Childrens sun protection

[oooggs]

Any advise on sun protection for kids. I like the spray stuff but last year I used the Nivea but it was green and stained loads of t-shirts.

So any 'bright' ideas that you think are good pref spray and waterproof.

[jodee]

I have a question for those using Ultrasun, which one did you buy? (Want something for myself and 5 year old)?

Ameriscot, you suggested the Stingray site on another thread I started, think I am going to get this outfit!

[jane313]

Heres all the official guidlines

sunsmart

[gingernut]

Ah, the reason we didn't use the sunsuit much is that we stayed in the UK, and it was a cool summer. Also, our garden is quite shady.

I use the Ambre Solaire SPF 60 one (it's a hypoallergenic one specifially labelled as being for children). I use it because ds1 has had allergic reactions to some others so we stick with this one. He's never burned as yet, and he has very fair skin (but has never been abroad).

[Ameriscot2005]

I was amazed at other parents' attitudes when we lived in the US. We were members of a pool club, so we pretty much went to the pool every day in the summer. Our kids had swimming lessons every day and we always signed up for the earliest sessions and then only returned to the pool after 4pm or so. However, the most popular lessons were the ones at 11.30am, so that you could then stay on for the pool opening at noon - and then stay for the rest of the day. None of these kids had UV suits. The parents did put a lot of effort into using sunscreen, but on a daily basis, this is not always good enough.

I was really pleased that my kids were happy to wear their Aussie sunsuits, and I wore one too -weird British woman...

[triceratops]

the advice I have heard is to keep kids out of the sun between 11am and 3pm and to use a hat, sunscreen and a sunsuit. Sunscreen needs to be reapplied every 2-3 hours and after swimming.

I am always surpised at how burned people let their kids get on holiday, there is nothing healthy about a peeling nose. Those shade a babe things for the buggy are good so long as you make sure that they are not getting too hot in there.

[Ameriscot2005]

It's better to use sunscreen on a baby than risk sunburn...

It's very important to use a sunscreen that offers both UVA and UVB protection. UVA gives long-term skin damage (eg wrinkles) and you can't see the immediate effects; UVB makes the skin red, so it's easy to see what is happening. A UVB-only sunscreen gives you a very false sense of security.

I highly recommend sunsuits and hats for babies. When DD3 was a baby, we lived in a hot place, and went to Jamaica on holiday when she was 12 weeks old. I used sunscreen only on her hands and feet as she was otherwise covered up. Between this and keeping her in the shade as much as poss, she had no reaction to the sun at all.

Ordinary clothes do not offer much in the way of sun protection, so if you can guarantee shade, you should really use a sunscreen underneath.

[Munchkinola]

I've been to both those shops looking for it and they don't have any Proderm

I've seen it in Sainsburys for £11.99, just waiting for a special offer.

[gingerbear]

Proderm is good too.
Savers or Superdrug have factor 30 for 4.99 I think.

[oooggs]

Some good ideas here. I had a sunsuit last year and it was great so I have bought another in the sale for this summer. (DS had a sun suit, they didn't come in my size )

Buying a two piece would have been a better option, but I didn't think of that!

[Munchkinola]

It's £8.50 plus 1.75 p+p on ebay for 125ml.

[jane313]

yes I switched from P20 which I had used for myself to ultrasun

starshaker I read on a thread last year that you shouldn't use sun protection on babies. I can't remember the exact reasons why, chemicals no doubt. Of course I read this after I had used it on my son.

[Potty1]

Boots soltan is on BOGOF - good UVA protection too - even seems to suit dd who has excema.

[gingernut]

Sorry, slow typing there...Furball has supplied the answer

[gingernut]

Satine, I bought a sunsuit for ds1's second summer and we hardly used it! But I know some people swear by them. If you are thinking of getting one, oooggs, the only thing I'd say is get a 2-piece one if they are still in nappies, much easier for changing.

jane313, does the ultrasun give protection against UVA as well as UVB? Lots of my friends swear by P20 (another one that only has to be applied once a day) but AFAIK it doesn't protect against UVA so I won't use it.

[Furball]

Another fan of Ultrasun It has UVA and UVB protection, just put it on once and thats it for the day, easy peasy. Yes it is quite pricey, but as you only put it on once a day it goes an awful lot further than 'normal' sunscreen. Excellent customer service as well.

[Satine]

I use factor 60 on my kids but also buy sun suits (Marks & Spencers do them, as does Sainsbury's and most good independant children's clothes shops) as they provide added protection and dry really quickly. My ds lived in his last summer!

[starshaker]

just bought dd factor 50 today and it cost £10 i was shocked but shes only 3 weeks and wanted to get the highest i could find.

[jane313]

Yes through an mumsnet thread last year I got this fab stuff called ultrasun. You just put it on once in the morning and its waterproof. You can buy it on the internet or at some big department stores and chemists. It was pricey but you didn't have to re-apply and it worked. Not a spray but it was only one putting on a toddler fight a day.

ultrasun .

I also read on the skin cancer website this about sp factors that I hadn't realised before
"Use factor 15+

The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of a sunscreen is a measure of its ability to filter out dangerous UVB rays. The higher the factor the more protection you get from burning. But higher factor sunscreens tend to be more expensive.

Why factor 15?

The reason experts recommend factor 15, is that this represents the best balance between protection and price. You will get over 90 per cent protection from UVB rays with SPF 15. Above SPF 30 you don't get much additional protection from higher factors.

No sunscreen - no matter how high the factor - can offer 100 per cent protection.

factor 15 sunscreen offers about 93% protection
factor 30 sunscreen offers about 96% protection
factor 60 sunscreen offers about 98% protection"




I bought some for myself too and it has a nice sheen