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Enjoying the fresh air and sunshine with your child is one of life’s great pleasures, but children burn very quickly so it makes sense to teach them good sun-safe habits right from the start.
Keep babies in complete shade
Never leave your baby in the sun, at home and abroad, babies under six months should be kept out of direct sunlight, and preferably indoors around midday
Try to actively seek shady places to sit with your baby when you’re both out and about
Cover up in a sun hat and protective clothing
Nothing beats putting something between sun and skin, find a wide-brimmed or legionnaire style sun hat your child likes.
Dress them in loose-fitting and preferably long sleeved clothing. The closer the weave of the fabric, and the darker the colour, the better the protection against UV radiation.
Wet clothing stretches and can lose up to half of its UV protection – put children in dry clothing after playing in water.
At the beach, dress them in sun-protective swimsuits.
Apply factor 15+ sunscreen
Liberally apply a SPF15+ sunscreen (or higher) around 20 minutes before going out (it doesn’t work immediately).
Choose a ‘broad spectrum’ sunscreen, which means it protects against both types of harmful UV radiation - UVA and UVB.
Use it only on exposed skin on small babies (such as hands, face, ears). On older children, use it generously and re-apply regularly.
Apply waterproof sunscreen when your toddler is swimming or playing with water, and reapply after towelling.
Don’t let them stay out all day even if they’ve got sunscreen on.
Use good quality sunglasses
Protect your child’s eyes from UV damage by using 100% UV blocking wraparound sunglasses, as soon as they can wear them. Sunglasses don't have to be expensive brands, but toy sunglasses can do more harm than good.
Choose UV goggles when your child is swimming outdoors.
Protect your child on the move
Use the shade-a-babe™ to provide an extra layer of protection when you are out and about. Park the pushchair in the shade turned away from the sun. Don’t leave your child in a stationary pushchair for long periods (they may overheat), and never leave your child unattended.
If you are out driving in the car, remember to check how the sun is filtering into the car – so you can shield your baby if they’re in direct sunlight.
Stay in the shade 11-3
UV radiation levels are highest around midday, plan outdoor trips to avoid peak UV times – usually between 11am and 3pm.
If you are going out, seek shade cast by buildings, trees, canopies and parasols
Place play-areas and paddling pools in a shady position in the garden, or provide temporary shade structures.
Remember they can still burn in the shade from scattered and reflected UV rays
Even in the shade, your child still needs protective clothing and sunscreen.
Some UV radiation reaches us directly from the sun, but much of it reaches us indirectly - either scattered about the sky, or reflected off the ground.
Up to 85 per cent of UV rays can be reflected back from light coloured surfaces such as snow, sand, cement and water.
Be sun-safe every day, even in Ireland and the UK
Don't forget that children can easily get burnt by our summer sun. Take care to protect your children from UV rays throughout the summer season - whether at home or on holiday abroad.
And it’s not just the beach you need to worry about. Most damage occurs during normal day to day activities such as playing in the garden and trips to the shops.
Remember the damage which leads to skin cancer isn’t caused by the heat in the sun’s rays, but by ultraviolet radiation, or UV – which isn’t hot and cannot be seen or felt. UV can also get through clouds - so you can still burn on cool days.
Make sure they drink plenty of fluids
Always make sure your child gets plenty of water or other fluids to drink on hot days, as it helps keeps them cool and fully hydrated.
