Advice on ways to protect your baby from the sun with information on sun lotion, sun block, visors, clothing and covers that help provide your baby with protection from the sun.Discuss sun protection on our forums, right now! Or, post a comment below.You need to take great care to protect your baby's skin from the sun. Sunlight contains ultraviolet light that can cause short and long term damage to your baby. Not only will sunburn cause your baby great discomfort and pain, a single bout of severe sunburn during childhood can contribute to the development of skin cancer in later life.
As with adults, pale-skinned babies have an even greater risk of sun damage if exposed to sunlight, even on a cloudy day or in the shade.
Two forms of sun protection are available; sun creams that protect your baby's skin when exposed to sunlight, and clothing/accessories that prevent the sunlight from reaching your baby's skin at all.
Baby Sun CreamsYou should look for a sun cream specially formulated for a baby's skin, as the sun creams used by adults can cause irritation. You should by a sun block cream, offering maximum protection from UVA and UVB rays. Even if your baby is wearing sun block, it is still sensible to keep them in the shade where possible or use one of the additional means of sub protection given below.
Protective ClothingHats - your baby should wear a hat that prevents the sunlight from reaching their face and neck. This means a hat with a wide brim all the way round it, or a legionnaire style hat that offers a peak at the front to protect the face and a flap at the back to protect the neck. Make sure the hat is a good, comfortable fit, or you may find your baby wanting to take it off all the time.
T-shirts - a long sleeve T-shirt will offer your baby the best protection from the sun, but this may not be practical given the warmer temperatures that accompany the sun. At least a normal T-shirt is essential as the shoulders can burn very easily.
Parasols and Mesh CoversYou can provide additional sun protection while your baby is in their buggy or pram by attaching a parasol. Some manufacturers will supply a parasol designed for a specific buggy and pram. However, parasols with a universal attachment are just as effective and usually cheaper. They simply attach to part of the buggy or pram using a spring loaded clip, and the angle of the parasol can be adjusted to ensure maximum protection from the sun.
Sun protection for your baby is also available in the form of mesh covers. These material covers are placed over the buggy or pram in the same way you would use a rain cover.
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I don't want to scare people but I watched a program a short while ago about babies and sun creams and the government advice was you should NOT use ANY sun cream on babies under 6 months old. You can buy the little suits that have UV protection in them and do your best to keep them out of the sun. This has worried me a little as we already have flights booked for next year and our baby will only be 4 months old. The sun can still penetrate through normal t-shirts, so you have to be very careful. After 6 months old you should use the highest factor for children or you can use pure zinc which is a complete sun block, that's what the Aussies use.