As the summer season approaches, and as we start to enjoy the great outdoors, we need to be reminded of sun safety for ourselves and for our family. It is no coincidence that several health observances in this month of May focus on how to protect ourselves from the sun:

• May is Ultraviolet Awareness Month sponsored by Prevent Blindness America
• May 4 was “Melanoma Monday” sponsored by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)
• This coming Friday, May 22, is the first ever “Don’t Fry Day”, jointly sponsored by the American Cancer Society and the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention (NCSCP).

I have compiled a couple of sun safety tips for you and your family:

Sun safety should be age appropriate

• Is it safe to use sunscreen for babies? Yes, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). For babies younger than 6 months, sunscreen should only be applied on small areas of the skin, e.g. face, back of the hands. However, the best way to protect your baby is avoiding direct exposure, using protective clothing and staying in the shade.
• For babies older than 6 months, sunscreen can be applied all over the body but be careful that it doesn’t get into the eyes.
• Older children and adults should apply sunscreen as well. The sunscreen should be applied 30 minutes before going out to give it time to be absorbed by the skin.

Choose the right sunscreen

The AAP recommends:

• Use a “broad spectrum” sunscreen with filters out both UV B and UV A radiation.
• A sunscreen with a minimum of 15 sun protection factor (SPF) is needed. The higher the SPF, the better is the protection.
• Check the labels for the new UV A rating star. One star is the lowest UV A protection while four stars is the highest protection available in OTC sunscreen products.

Choose the right sunglasses

• Wear sunglasses with at a minimum of 99% UV protection to block both UV A and UV B rays.
• Children’s sunglasses should be child-sized and fit properly. They should be made from unbreakable polycarbonate material to avoid injuries from breakage.
• Wrap-around sunglasses are highly recommended for everyone because they protect the eyes from up front, from the side, as well as provide protection for the skin around the eyes.

Choose the time and the place

• Avoid direct exposure to the midday sun – e.g. between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. – because this is when UV radiation is strongest.
• If you have to be out, then stay in the shade as much as possible.
• Use protective clothing, including clothes with tight weave and sun hats. For children, choose sun hats that cover the ears and the back of the neck.
• Check your UV index of your place of residence. The UV index can predict radiation levels depending on the weather. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) makes it easy for you with this online tool.

Resources

The NCSCP has a wealth of age-appropriate educational resources on sun safety, including short stories for children.

The AAP gives detailed tips on skin sun protection for children.

The AAD gives us some tips on simple self-examination for potentially dangerous skin moles that may lead to melanoma.

It?s beach season! Cue the beach music, pack the van, gas up the vehicle and we’re off!

We live about 20 minutes from the beach and spend a lot of time there during the summer. Last year, when I gave birth to my youngest child, I wondered how or if we?d have to stop our regular beach trips. I?ve found that, with a few modifications, my older children can still have some time at the beach.

We now arrive at the beach either very early in the morning, or later in the day. This is to avoid the heat of the day. We stay for a few hours, or until it?s apparent that my baby has had enough. I also scan the weather reports and try to pick a ?cooler? day of the week if possible. The best days are the ones which are slightly overcast. The sun isn?t so bright, the heat and humidity are quite so overpowering, and the beach seems to be less crowded too.

I realized that most sunscreen products are intended for babies over the age of 6 months. Therefore, it?s important to keep your baby out of the sun before you can use sunscreen products. Even though my son is now old enough technically to use sunscreen, I still prefer to keep him out of the sun rather than put chemicals on his skin. That is just my preference though.

While searching the baby store, I found a baby sun tent which I purchased. The tent is also a great place to nurse your baby when you are on the beach! If I set up the tent in just the right way, I found that I could get some air flow going through the tent which made it cooler for my son during our beach trips. He would also nap in the tent as well! The particular tent I have sets up and tears down very easily. The tent is also small enough to store in the trunk area of the van.

I also found swim shirts at many stores that sell infant clothing. These shirts cover up your child?s torso and are very lightweight. This reduces the area exposed to the sun, which helps ward off sunburn. I also use these for my girls even though they are older. They just wear the swim shirts over their swimsuit.

A wide brim hat with a chin strap is also important. These hats can be found in the clothing section of many stores and are a necessity for beach attire in my opinion. The hat helps keep sun off of baby?s head, which may or may not be covered with hair! The wide brim provides a little shade for the eyes and also protects the back of the neck from sun exposure.

I have never used sunglasses with my children when they were very young, because it seemed that they were all too eager to take them off and play with them more than they wanted to keep them on. Either they got lost, or somebody was getting poked in the eye. I have seen babies that really do like to wear the sunglasses though. If your child is one of these, by all means take advantage of this opportunity!