How to use Sunscreen for Babies & Children
Sunscreen is a very powerful way to protect our children from the damaging effects of the sun’s UV rays. But we want to make sure we're doing it right and certainly not causing any harm! It can be very confusing knowing what to do.
Here’s my easy sunscreen guide:
- When to use it
- Choosing the best sunscreen
- How to use sunscreen safely
- What else can you do to protect your child
- What to do for sunburn
When to use sunscreen for babies & children
I recommend sunscreen for children if they’re going outdoors in summer between the hours of 10am-4pm. This is for babies and children of all ages. Yes, it’s fine to use sunscreen on babies under 6 months (but more on this later). Another way to determine if you need to apply sunscreen is by checking the UV index. If the UV index is 3 or higher, sunscreen is needed. You can check this on your smart phone weather app or using the Australian Sunsmart app.
Which sunscreen to choose for children
“First do no harm” is always an absolute must and it’s certainly true when it comes to choosing a safe sunscreen. I recommend you choose a barrier or mineral sunscreen that acts to deflect the suns rays. These usually contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as the active ingredients and very little else. Yes, they’re the thick white ones that can be very difficult to apply. But the upside is that they work well and they are much less likely to be absorbed into our children's blood stream unlike the chemical sunscreens that contain ingredients like oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, or ecamsule that can enter our children's systems. And although these chemical sunscreens haven't been deemed 'unsafe' they also haven't been deemed 'safe' for our children. A good enough reason for me to avoid them!
Don’t panic though if the only sunscreen you have is the chemical one, ultimately it’s MUCH more important to protect our children from UV rays, just wash it off straight after sun exposure.
How to use sunscreen safely
Once you’ve chosen a sunscreen, now you need to apply it properly. This means 20 minutes before sun exposure and at least every 2 hours (don’t be fooled by the 4 hour water resistant labelling!).
What else can you do to protect your child from the sun
The Australian SunSmart campaign of slip, slop, slap, seek, slide has been incredibly successful and is for people of all ages. This stands for:
- slip on some clothing to shield from the sun
- slop on sunscreen
- slap on a hat (good luck if you’ve a defiant toddler!)
- seek shade
- slide on some sunglasses
What to do if your child gets sunburnt
No matter how hard we try, sometimes things go wrong and our children get sunburnt. If it’s severe sunburn (large area, blistering, swelling or very painful) please see your health care provider. If it's mild then there are lot of safe home remedies to try. My favourite is a cool aloe vera gel. Be careful though as for any burn you should not apply honey, oils, toothpaste, wrap up with bandages or pop any blisters.