Like many people of my generation, I didn’t grow up having sunscreen slathered on me every time I set foot outdoors. While I know the health benefits of wearing sunscreen today, that doesn’t mean I like applying it – to me or my infant daughter.

Many sunscreens feel greasy, tacky and oily after application. Put something on a squirmy infant or toddler that makes them slippery – and it’s a recipe for disaster! Other sunscreens are hard to apply evenly because the lotion isn’t smooth enough. And spray on sunscreen? They work great as long as you rub them in, but I’m always afraid of spraying it in my daughter’s eyes.

Then I discovered Earth Baby Sun n’ Fun Baby Sunscreen. Earth Baby’s sunscreen lotion goes on smooth, makes baby’s skin feel soft – not greasy – and provides SPF 30 sun protection for even the brightest days.

Earth Baby also works well as a moisturizer thanks to a special blend of:

• Cocoa butter

• Essential oils of chamomile, vanilla and honey

The Importance of Organics

When my daughter was first born, I went on an all-organic kick. But it didn’t last long and, last night, for instance, she sat munching on a French fry at Appleby’s. But I know it’s important to some moms to find all-organic products for their babies. For me, if I can find a superior product at a reasonable price and it is also organic, that’s a bonus. That is exactly the case with the Earth Baby line.

The Earth Baby line is not only certified 90% organic, it’s also phthalate- and paraben-free, pediatrician-recommended and made in the USA. Knowing the product is safe and also supports American industry means a lot to me.

Additionally, Earth Baby partnered with the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Alliance to use a certifiable 100% tree-free, recyclable FiberStone paper. The packaging contains no bleach and is produced using less energy and no water. It doesn’t get much greener than that.

Oleosome Technology

It’s easy to tell, from all the company is doing for the environment and the U.S. economy, that Earth Baby cares about its customers. The company is also on the cutting edge of technology. It uses proprietary, award-winning oleosome technology (winner of a Frost & Sulliven Technology Innovation of the Year Award) to deliver nutrients directly into the baby’s skin.

Oleosome technology, appearing more and more in high-end beauty products, uses Fresh Cells to deliver nutrients directly to the skin. Picture tiny bubbles within the products, filled with extracts of fruits and vegetables, that burst upon application, releasing healthy nutrients like beta-carotene, and E and C vitamins onto the skin. It’s never to early to start a health and beauty regime for baby, and Earth Baby makes it easy. You’ll find fresh fruit and vegetable extracts deliver through Oleospheres in all their products, including:

• Baby lotion

• Wipes

• Hair detangler

• Baby shampoo

• Bath gel

• Diaper rash cream

Disclaimer

I know this review sounds a bit like a paid ad, but let me assure you, it is not. Earth Baby, as part of a campaign to get their new products into the hands of influential mom bloggers, sent me a sample. I can see why they took that chance – the product really is that good. Now I’m wishing they had offered to send a year’s supply! I’m looking forward to checking out the other products.

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!

It’s the middle of summer, the sun is right overhead, and it’s hot. This week, we’ve had plenty of sun: we’ve been to a pool party, a garden party, we are going to an Independence Day party tomorrow. Then, there’s a big festival and parade in our town on Friday.

Thursday, July 3, is “Stay Out Of The Sun” day. Perhaps because everyone is going to be out-of-doors for Fourth of July celebrations the day after?

It’s a good reminder to take a break from the rays, and do something indoors (air conditioning, I love you) or stay in the shade.

Visit a shady park, set the paddling pool up under a tree, take a trip to the beach with a big umbrella, or renew your commitment to keeping your toddler’s hat on his head.

Sunscreen is still very important for little ones, even in the shade, and stay hydrated – extra nursing sessions or extra formula, and plenty of milk or other drinks for toddlers.

Have a fun day!

Our sweet little babies are totally beautiful anyway, so baby “beauty” products are entirely misnamed. But babies need to be washed, have their dry skin soothed, and must be protected from the sun.

Every beauty product – moisturiser, baby wash, shampoo, sunscreen – is absorbed to a greater or lesser degree through the skin. Babies, with their small size, are at particular risk for harm from unsafe ingredients in cosmetics.

There’s been much in the news lately about unsafe ingredients in cosmetics.

Chemicals you may have heard of are Phthalates, and Parabens.

Parabens are used in almost all cosmetics as preservatives. Many parabens have natural origins, and have long been considered safe. But recent controversial research has questioned this, claiming links with breast cancer, although most scientists still think parabens are not carcinogenic. Parabens are readily absorbed through the skin and are detectable in the urine of babies whose parents use products with parabens in. Parabens are known to cause skin irritation in a small majority of people, and since babies have the most sensitive skin of all, these are best avoided if possible.

