Baby Safety From The Harsh Sun

You must to take absolute care to safeguard your baby's skin from the sun, in particular in the middle of the day and in summer.. Sunlight is full of ultraviolet light that can set off short and long term skin damage to your baby. Not only will sunburn cause your baby enormous discomfort and pain, a lone session of serious sunburn during childhood can play a part to the growth of skin cancer in later life.

Like adults, babies with lighter skin have an even greater risk of sun skin damage if exposed to sunlight, even on a cloudy day or in the shade.

A couple of forms of sun protection are available in Australia; sun creams that care for your baby's skin when exposed to sunlight, and clothing/accessories that prevent the sunlight from touching your baby's skin at all.

Baby Sunscreens

You must look for a baby sunscreen especially designed for a baby's skin, as sunscreens used by adults can cause irritation. You should buy a baby sunscreen, offering greatest protection from UVA and UVB rays. Even if your baby is wearing sun block, it is still important to keep them in the shade where possible or use one of the additional means of additional protection given below.

Baby sunscreens typically are derived from natural ingredients or are chemical based, make sure you understand the instructions ahead of use. We would advise not using chemical based sunscreens on a baby below 12 months of age and that clothing offers the best form of protection for a baby around 12 months of age.

Protective Clothing

Wear A Hat - your baby must wear a hat that helps to stop the sunlight from reaching their neck and neck. That means a hat with a wide brim all the way round it, or a cap that offers a peak at the front to protect the face and a flap at the back to protect the neck. Take care the hat is a good, comfortable fit, or you could find your baby wanting to take it off all the time.

T-shirts - a long sleeve T-shirt will offer your baby the most practical protection from the sun, however this may not be sensible given the warmer temperatures that accompany the sun. At least a normal T-shirt is essential as the shoulders can burn very easily.

Parasols and Mesh Covers

You can give extra sun protection while your baby is in their pram by attaching a sunshade. Some manufacturers will make available a parasol designed for a certain pram. Nevertheless, parasols with a universal attachment are just as valuable and more often than not cheaper. They simply connect to part of the pram using a spring loaded clip, and the angle of the parasol can be adjusted to ensure maximum protection from the sun.

Sun protection for your baby is also available in the form of mesh covers. These material covers are placed over the buggy or pram in the same way you would use a rain cover.