Basic Sun Care for your Baby

According to the AAP following these simple rules to protect your family from sunburns now and from skin cancer later in life.

• Keep babies younger than 6 months out of direct sunlight. Find shade under a tree, umbrella, or the stroller canopy.
  
• When possible, dress yourself and your kids in cool, comfortable clothing that covers the body, like lightweight cotton pants, long-sleeved shirts, and hats.
  
• Select clothes made with a tight weave – they protect better than clothes with a looser weave. If you’re not sure how tight a fabric’s weave is, hold it up to see how much light shines through. The less light, the better.
  
• Wear a hat or cap with a brim that faces forward to shield the face.
  
• Limit your sun exposure between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, when UV rays are strongest.
  
• Wear sunglasses with at least 99% UV protection (look for child-sized sunglasses with UV protection for your child).
  
• Use sunscreen.
  
• Set a good example. You can be the best teacher by practicing sun protection yourself. Teach all members of your family how to protect their skin and eyes.

• Use a sunscreen that says “broad-spectrum” on the label – that means it will screen out both UVB and UVA rays.
  
• Use a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15. The higher the SPF, the more UVB protection the sunscreen has.
  
• Look for the new UVA “star” rating system on the label.
  
  • One star is low UVA protection.
    
  • Two stars is medium protection.
    
  • Three stars is high protection.
  • Four stars is the highest UVA protection available in an over-the-counter sunscreen product.
    
• For sensitive areas of the body, such as the nose, cheeks, tops of the ears, and the shoulders, choose a sunscreen or sunblock with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. While these products usually stay visible on the skin even after you rub them in, some now come in fun colors that kids enjoy.
  

• For babies younger than 6 months. Use sunscreen on small areas of the body, such as the face and the backs of the hands, if protective clothing and shade are not available.
• For babies older than 6 months. Apply to all areas of the body, but be careful around the eyes. If your baby rubs sunscreen into her eyes, wipe the eyes and hands clean with a damp cloth. If the sunscreen irritates her skin, try a different brand or try a sunscreen stick or sunscreen or sunblock with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. If a rash develops, talk with your child’s doctor.

• Use enough sunscreen to cover all exposed areas, especially the face, nose, ears, feet, and hands and even the backs of the knees. Rub it in well.
  
• Put sunscreen on 30 minutes before going outdoors. It needs time to absorb into the skin.
  
• Use sunscreen any time you or your child might sunburn. Remember that you can get sunburn even on cloudy days. Also, UV rays can bounce back from water, sand, snow, and concrete so make sure you’re protected.
  
• Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours. Sunscreen wears off after swimming, sweating, or just from soaking into the skin.

Using Insect Repellent on your Baby

The following are guidelines on how to use insect repellents safely.

Dos

• Read the label and follow all directions and precautions.
• Only apply insect repellents on the outside of your child’s clothing and on exposed skin.
• Spray repellents in open areas to avoid breathing them in.
• Use just enough repellent to cover your child’s clothing and exposed skin. Using more doesn’t make the repellent more effective. Avoid reapplying unless necessary.
• Assist young children when applying insect repellents on their own. Older children also should be supervised when using these products.
• Wash your children’s skin with soap and water to remove any repellent when they return indoors, and wash their clothing before they wear it again.

• Never apply insect repellent to children younger than 2 months.
• Repellents should not be sprayed directly onto your child’s face. Instead, spray a little on your hands first and then rub it on your child’s face. Avoid the eyes and mouth.
• Insect repellents should not be applied on cuts, wounds, or irritated skin.
• Don’t buy products that combine DEET with sunscreen. The DEET may make the sun protection factor (SPF) less effective. These products can overexpose your child to DEET because the sunscreen needs to be reapplied often.

• Wristbands soaked in chemical repellents
• Garlic or vitamin B1 taken by mouth
• Ultrasonic devices that give off sound waves designed to keep insects away
• Bird or bat houses
• Backyard bug zappers (Insects may actually be attracted to your yard.)

How to Use DEET with your Baby

DEET is a chemical used in insect repellents. The amount of DEET in insect repellents varies from product to product, so it’s important to read the label of any product you buy. The amount of DEET may range from less than 10% to more than 30%.

Studies show that products with higher amounts of DEET protect people longer. For example, products with amounts around 10% may repel pests for about 2 hours, while products with amounts of about 24% last an average of 5 hours. But studies also show that products with amounts of DEET greater than 30% don’t offer any extra protection.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that repellents should contain no more than 30% DEET when used on children. Insect repellents also are not recommended for children younger than 2 months.