Summer Babies: Staying Sun-Safe

Things are really heating up in our part of the country. We live close to great beaches, mountains for walking and picnicking, and are always on the go outdoors somewhere.  

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I wasn’t all that concerned about sun safety with my big boy, and I’m not so sure that was a great plan. I was younger and had great skin, but now that I’m a bit older and am starting to see the effects of sun damage to your skin, I want to be more careful with my kids. Especially the baby twins. I did a  lot of reading up on sun safety, particularly in regards to babies and sun exposure, and here are some basic facts:

• Babies have thinner skin, so they are likely to get a sunburn quicker than adults. Just one sunburn can double their chances of getting malignant melanoma.
• The cloud layer may only block out 20% of the sun’s harmful rays. So, even on a cloudy day, babies should be protected from the sun.
• UVA rays are responsible for wrinkles and leathery-looking skin. UVB rays will cause sunburn and skin cancer. When choosing a sunscreen, you want a kind that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Some brands advertise that they provide full-coverage by using the term ‘Broad Spectrum’. I’m pretty happy with the Banana Boat Baby that we recently got.
• Keeping babies covered and in the shade is important. Babies need to stay cool and out of the sun. Try to keep baby in clothes that cover her arms and legs and wearing a hat.

So…What do you do when you have TWO babies and your kiddo’s sports events keep you at the super-sunny field all day? You and daddy can’t hold them in your arms under a beach umbrella because

1. That’s a tight squeeze for 4 people 
2. Crawling babies won’t put up with such torture

We got this easy-up beach tent, but it was so long ago that they don’t even make it anymore!        This one is similar. I prefer beach tents/ sun shades like these that allow for a breeze. This one is actually a little better than ours because it has sand bags on 3 sides that you can use to weigh it down.

They’re like a half-tent for babies to play inside and crawl all over the place, meanwhile mommy and daddy can still catch big brother’s lacrosse game. Ideally, you want one of these shade thingies that offers extra UV protection, since UV rays can still penetrate the nylon fabric.

Do you have any tips for keeping kiddos from getting sunburned? Share in the comments.