With summer quickly warming up, it's important to make s
un safety top priority. It is so easy to run out into the sunshine without a care in the world and enjoy the outdoors, but the partying ends in a hurry when one of your little ones gets a bad sunburn. Not only are they painful and itchy, they're downright dangerous.
Ever wish you had a sun safety cheat sheet? Here's the 411 on how to have SAFE fun in the sun this summer!
BABIES
No sunscreen until they're 6 months old (says the American Academy of Pediatrics). Until then, just keep them in the shade. Babies have very sensitive skin and eyes during infancy.
- Wide brim hats will provide a bit of coverage for those sweet little cheeks and eyes when in the stroller.
- If you do take your babe out, it's best to clothe them in UV protectant tees and shorts.
SUNSCREEN
- An SPF of at least 30 is recommended for most skin types.
- Apply 30 minutes before going out in the sun, as it needs time to absorb into the skin.
- Reapply every 2 hours that you are in the sun, once an hour if you are in the water.
- DON'T FORGET! The most missed spots are tops of ears, tops of feet and tops of heads! Spread a little sunscreen down your child's part to avoid painful primping.
SUNGLASSES
Another spot many forget when it comes to sun safety are your eyes! Corneas can burn and leave behind long term damage (causing cataracts later in life). Gearing your kiddos with sunglasses for the summer is not only smart, it's totally styling. Especially with cool pairs like these from
Baby Banz, which provide 100% UV protection.
Enjoy the sun and stay safe too!
What other quick sun safety tips do you have to add to this "cheat sheet?"
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Comments (3)
my two cents?
skip the regular sun screen and spend the extra money on a chemical free one. This will allow the good Vit D to soak in while keeping the "harmful" uv rays out.
Also, I would not do the sunglasses as the eyes need vit D as well.
dress the child in light colours and fabrics (mmmm cotton), and I avoid tank tops to keep the shoulders covered.
The only place I made sure I put sunscreen on was the bottom of his feet. my little guy likes to take off his sandals and put his feet up when we go for longer walks. Sunburns on the bottoms of the feet are the worst evvvvveeer!.
If you want to keep the bees and bugs away from your little ones, stick a bounce dryer sheet in their back pocket. I keep a few in the bottom of the stroller as well. Don't know why, but it works wonders. Also avoid heavily scented shampoos and soaps as these attract the bugs/bees.
I have more.. but thats it for now.
'Everyone should follow'?! You don't know my kids. I'm the mommy and I know what's best! Let 'em get a few sunburns in under their belts! It's good for their character!
Seriously, though? Those sound like good guidelines, even if they might be a pinch unrealistic in some situations... I just spent 7 hours at a water park with the three kids. I had to practically sit on them to get them to apply sun screen (Coppertone Ultraguard 50 SPF) once and, boy howdy, they were in the water! The only person that came away with sunburn? The hubs, who took off before I could check his back and now has a bright red swatch between his shoulder blades where he missed.
If you listen to the experts, you're supposed to apply sunscreen everyday, multiple times per day, even if you're indoors. I'm sure it's great if you can...but who has time? I seriously want to meet one person [without a medical condition that makes it an absolute requirement] that does.
I didn't know that you should not put sunscreen on babies until they are at least 6 months old. I don't plan on taking my son out if it's too hot or too sunny anyways, but I do want to introduce him to the outdoors while he is still young.