Sunscreen for Infants

Adult sunscreens has ingredients, I think one of them is PABA, that can be irritating to children. Remember children tend to rub their faces (eyes) and put their hands in their mouths. I only put childrens sunscreen on my 4 year old and his preschool does the same. I know they cost a little more, but I think they are safter.

Hi S.
I just wanted to let you know that adult sunscreen is not good to use on children, my pediatrician told me that when I had my first child 4 years ago. I have been using Avon sunscreen on both of my children (now ages 4 & 2 ) and have never had any kind of reactions to it. They used to make one specifically for babies and then they make a childrens and the adults sunscreen. There are 2 kinds for children--1 of which when you put it on is blue but disappears when rubbed in, my son loved this one. I also use these because I like the smell, they don't have that sunscreen smell, they are fresh smelling. If you don't know anyone who sells avon you can go to avon.com and find a representative or you could e-mail me as I sell it occasionally.
good luck!!!!

Little guys/girls rub their eyes and touch their faces a lot, so tear free is the only way to go, in my opinion. I tried regular baby sunscreen and my baby broke out in a rash around his eyes.

What a coincidence - I just purchased sunscreen for my 1 yr old this morning! The big thing to look for is ingredents, whether you use adult or children's sunscreen. You want one made from titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. These don't absorb into baby's skin; they kind of sit on top and reflect the UV rays away. So they start protecting the minute you put them on. Sunscreens made with other "chemicals" soak into the skin and absorb the UV rays (so the skin doesn't). These chemicals can sometimes cause rash in baby's sensitive skin. And they have to applied at least 20 minutes before going into the sun. Another thing to look for is a brand that says "no tears" on the bottle.

I read that you need to use one half teaspoon for baby's face, neck and ears combined. And another half teaspoon for each arm and each leg. And to reapply every two hours, regardless of what the bottle reads.

Hope you have a great summer!

Our skin absorbs nearly 60% of the products we put on it and places where it is thin (face, hands, etc.) absorbs even easier. A baby's skin is very thin. Please read the article posted on www.naturalnews.com regarding the CDC report on chemical-based sunscreen! Use only zinc based sunscreens with natural ingredients on your little ones and yourself!

Well the SPF is higher in children's sunscreen.

I know SLU Dermatology Department usually gives free samples to parents. They have a free skin screening on May 10th from 8-12. That number is ###-###-####.

Where do you live? If you live in the St. Charles area, I can run a bottle by. I have a lot.- My mom works in the SLU Dermatology Department.

Ask your Dr. to be sure, but from what I've been told and read in parent type magazines, you should use the kind for children. Try Big Lots or Cargo Largo for marked down cheaper kids kind. Also I got a small bottle for $1 of a kind for kids by the Wal-Mart check stand a year or so ago, it was a pink bottle, can't remember the brand. Just make sure to always check the experiation date!!

I have asked the pediatrician, and plan to use SPF 50 for babies this summer, AND with both UVA and UVB protection (BOTH VERY IMPORTANT FACTORS!!). I don't care how much it costs, I am not risking my son's health. The more sun exposure, the more times you burn, the younger you are, the fairer skin you have, the more likely you are to get skin cancer when you get older (I know of cases as young as teenegers).

I have 6 children who are ALL redheads, as are myself and my hubby. I should own stock in 50spf sunscreen with how much I buy!!!

Anyway, I have found that as long as it has zink oxide in it, any brand is fine no matter the age of the person. Just use a small amount and reapply more often to small children.

~A.~
Blessing #7 due Oct 7

I think the spf would be higher for children's sunscreen. Also, I asked my dermatologist last year if there was one sunscreen better than the other. He said now there is...there is an ingredient called helioplex that is in the Neutrogena sun products line that is supposed to help protect better. I started using this because my family has a history of skin cancer, so I am super paranoid. Although, that line is kind of pricy, also. Good luck.

I would not personally.You could use the kids but not the adults.Not only is thier skin more sensative but it is also usaully a higher UV protection.Look for sales and coupons.I got a $2 off coupon on huggies last year which made it cheaper than the ohters and I liked it alot.They came to me in the mail with the diaper coupons.You can also watch the Sunday paper they will usually have coupons for sunscreen.Another thing is Sam's club and Costco has good buys on it.It's a little more expensive than buying it at Wal-mart but has alot more in it.

S.,
What a great question and I wanted to respond that I agree it is hard to find one that doesn't run in there eyes and I will agree that the higher the Spf is not better - just means more chemicals sometimes. In my experience with 2 girls - one that is a red head and very fair skin. Thanks to Arbonne Baby sunscreen neither has burned and sun damage is greatest in the early years, so it is important to protect our children's delicate skin. This one is gentle, water-resistant sunscreen that provides broad-spectrum sun protection. It is formulated with SPF 30+, it provides maximum protection for sensitive skin, but reapplication is still necessary if in sun a long time. These are certified vegan and have no mineral oil and do contain zinc oxide. We know of so many others that they too love the sunscreen. This Arbonne suncare is only sold by consultants like myself and I would love to get you additional information if you are curious to know more because you too would love it. You or anyone wanting additional information can email me at ____@____.com or call ###-###-#### or website www.kathybumeter.com.
I am speaking as a passionate mom that understands and wants to get great information to other moms that you may not know about. Thanks for reading.
The sun is our leading cause for aging so important to protect yourself and our loved ones.
K.