Of more concern are Phthalates. (Pronounced tha-lates. But still add this one to the “if I can’t say it, I ain’t using it” list). Phthalates are a family of chemicals used in small quantities in many cosmetics, and have been shown to mimic the effect of hormones in the body, and researchers have claimed they can cause problems like genital abnormalities, asthma, and in large amounts, liver damage.

Phthalates are used in an ingredient in the product’s fragrance, and can also be found in the plastic packaging. Most of the time, any phthalate in the product will not be listed on the label, since it’s considered part of the all-encompassing “fragrance”. A simple way to reduce Phthalate exposure is to buy fragrance-free products, or those scented only with natural oils. Avoid phthalates for babies, and avoid while pregnant too.

So what baby products are safe? Here’s some recommendations for baby care products.

• Baby wash, soap and shampoo

Almost all shampoos, baby washes and soaps contain sodium lauryl sulfate. It’s what makes soap, soapy.

It’s also known to be a skin irritant, especially to those with sensitive skin. Sodium laureth sulfate is a related chemical that is also irritating and studies suggest although it may seem fine when first used, but may cause irritation after an extended period of use. Sodium laureth sulfate may be the culprit if your baby starts reacting to a product you’ve previously been using with no problems.

I’m a fan of Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Shampoo & Wash, which doesn’t contain any sodium laurel/laureth sulphates, and is Phthalate and Paraben free.

Both Sodium Laurel/Laureth Suplhate cause skin to dry out, so it’s important to moisturize baby’s skin well after a bath. Which brings us to…

• Baby lotion and moisturizers

Did you ever wonder what actually happens to moisturizer? I looked at an empty tub of baby moisturizer one day, and realized that that basically the entire tub had been absorbed into my baby’s skin. Thinking of it that way, I resolved to be super picky about what products, with which ingredients, I used as his moisturizer.

There’s many natural ingredients that are very moisturizing like olive oil, beeswax, almond oil, and aloe vera.

I love Earth Mama Angel Baby, Angel Baby Lotion which is vegan, not tested on animals, organic, as natural as possible and has a lush citrus-vanilla smell.

• Baby Sunscreen

Sunscreen is a summer essential. While babies under 6 months shouldn’t be out in direct sun anyway, and older babies and toddlers should have as little direct sun exposure as possible. But it’s impossible to stay indoors all summer, so sunscreen is very important.

The Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database, a non-profit group who analyze the ingredients in cosmetics, claim that 85% of sunscreens on the market contain potentially hazardous ingredients, or are simply inefective. Check this database for your favorite brands, and get a list of the lotions they say are safe and effective.

California Baby’s 30+ Fragrance Free Sunscreen lotion was their top pick in baby sunscreens for effectiveness, and safety of ingredients. I use it on my son, and while it’s a bit sticky, it smells so good (like candy) and seems to work well. Yes, it is expensive, but buying a cheap product that isn’t effective is a bigger waste, and puts baby at risk of sunburn too.

Baby Powder and Diaper Rash Cream

In a word: don’t. Baby powder can be inhaled, causing lung problems, and some studies have linked it to ovarian cancer in girls.

Healthy babies who have their diapers changed frequently don’t need baby powder.

And for babies with diaper rash, fresh air and applying natural remedies like oatmeal, breastmilk, or olive oil will often help just as much as commercial creams and ointments.

What baby beauty products do you love? What do you feel confident using on your baby? Please share!

Babies love going to the beach. I was lucky enough to live by the ocean when my son was born, and now I live near a lake with a pretty man-made beach, but he loves that just as much!

Babies love the sound of the ocean waves, and they adore sand.

Tiny babies will love looking at and listening to the waves, and like to feel the sand with their hands and feet. Try filling a container with sand and water – make damp sand, or really wet sand – and let baby squish and feel the texture of the wet sand.

Older babies like to dig with their hands or a shovel, and might even be able to fill a bucket. Playing in the sand with a shovel is great practice for using a spoon, it’s essentially the same skill, and there’s no cleanup, like there can be with a spoon and food! Crawling over sand is a new kind of workout, and all the pebbles, shells and driftwood are very interesting. Just watch out none of it is mistaken for food!

Toddlers love sand toys too, and paddling in the sea, and exploring rock pools – closely supervised, of course. A pair of water shoes, jelly shoes, or crocs, or other non-slip shoes are a must to avoid slips and cuts on sharp stones.

Toddlers also like to find things buried in the sand – bury a small toy just below the surface for them to dig up. Build a sandcastle for them to decorate with stones, shells or seaweed. And sandcastles are just as fun to stomp on!

