Protect Your Child from the Sun

Tis the season for sunburn.  Did you know that just a few serious episodes of sunburn can raise the chances of skin cancer later in your child’s life?

What about the fact that your child gets 80% of his or her lifetime sun exposure before they reach the age of 18?

It’s not all bad news as there are things you can do to protect your child and bring that risk down.

Here are five great tips to reduce the risk of damage from the sun:

Get in the Shade

Look for shade during the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. since that is when the most harmful UV rays are the strongest. Many times during the summer we go to the pool from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and have pizza delivered there, or take subs or something that’s easy to transport.

Wear a Hat

Buy your child a hat and make him or her wear it.  Baseball caps are not the best, because they don’t cover the ears, but better than nothing.  Look for hats that shade not just the face, scalp and ears, but also the neck.  We know that it’s difficult to find a large selection of hats in most stores, so do the best you can.  Use sunscreen under the hat in case your child decides to remove it when you aren’t looking.  Most kids decide to de-layer when possible.

Cover Your Child

Have your child wear a tshirt over his or her bathing suit, if you can to reduce the chances of sunburn when more skin area is exposed.  Covering up as much skin is best, although when it’s extremely hot wearing additional clothing over a swimsuit is not always something a child wants to do.  Again, apply sunscreen of SPF 30 plus in case the shirt comes off in an effort to cool off.

Get Sunglasses

Get a nice pair of sunglasses to protect your child’s eyes from the sun.  I used to think it was crazy to give a child sunglasses, until I really thought about it.  We don’t wear sunglasses just to keep us from squinting while driving, but they actually protect our eyes from UV rays.  Your child will probably wear them more, if you let him or her help you pick them out.  Did you know that the sun can damage the eyes and later in life your child is at higher risk of having cateracts? More on, cateracts in children.

Apply Sunscreen

And, the most important tip for last.  Apply sunscreen of SPF 30 or greater with UVA and UVB protection.  Don’t forget to reapply if he or she goes in the water as it often times gets washed off, not completely, but it does mean that reapplication is necessary. Just because it says it’s waterproof doesn’t mean it won’t rub off.  It just means it’s more apt to stay on in the water.  Still reapply every two – three hours to prevent sunburn if you are spending your day at the pool or at the ocean splashing in the waves.

With the recent controversy over Vitamin D3 that you get from the sun and the fact that using sunblock blocks it out, you might want to add a Vitamin D3 supplement to your child’s diet.  I do.

We realize that many children, will drop the hat, lose the sunglasses and take the tshirt off, but as parents we should try to do what we can to protect our children against sunburn. And even if they leave these items on for awhile, it is better than not having them on at all, right? With persistence, they may even start leaving them on.