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North Dakota Babies
Sunblock
Why does the search function suck so much? Ugh.
Anyway, what is the sunblock recommended to use? California something? We're headed to Disneyland this weekend and I will have to use sunblock on her there.
Thanks ladies!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Sunblock
Are you talking about the Coopertone Water Babies? I love that one!!
Yes Mel, that is the name.
Spring break is a great time for the family to get away from the cold, dark days of winter and have some fun in the sun. Keep your family safe while on your trip by following these tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Please feel free to use them in any print or broadcast story, with appropriate attribution of source.
Sun Safety for Babies
Def my plain but at Disneyland I know there will be times when she will be in the sun and I won't be able to help it. And I have been known to get sunburned after sitting in the shade all day. So I figured some sunblock was better than nothing. YAY. I already have waterbabies.
I need to buy a hat now. The one we have is way too big.
I personally wouldn't put sunscreen (Water Babies) on a three month old. Good sunblocks for that age are Neutrogena Sensitive Skin or Pure and Free, Blue Lizard, and California Baby.
They are a little more expensive than the sunscreens, but much safer for the 6 months and younger kiddos.
Neutrogena Sensitive Skin
Neutrogena Pure and Free
Blue Lizard
California Baby
I've used Blue Lizard and it's great- this is also what my aesthetician recommended for H.
Try this, Ashley, and you won't ever lose your bookmarks again...you can also access them from anywhere then!
I used to do this all the time, esp when wedding planning, but I'm guilty of storing them on my computer these days, too!
I did not know that under a certain age you should not use sunblock.....I guess my next dumb question would be why?
This is awesome. Thanks again!
Ditto. I had no idea about sunscreen/sunblock for babies until I was browsing a random Bump board. We use Neutrogena Pure & Free and Soph doesn't even have tanlines (been to the pool 3 times now when I have FRIED)...though, we only kept her in direct sunlight for maybe 15 minutes at a time when she was in the pool, otherwise she was under an umbrella or in her sun tent (best thing ever).
Mel, read this entire post...it explains it very well.
Honestly, I would not put store bought sunscreen or sunblock on anyone of any age. I don't wear it and I have several parents here at camp who have learned the dangers of sunscreen/block and don't have their kids wear it either. Here's an article from Associated Content.
"In recent years, we have been bombarded with reports on the dangers of the sun, and the need for sunscreen to protect ourselves from skin cancer. Sales of sunscreen and products containing sunscreen have skyrocketed;
How about PABA, Dioxybenzone, Oxybenzone, and Titanium Dioxide? These chemicals are toxins as well as carcinogens. And don't just check your sun screen lotion. Many lip balms, cosmetics and face creams contain sun block as well. (The Douglass Report )
Another danger is that your skin with any sunblock or sunscreen will not be able to absorb hardly any vitamin D from the sun. And the sun is one of the very few sources of vitamin D. Vitamin D acts to absorb calcium and helps to ward off certain forms of cancer. Obviously too much exposure to the sun can be harmful. The sun burns, but it also causes heat exhaustion, heat stroke and sun poisoning. If you take certain medications, such as Doxycycline or Acutane or other tetracycline drugs, you should be very careful in the sun. Too much sun can cause illness. But even in this case, sunscreen will do no good and only harm.
In Wisconsin sunscreen is considered a medication because of those ingredients. So here we need a parent's signature in order for their child to use sunscreen, same as we do to give them Tylenol.
There are some natural sunblocks out there that do not contain any of these that are great for pretty much any age, but are also not commonly found in stores so you may have to search online for them. Mexitan is the most well-known one. They are EXTREMELY pricey! If you're looking for something cheaper I found a lotion that I use on Etsy for $9 and it really does work (except the other day when I forgot to reapply it after lunch... whoops!).
If you have a very fair skinned child and need sunscreen then aim for a lower SPF. Really, 30 is all you need. Anything over that means more chemicals and can cause more problems (unless you're using chemical free of course!). I had a kid show up today with SPF 90... I don't even want to know what they put in that bottle to make it 90! And remember that hats are a must-have, even with sunscreen on! And if you're bringing a stroller you can utilize the canopy. Then really all you'd need to cover are the legs.
