applicable) on their site.
⭐ What our star ratings mean
Companies with 5 stars are exceptional, with strong financials, diverse policy lineups and great reputations for customer service.
Companies with 4.5 stars are excellent, with solid financials and policy offerings, and good customer service track records.
Companies with 4.0 stars are good, and potentially great for people looking for niche coverage options.
Companies with 3.5 stars or fewer could do better in certain categories, like financial strength and customer complaints.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for our star ratings or our reviews. Read more about our life insurance ratings methodology and editorial guidelines.
What is life insurance for children?
Although it’s not typical for kids to have life insurance policies, insuring the life of your child is similar to insuring any adult. In simple terms, a child life insurance policy is still a contract with the life insurer that pays out a death benefit if the insured child passes away.
The main difference between adult life insurance and kids’ life insurance is that the beneficiary on a child life insurance policy is usually the parent. Children’s policies can take the form of either term or permanent life insurance, but whole life insurance for kids is more common.
Pros and cons of life insurance for kids
Pros
- Opportunity to lock in lifelong coverage without a medical exam.
- Some policies build cash value that kids can use as adults.
Cons
- Coverage amounts are small.
- Other types of investments offer better returns.
Alternatives to life insurance policies for kids
If you don’t want to buy a separate policy for a child, consider adding a child term rider to your own life insurance policy. This rider can cover multiple children, and pay out a small amount — such as $5,000 to $25,000 — if a child dies.
Keep in mind you’ll need to opt into this life insurance rider when you purchase your policy, but any children born or adopted after that time will typically be covered. This can be a helpful baby life insurance option for parents as newborns become eligible at birth.
Another option is to sign up for supplemental life insurance offered through your employer, especially if it’s free or low-cost. Some policies cover eligible dependents, like children. Speak to your benefits coordinator to find out if your workplace offers this coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Can you buy life insurance for a child?
Can you buy life insurance for a child?
Some companies offer standalone life insurance policies for children, and others allow you to add extra coverage to your own policy to cover a child.
Do I need the child’s consent to take out a policy?
Do I need the child’s consent to take out a policy?
No. While you usually need permission when buying life insurance for someone else, that only applies to adults. However, in general, you must be a parent, grandparent or legal guardian to buy coverage for a child.
Can I buy life insurance for a child at any age?
Can I buy life insurance for a child at any age?
Most life insurance companies will only insure a child up to the age of 18, though there are exceptions.
