7 Tips for avoiding sun for babies

1. Keep babies younger than 6 months out of direct sunlight. Find shade under a tree, baby sun canopy or an extended stroller canopy.
   
2. Dress your child in clothes made with a tight weave - they protect better than clothes with a looser weave. Consider getting some clothing with special sun protection built in. Regular clothing does not offer much protection.
   
3. To shield the face and neck, have your child wear a floppy hat.
   
4. Limit your sun exposure between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm when UV rays are strongest.
   
5. Have your child wear sunglasses with at least 99% UV protection. Baby’s eyes are particularly sensitive to the sun.
   
6. Use babies sunscreen which is milder for the skin than adult sunscreen.
   
7. Consider using a baby sun canopy, sun shade or sun tent. They are a great way to enjoy the outdoors while avoiding sun damage.
   

How to protect our babies from sunburn

Your baby's skin is very thin and sensitive, so it doesn’t take long for baby to get sunburn. Should you consider a baby sun canopy or sun shade? What are the best babies sun lotion or babies sunscreen?

Protecting baby from the sun will have both long and short-term effects. Almost 80% of your child's lifetime sun exposure will occur during his first 20 years of life and UV radiation from the sun is the number one cause of skin cancers of all kind. Even if you’re not fair-haired, pale-skinned and freckled, the sun's burning rays are dangerous for everyone, but especially children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics used to recommend using no babies sunscreen for little ones under 6 months of age, however, due to the high risk of exposure, they have revised their recommendation to using small amounts of sunscreen on exposed areas such as the face and the back of hands. 

Your best bets are to keep baby covered in loose fitting clothes, provide shade for baby and use a minimal amount of sunscreen. For children over 6 months old, generously apply sunscreen. 

Expert Tip: Be careful around the eyes because getting sunscreen in the eyes is painful. If it happens, wash baby’s hands and eyes with a damp cloth. It’s best to use just water and not baby wipes that may have moisturizers or other irritants to baby’s eyes.

8 Things to consider when choosing your baby stroller

• What kind of buckles and restraint system does it have?
  
• Does it come with washable fabric?
  
• Does it have an easy open and close mechanic?
  
• Does it offer an adjustable handle height?
  
• What type of material is the frame made out of?
  
• Does it come with storage area for baby bags, cups, toys and other items?
  
• Does it have a canopy to protect baby from the sun, rain or bug?
  
• Does it have an adjustable seat and canopy?
  

Type of Triple Stroller

There are several types of triple strollers. 

The tandem stroller 

is a type that keeps all three seats in one straight line. 

Side-by-side triple stroller 

has three seats all next to each other so that every baby has an unobstructed view ahead of them. 

Stadium-seat triple stroller 

has three seats that are stacked like stadium seats, giving each baby a view of what's ahead.

Things you didn’t know about triplets!

Did you know ?

• There were 149 sets of triplets born in the UK in 2006. 1 in 4973 pregnancies is a triplet pregnancy. 
• The triplet rate in the used to be about 1 in 10,000 maternities but this figure almost quadrupled between 1970 to 1998 with the introduction of assisted conception techniques. This rate has fallen since 1998 probably due to the introduction of HFEA regulations restricting the number of embryos transplanted during an IVF cycle.
• Approx 1/3^rd of higher order births occur spontaneously (‘naturally’) 1/3^rd following IVF or GIFT treatment and 1/3^rd from ovulation inducing drugs alone.
• Fraternal triplets (tri-zygotic) are created when three eggs are released and each is fertilized by a different sperm
• Identical triplets (monozygotic) are created when only one egg is released and fertilized, but splits, and then one half splits again. Very rare
• Mixed triplets - two identical and one fraternal (a pair and a spare!) occur when two eggs are released and fertilized separately, and one of those fertilized eggs splits again.
• Identical triplets share 100% of their DNA, are the same sex, have the same blood types, hair and eye colour, hand and footprints but have different teeth marks and fingerprints.
• Over 90% of triplets and quadruplets are born prematurely and/or have low birth-weight (34 weeks is expected triplet pregnancy length & 1.8kg birth weight)
• We think the heaviest triplets on record in were born in 1914 to the McDermott family - the combined weight of the three babies was 24lb - each baby averaging 8lbs. 
• The UK’s oldest triplets – Doris Kingston, Alice Holmes and Gladys Caress ( June 12 1927, South Elmsall, West Yorkshire – in 2007 they celebrated their 80^th birthday) 
• A 1983 study revealed that a mother of six-month-old-triplets expends an average of 197.5 hours per week (out of a possible 168) between herself and paid/volunteer assistance, on the care of her children and home. This did not include a time allowance for mother to bathe, dress, sleep, eat, relax or talk with partner!