So glad I read all of this, thanks so much....going to return the coopertone and buy one of the approved ones today!!
Parents release for sunscreen? Really?
What if the parents don't sign a release, do they just let the kids burn? I'm totally intrigued by this.
Yes, please explain. Seems extreme.
Yup, the chemicals in sunscreen are regulated by the FDA the same as medications and other medical chemicals so we have to consider it a medication.
It's on the health form. It basically says "We are allowed to give your children over-the-counter medication and sunscreen." The parents need to sign that in order for their kids to be at camp so if they don't have a health form- the kids don't stay. However, we have a handful of parents who do not use sunscreen and specifically marked on their form that their child is not to wear it. To date we've had no sunburns and they spend all day outside including a lot of time spent on boats in the water. These kids usually come with hats and wear more clothing (as in, not tank tops and booty shorts which 8 year olds shouldn't be wearing anyway... but they do *sigh*).
I wanted to add that if you are going to use it- use a sun BLOCK not a sunscreen. Sunscreen is flat out terrible and it's one of those things that shouldn't even be available on the market and yet no one thinks twice about it. Kinda like high fructose corn syrup.
...but don't those poor kids get HOT? I guess I don't understand how a kid can be out in 90+ degree weather (not to mention the God awful humidity we have in the Midwest) wearing long pants and shirts...or how they don't get burnt at all even with layers. What do they do when they go swimming? Wear pants and long sleeve t-shirts?
Call me naive, uneducated on this topic, whatever...but no way could I do that.
They all wear swimsuits but swimtime is only an hour. And down at the water front we have lots of shady places for them to go where most of them end up hanging out and building sandcastles anyway so there's no adjustment needed there.
In the boats they also wear their bathing suits, but we make all of the kids put their towels over their laps and they have to keep their shirtsanyway so, again, there's nothing different any of these kids have to do. And 50% of our activities are done in shaded areas and we encourage kids doing mellower activities in shaded areas.
As for overheating- we have four schedules water breaks plus lunch break and a snack. So six times a day each camper has to drink at least one cup of water. With that much water intake, overheating is extremely rare. We are only on week 2 here, but we've had no dehydrated or overheated campers. And more clothing doesn't mean jeans and jackets. Tee-shirts and capris or longer shorts are what most children here wear anyway... except the few who's parents let them dress inappropriately.
I have been sunburnt in the shade more times than I can count. So there's no way that I could depend on the shade to protect me.
Most of these kids are of mixed race so are darker to begin with. Of course some people NEED to use sunblock, but with all those options out there you do not need to use sunscreen! It's seriously horrible for you! I saw a whole Dateline special on it a few months ago and sunscreen has actually been known to cause skin cancer rather than preventing it.
I am a very pale, pale person who burns in every weather condition, too. Trust me, I feel all of the pale-people's pain here. I am not shooting down using sun protectors in any way, I'm adivising against sunscreen and chemically loaded sun blocks. Finding something that uses Zinc Oxide is your best bet. Do NOT just go off of what it's called- sun blocks aren't always sun blocks and even most sunblocks also contain dangerous chemicals.
Btw, I use this stuff. It says sun screen but it's actually a block. And if I burn a bit during the day, which happens since I'm outside pretty much 24/7 when I'm not on office duty, I just slap some of "The Balm" on it and it's gone by the next morning.
We use Neutrogena Pure and Free on Alexa. We are outside all weekend long at the beach or on the boat and she goes outside for daycare everyday and she doesn't have any "tan lines."
I am not going to argue about chemicals causing cancer or not becuase the fact of the matter is that the sun DOES cause cancer, but it is also necessary for us to be exposed to the sun.
~Kimberly & Eric~ April 21, 2008 ~Tensing Pen ~ Negril, Jamaica ~ My Blog: One Sunset at a Time
Amen~!
I bring my LO's out in the morning or late afternoon every single day for a good 10 to 15 mins to get their vitamin D!
Otherwise, we use California baby- I love all their products!!!