Summer Skin Protection with Sunscreen for Kids

Summertime means school is out and kids and families are playing in the backyard, at the beach, having fun at parks, and more time spent outside in the sun. When I was a child science had not yet figured out that we need to protect our skin from the suns UV rays or we could end up with skin cancer later on in life. So I got plenty of sun exposure that would have been better if I had known about sunscreen to protect my skin. Kids rarely think about those kinds of things regardless, but now that we know this as parents we need to protect their delicate skin.

Did you know that according to Kids Health, Children get from 50% to 80% of their lifetime sun exposure before the age of 18? Please read the previous sentence carefully. So you need to slather them up with some sunscreen when they are playing outside. When you will be out side all day you will need to reapply the sunscreen as it only lasts for so long or may not be waterproof or sweat proof. For light skinned children they can get sunburn in as little as 15 minutes of sun exposure. As parents we are responsible for protecting our children. I for one would hate to know that my child got skin cancer because I didn't make them put on some sunscreen.

Now days they even have the sport spray on sunscreen, those take even less time to put on the skin than traditional lotions. We use Coppertone Sport continuous spray; I think it's the best thing since sliced bread. That brand is clear, waterproof and you don't have to rub it onto the skin you just spray. Make sure that your sunscreen is at least 15 SPF (Skin Protection Factor). There has been some debate about whether or not any more protection actually works better. But just incase the SPF number does matter we generally go for the 30 SPF sunscreen and most of my family has fair skin.

If your child is fair skinned or has light colored eyes, blond or red hair, they are at more of a risk to develop skin cancer later on in life. The lighter the skin the less melanin they have in their skin, which is the first defense against the harmful UV rays. Whatever your child's skin color please protect them this summer when they are out in the sunlight. And remember that the sun's rays can go through clouds and water, so protection is needed even on cloudy days and when in the water.

Source: Kids Health, "Sun Safety." KidsHealth.org.