Mother and baby
Babies have sensitive skin that needs protection from the environment. A baby's skin is more vulnerable to sun burns and harmful ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure than adult skin. Since a baby may be susceptible to an allergic reaction to a sunscreen, you need to select a gentle product.
Instructions
1. Look for a physical sunscreen that uses the active ingredients of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide because they are less likely to cause an allergic reaction. Other types of sunscreens use chemical-based ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B blockers such as avobenzone, octocrylene or mexoryl.
2. Pick a PABA-free sunscreen. PABA is too harsh for baby skin and may cause irritation.
3. Search for a sunscreen that provides broad spectrum protection from both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays.
4. Select a sunscreen that has a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. Many baby sunscreens contain SPF 30 or 50. Higher sun protection factor numbers provide better protection from ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays.
5. Choose a water-resistant sunscreen to make the protection last through rain, perspiration or swimming.
6. Use a sunscreen with conditioning ingredients such as dimethicone, aloe vera, cocoa butter, lanolin or glycerin. These types of sunscreens moisturize your baby's skin.
7. Consider an organic hypoallergenic sunscreen. Organic sunscreens use less chemical ingredients and are gentle to a baby’s sensitive skin. They often use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as active ingredients and incorporate natural ingredients such as green tea, castor oil, vitamin B or lavender.
8. Ask your baby’s pediatrician to recommend a sunscreen. She can recommend a sunscreen the meets your child's specific needs.
9. Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before outdoor activities so that it can absorb into the baby’s skin. Use sunscreen on all exposed areas of the body. Take extra care around the eye area because the sunscreen will irritate the baby’s eyes if it makes contact. Reapply sunscreen every two hours to maintain sun protection. Limit the baby’s sun exposure during the hottest part of the day. If your baby is younger than six months, only use sunscreen on the face and backs of hands and keep the rest of the baby covered in a light-weight long-sleeve shirt, cotton pants and a hat. Keep young babies out of direct sunlight and in the shade as much as possible.
Tags: baby skin, ultraviolet ultraviolet, protection from, sunscreen that, your baby, zinc oxide titanium