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.