sunny day, sweeping the clouds away
Filed Under Tips & Tricks | June 2, 2010
It’s that time of year when we switch from raincoats and brollies (we hope) to sunhats and shorts. So here’s a handy sun safety primer to get you back into the swing of the sunny season.
Sunscreen is a summer must-have for the whole family but kids are more vulnerable than we are to the ravages of the sun. Since much of our sun exposure happens before we’re 18 it’s important to make sun safety second nature for your little ones.
The skin of babies under six months old isn’t yet protected by melatonin, so it’s best to keep them out of direct sun as much as possible. Most sunscreens aren’t recommended for kids under six months either, so protective clothing, a sun hat and a good canopy or sunshade on your stroller are the best ways to protect your babe. You can even resort to an umbrella to create shade if necessary. And if your schedule’s flexible, try avoiding the mid-day sun whenever possible.
Toddlers and preschoolers have very sensitive skin and can react to chemicals in sunscreen as well as the sun itself, so it’s important to do a patch test with a new sunscreen before you slop it on your tot. And if they don’t react to it, definitely slop it on and reapply it often – about every two hours but more frequently if your little ones are wading, swimming or sweating. And don’t forget those easy-to-miss areas like the tops of ears, lips, the back of the neck and the top of feet.
It helps to think ahead too, as sunscreen needs to be applied twenty to thirty minutes before heading out into the sun for it to be most effective. When we use sunscreens with higher SPFs we tend to get complacent about reapplying them, figuring we have heaps of added protection, which is why most experts recommend sunscreens with an SPF of 30 and most importantly, broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.
Now if only the sun would shine we could put some of these tips into practice…
Next week we’ll be back with some great products for keeping your kids safer in the sunny weather, but if you’re looking for more summer safety info and ideas than you might want to check these out:
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