There’s an old-school bit of advice floating around sunscreen, with claims that kids under six months should not have sunscreen. Rather, you should keep them out of the sun altogether.
Now, that obviously sounds grand–just don’t put babies and their thin skin in view of the sun’s damaging rays at all–but it’s not rational. Even if you keep them out of the peak times of sun (10 AM to 3 PM), they will still be exposed to rays over time.
The problem is that their thin skin absorbs more chemicals than an adult’s, leading to concerns that they will be picking up harmful substances in their bodies over a lifetime that may lead to real damage.
At the same time, that thin skin is the exact reason why they have a special need for protection. The sun’s rays do more damage faster than they would to an adult, so the risk has to be mitigated somehow.
A couple years ago the American Pediatric Association revised its previous position, that children under six months should not have sunscreen applied. They came to the new conclusion that there is little evidence of long-term harm and so the sunscreen is the lesser evil compared to just absorbing the sun’s rays, Always go with a full UVB & UVA broad spectrum natural reef friendly sunscreen!
Here are their formal recommendations:
1. Avoid outdoor play between 10 AM and 4 PM
2. Keep them in the shade as much as possible
3. Dress them in light-colored clothes…darker shades will attract more of the sun’s rays
4. Use a hat to directly reflect some of the rays
5. Give them 100% UV ray protection sunglasses
6. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen applied strategically
Building on #6, the gist is use something that gives full protection, but first test it on a small part of the baby’s skin. If there is no rash, apply it carefully to the exposed skin in a light quantity.
For the rest of the advice…it actually applies nicely to adults. We might not be as vulnerable to the sun’s rays, but skin cancer is on the rise, and following some common sense steps can give you a longer and younger-looking life. Take care of your babies sunscreen, and they will have reason to thank you. Not that they probably will
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