I'm so confused

Dstevens429 · June 2013

So I went to the ped with A and told him we would be heading to Florida at the end of the month. I asked "What should we do regarding prevention of sunburn," Ped stated the obvious...keep him in the shade and no sunscreen. Well then I asked if it was ok for A to go in the pool. The ped stated Yes it's fine just make sure you lotion him after because the chlorine will dry out his skin. Now, I am confused because...Why no sunsceen on the skin but chlorine is fine? This doesn't make any sense to me. I would think sunscreen would be less irritating then chlorine. Don't judge me but I am seriously considering some Free and Clear sunscreen WWYD

CallMeAl · June 2013

I'm on mobile, so I can't see how old your LO is. I started using the baby.ganics brand sunscreen on DD when she was pretty little. I kept her in the shade, but there were times when I just really needed to put sunscreen on her, ya know?! I guess it being natural and organic made me feel ok about it. Good luck with whatever you decide.

jmorta04 · June 2013

My pedi told me that obviously you want to keep them covered and in the shade but if you are spending a day at the beach or pool, to use PABA free sunscreen (I bought Banana Boat for babies or something like that). It won't hurt them...it can just be a skin irritant. But I'd rather a little irritated skin than a sunburn if you have to choose one.

jensahokie · June 2013

I would follow the peds recommendation AND do a little research. I'm guessing that while chlorine is irritating, it is overall not going to make a long term difference - if anything, it kills bacteria...whereas sunscreen can be absorbed and probably contains ingredients that can affect LO long term since he is so little and so rapidly developing. Just my thoughts, this is tough.

BabyKsMommy · June 2013

My pedi said the same thing. So I didnt put sunscreen on LO till after 6 months. While it was hard to keep them in the shade, I think its worth it to not much chemicals on their skin when they are this little. Even now I only use babyganics. You can check out the Enviromental Working Group for the suncreens with the least amout of chemicals. They actually have a lot of good info on their page so I would check it out.

At least at this age if you put a hat on them it stays on. Good luck with whatever you decide.

kmc84 · June 2013

I don't know if this is helpful or not, but sunscreen has chemicals that get absorbed to prevent sun burns. Sunblock tends to not be absorbed and creates a barrier that blocks rays from the skin.

phishgirl29 · June 2013

kmc84:
I don't know if this is helpful or not, but sunscreen has chemicals that get absorbed to prevent sun burns. Sunblock tends to not be absorbed and creates a barrier that blocks rays from the skin.

this. My pediatrician is fine with sunblock. Have a great trip!

Saraevh · June 2013

My ped said no sunscreen until 6 months either, but sometimes you find yourself doing things where keeping them completely out of the sun is impossible. I always figure, what would be worse? My kid to get burned, or to put a little lotion on them?

When my son was a newborn last summer and we would go to the pool I bought him a long sleeved rash guard shirt, a sun hat and his shorts were long on him because he was teensy. I would put a little sunscreen on his feet, a little on his legs and a little on his hands (where his skin was exposed) and he was perfectly fine. I always use Badger sunscreen on our kids (made with organic and all natural ingredients) so maybe you could look into that for peace of mind? https://www.badgerbalm.com/c-24-natural-sunscreen.aspx

I would also put some sunscreen on our kids arms, legs and face when carrying them in my Ergo while walking around outside before 6 months. Like I said, I'd much rather not have my baby get burned!