Sunscreens for Baby and Toddlers

It's summer and you love laying out in the sun! You use sun-block for yourself, but what about the new baby or toddler of yours. First, no baby under 6 months should be out in the sun for any longer than it takes from the car to the front/back door.

There are sun-blocks tat block both types of UV rays, UVA and UVB. Look for a "chemical-free" sunblock made with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These form a barrier against the UV's as this sit's on top of the skin, rather than be absorbed into the skin. There are no studies or medical report saying how dangerous the chemical sunblocks are, as there hasn't been enough study on how the young children react to them.

Sunscreens with the zinc oxide and titanium dioxide start protecting as soon as it hit's the skin, as the chemical one's have to be put on up to half an hour before you lay in the sun.

Try doing a 'patch' area on the child first, a day or two ahead, to see how he/she will react if any. Any sunblock with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide will protect against UVA and UVB.

The SPF (sun protection factor) should be at least a 15, but don't go any higher than a 30. Over that, and you not getting the added protection that you need. It's OK to use a children's sunscreen if your an adult. Many of them are not much different from the Adult versions anyway. Some sunscreens have a little tint of color to them, so you can tell where you've put on or missed an area. But they fade after a few minutes of being on the skin.

If you're going to the beach or are outside for most of the day, don't forget to reapply it every two or three hours. Don't trust the label if it says protection for eight hours...children are going to be playing in and out of water all day, most sunblocks will wash off with that kind of water usage. Read the labels when setting out to buy sunscreens.

Here are just a few of the more better recommended sunscreens for any age.

California Baby: no fragrance, SPF of 30 or more. Lotion or stick.

Blue Lizard: SPF 30 or more.

Alba botanica: Mineral sunscreen, fragrance free, SPF 30 or more.

And if you're wanting to be careful what you put ONTO your body, check out this website. Cosmetics database. Here, you can search and find out just what is in your make-up, body lotion or what ever you put on that beautiful body of yours!

Source:

BabyCenter