Keep your little one safe in the sun

Protect the delicate skin of your precious little ones now and instil lifelong sun safety skills that they will carry with them into adulthood.

If you’re planning a sun filled summer, lots of fun, sea and sunshine… it is imperative to be sun safe!

Children who get sunburned in childhood or adolescence are at an increased risk of melanoma (the most serious form of skin cancer) in later life. Take precautions protect your children now.

Here are some sun safety tips we wanted to share:

Babies up to 6 months ideally should not be exposed to direct sunlight especially when the sun it at it's strongest around midday, as they have much thinner skin and underdeveloped melanin. Cover their arms and legs with clothing or use a UV parasol. Use mesh screens on car windows.

Encourage your child to play in the shade especially between 11am and 3pm, when the sun is at its strongest.

Ensure they wear wide-brimmed hats, and consider investing in a parasol or a special cover for the buggy. Some brands, such as the Babyzen Yoyo+, will already have a special UV protection installed in the hood and fabrics of the pram.

Young, sensitive skin is especially vulnerable to damaging UV rays. Use a broad-spectrum sun cream with a 5* UVA rating to ensure your kids are being protected against both UVA and UVB rays. Make sure to cover all exposed areas. The tops of their ears and little feet too J Experts recommend an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 30 for children, but the higher the SPF, the better. Most sun protection for children has SPF 50. Organii is a certified organic high protection sun milk providing UVA and UVB protection suitable for babies, children and adults alike…

Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before going outside. It’s worth doing a patch test to check if your child is allergic to a particular cream. Generously re-apply sun protection every 2 hours and always after swimming and towel-drying — even if the sunscreen is waterproof. A sunscreen indicator, such as Everyday Baby’s SunHero, can come in handy as it shows when sunblock needs to be reapplied. And remember that you can get sunburned more quickly when you're swimming or boating because the reflection from the water makes the sun's rays stronger.

Don’t be fooled in cloudy weather – up to 90% of UV rays can pass through light cloud. Be familiar with the UV index, which measures the risk of harm from unprotected sun exposure. This can be checked on most weather apps.

Children learn from example, so let them see you apply sun cream to your own skin too!

Dress the children for the hot weather. Make sure that kids are wearing hats and wet their hair so as to reduce the risk of sunstroke. Sunstroke occurs when too much time has been spent in the sun, resulting in an extremely high body temperature. Staying in the shade and covering heads and shoulders will reduce this risk. Dressing your kids in appropriately cool clothing will also reduce the risk of heat rash. 

Protecting your eyes is just as important as protecting your skin, so don’t forget to dig out those glasses from the bottom of the sand laden beach bags! Young eyes are particularly vulnerable to harmful UV rays. Protect your child’s eyes by having them wear sunglasses at all times. Make sure the sunglasses you use have a label saying that they block UV rays! The sun’s rays will be even more powerful at the beach or at sea as they will be reflected off the sand and water. Babiators sunglasses provide 100% UVA and UVB protection.

Keep yourself and your kids hydrated by bringing water along with you wherever you go. If your kids find it hard to drink large volumes of water, have them eat juicy fruits such as watermelon, which has an extremely high water content at more than 90%.