Get Savvy about Your Kids’ Sun Care

Learn the basics of sun protection for kids

Become a “sun savvy” parent by learning about sun protection and teaching good sun care habits to your children. Young skin is delicate and easily burned so all children, no matter whether they tan easily or not, should be protected from overexposure to sunlight.

• Protect babies under 12 months from any direct sunlight.

• Limit sun exposure between 10 AM and 4 PM when rays are most intense.

• Apply sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor of at least 15 (SPF15), which blocks 93% of harmful UVB (short wave ultraviolet B rays); reapply every two hours and after swimming to maintain protection.

• Look for “broad spectrum” sunscreens with avobenzone, a chemical doctors consider highly effective in absorbing both long and short wave ultraviolet radiation.

• Dress children in hats and tightly woven, loose clothing with long sleeves when they play outside.

• Put long-sleeved t-shirts over bathing suits, or buy bathing suits with built-in sunscreen; change into dry clothes after swimming since wet clothing loses half its UVR protection.

• Choose wrap-around sunglasses for kids that filter out UVR; these don’t need to be expensive, but don’t use toy sunglasses—be sure they have a filter.

• Remember the shadow rule: If your shadow is longer than you are tall, you’re safe in the sun; if it’s shorter than you are, you can burn.

Take simple steps to establish a daily sun protection routine

Start with easy, everyday steps to teach kids the importance of sun protection and make them as routine as brushing teeth. “We make it part of our “getting-ready game,” says Rebecca Staffel of Seattle, Washington, mother of eight-year-old Meg. “She now puts on sunscreen all by herself in the morning.”

• Apply sunscreen first thing in the morning when getting dressed, or 15 to 30 minutes before going outside, so it can dry and set.

• Apply sunscreen to all parts of the body, including ears, eyelids, shoulders, and tops of feet. Try a spray sunscreen to make application extra easy and fast.

• Pack sunscreen and lip balm sunscreen in your child’s backpack for reapplying during the day.

Don’t forget the D

Keep your sun protection in perspective by remembering that sun exposure is still the best source of vitamin D—a vitamin essential to building strong bones and muscles, and which has even been shown to protect against pancreatic cancer and to reduce the risk of falling later in life. The increase in the use of sunscreen and the avoidance of sun exposure have resulted in widespread vitamin D–deficiency. A moderate amount of sunlight exposure is beneficial—it’s regular, excessive amounts that are dangerous.