I gave up and used regular sunscreen for my kids (now 8, 3 and 1 years old), even the spray stuff. I spray it in my hands and rub it on them. Everyone I know does that. They are none the worse for the wear. If you're that concerned about it, check ingredients and see what the difference is. Even baby/infant/child sunscreen isn't "non-toxic", so it couldn't be that and it's rubbed in to thier skin, so they aren't eating it! LOL. No matter what you use, you have to reapply every 2 hours anyway. Good Luck with your decision.

I used what I could afford but for infants I would get at least a 45-50 spf. My kids are older now and we love to use the coppertone spray on sunscreen. I usually burn real easy and haven't had a burn since I started using it and we go water skiing and to the pool often. I don't seem to have to re-apply it as often as I was re-applying sunscreen with the lotion stuff every 2-3 hours. It does burn if it gets in your eyes though. I also like the refreshing feeling of when it's really hot outside, I reapply the sunscreen and feel a little cooler and it feels cold when you spray it on so it will help your kids to put more on as I have a hard time getting my kids to even wear sunscreen so the spray on stuff has helped with that because they don't seem to mind using it.
It is quite pricey though but worth it to me to know they are protecting themselves as we have family members with skin cancer so I am a bit paranoid and some statistics show that even though you aren't in the sun as adults that much the damage already started from the burns you received as a child.

Have you checked Walmart they have a huge line of sunscrenn including infant's and children,the SPF I use is 50 I buy anywhere from store brand to expensive. I only use what is age approiate since I never asked the dr if it is ok to use adult sunscreen.Sometimes you can get 2 sunscreens in one,they'll have a lotion bottle and a spray liquid bottle for the same price as one.Try looking in the seasonal section of the stores instead of health and beauty.

I think that it is best to use the kind for children, but try the store brand. I have been really happy with the Target "off" brand of baby sunscreen and it is much cheaper than the name brand!

The infant sunscreen is better to use. It is formulated for their skin and there are some that if it gets in their eyes it won't burn, whereas the adult ones will. It may be a little more expensive, but it is definately worth it to save your child's skin. Try the discount stores to get it cheaper and look for coupons in the paper and online.

I would look for Paba free formulas - that is one thing you definitely need to stay away from. I think you have to be really careful with the chemicals in sunscreen. An infant's skin absorbs everything more readily than our tough adult skin. The skin is our largest organ and it transports chemicals to our internal organs within minutes of application. I would also stay away from products that contain mineral oil! :)

Good luck!
M.

Are the strengths the same? Usually sunscreen for children or infants are a lower strength than adults and it may cause a skin problem because their skins are so sensitive. Maybe call your baby's nurse or doctor and ask if it's okay to use.

I know one thing, if it says it won't sting the baby's eyes, it will! We used one specifically for babies with my 3 and 4 year olds last year and even on myself when I ran out and WOW, it burned and wouldn't stop. I know you'll be careful, I just thought it was aweful. I think baby ones are more made for the more sensitive skin.

TOTALLY safe in a high enough SPF (30+). They get us moms with marketing don't they?

Aveeno Baby is our favorite. I only ever bought one tube and it seemed to last forever.

We also invested in a large brim hat and a swim shirt - like he's a cool surfer. Then the only sunscreen he needed was on what skin was left exposed. It helped him stay a little warmer and he wasn't as slippery when we took him swimming!

The difference is in the chemicals and the tear-free... like I said, our favorite was Aveeno Baby's sunscreen. We liked Jason's geranium oil bug spray too. We use it on the whole family!

S.-
I know the price point stinks, I agree. I would ask your doctor about the safety issue, I think you need to look for pabba or pappa free??? My kids are 3 and 5 and I often use the infant stuff for their face and the spray, regular stuff for their bodies. They are VERY fair and we have to sunscreen up when we get dressed and then throughout the day. We always make sure we take a bath when the day is done, for all the sunscreen and bug spray. I do like the Avon, skin so soft for the bath. It helps with bugs. That is just what I do. Good luck! M.

You baby's skin is sensitive. My advice would be if you can find sample sizes in the store or look in the various parenting/american baby magazines for the little sample sizes, regardless of the brand name, and try a little bit on your little one and play outside in your yard, before buying a bottle of sunscreen and going on a major outing.

My daughter and my nephew are both allergic to most brands. Not only do they break out, it itches and some brands even burn their skin. It has always been that way ever since they were infants. My daughter is now 4 and my nephew is 12.

Good Luck!

Hi there! I moved here from FL almost 2 years ago. There I worked for a major cancer center doing health (cancer) education, mostly skin cancer. Our cutaneous oncologists always recommended Blue Lizard sunblock (an Australian brand.) It is quite expensive. I bought several bottles last year at CVS. When checking the inredients in the different kinds of Blue Lizard I found no differences so put the adult sunblock on my then 9 mo. old. The baby was of course more expensive.

When it comes right down to it whatever you decide you need to be sure that you are using a sunBLOCK! Not sunscreen. Sunblock actually acts as a barrier and blocks the sun's rays from reaching your skin. Sunblocks are ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Check the ingredients before buying! And remember that they are only meant to last 1 year. Some bottles have expiration dates on them!

Hope this helps!
A., Mom of 18 mo. old