Eating sand happens – a little sand is generally not harmful, and will come out the other end. And whether baby eats sand or not, sand will get into diapers. Using a baby wipe on a sandy bottom will feel like sandpaper, so clean baby’s bum in the bath or sink.

Always protect baby from the sun. A sun hat, sunscreen (for babies over 6 months – never expose younger babies to direct sun), and an inexpensive beach umbrella will keep baby safe in the sun. Light, long-sleeved clothing is best, but not always practical, so make sure baby is well coated with sunscreen.

Visiting on a warm, but not a hot day, can be the most fun. The beach won’t be too busy, baby won’t get too hot, and babies don’t care about sunbathing anyway. There’s too much to explore!

So if you are near a beach, or visiting one on vacation, take advantage of a nice spring day, and head to the shore!

Babies in the Sunshine
Question:
My baby is only three months old, and summer is just starting. I’d love to enjoy some beach time with her, but I’m wondering about her being out in the sun at such a young age. Is this okay? Is sunscreen safe for her?

Learn about it
Babies have very delicate skin, so they are especially vulnerable to the dangerous effects of the sun. Babies burn much more easily than adults, and sun damage done during childhood can affect skin health for a lifetime. You can take your baby outside, but you would be wise to take precautions to protect her from the sun.

Protecting your baby’s delicate skin
While protecting your baby from the sun is important, it’s unrealistic to think that you’ll never be outside with your baby on a sunny day! Here’s how to keep your baby safe while enjoying the outdoors:

Keep her out of direct sunlight, particularly when the sun’s rays are the strongest, between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. Sit under a tree, an umbrella, or in the shade of a building, or put your baby in her stroller with the canopy over her head.

Put a wide-brimmed hat on your little one whenever you’re out in the sun. Your baby will get used to wearing a hat if you start when she is little. If your baby is older and resists keeping a hat on, you’ll need to use your powers of persuasion and distraction to keep the hat where it belongs.

Professionals often recommend dressing your baby in a long-sleeved shirt and long pants; these can be lightweight as long as the material is tightly woven. You can determine how much sun will come through clothes by holding them up to a bright light. The tighter the weave, the less light – and sunlight – that will come through the fabric. This can be tricky because she may get warmer dressed like this, so pay attention to how your baby feels and looks, and if you put her in shorts be extra vigilant about the time she spends in the sun.

Consider adding sunglasses with UV protection to your baby’s summer wardrobe.

What about sunscreen?
In general, avoid using sunscreen on a baby younger than six months old. There are exceptions, however, and you should defer to common sense. For example, if you want to let your baby explore the beach, but hot weather prevents you from keeping all of her skin covered, it is fine to use a small amount of sunscreen on the areas not covered. (Be careful not to put lotion around her eyes, and keep the lotion away from her hands, since they may end up in her mouth.) Slight exposure to sunscreen is better than damaging, painful exposure to the sun.

With babies older than six months, always use sunscreen when going out into the sun. First, test a patch of sunscreen at home and wait for a few hours, or even overnight, to be sure your baby doesn’t have an allergic reaction to the lotion. Read the label on your sunscreen to determine how often it needs to be reapplied – its effectiveness does wear off.

Choose sunscreen formulated especially for children. Read the label to make sure the lotion protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Sunscreen should have an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of at least 15 and should be waterproof if your baby is going to be getting wet. If your child is fair skinned, if you are going to be spending a long time outside, or if you just want more sun protection, opt for a much higher SPF. Alternatives to typical sunscreens include non-chemical varieties available in health food and body lotion stores, and zinc oxide (good for the face and shoulders).

More sun facts
Keep in mind that sand, water, concrete, and snow all reflect the sun’s rays, making them even more potent. And don’t forget that the sun’s ultraviolet rays are almost as strong on a cloudy day as on a sunny one.

You’ll also want to keep on eye on your baby to make sure she doesn’t develop heat exhaustion. You can protect her by keeping her in shady areas, and having her stay well hydrated.

What if my baby does get sunburn?
Even with the best planning, sometimes we get caught off-guard. If you notice that your baby has become bright pink or red from the sun, here’s what to do:

# Immediately get your baby out of the sun.
# Keep your baby well hydrated with breastmilk, water, or juice.
# Give your baby a bath in a few inches of lukewarm water and let her play and splash, or wipe her with a cool, wet cloth.
# If your baby is younger than six months old, call your pediatrician and describe the extent of the burn. If your baby is older than six months, call the doctor if you notice blisters, pain, or fever.
# Keep her out of the sun until the burn has healed.

Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin
We get vitamin D from certain foods, such as milk, eggs, and fish. Breastfed babies receive small amounts of vitamin D from breastmilk, but it is in a form that is easily absorbed and used by your baby’s body. (Although some pediatricians suggest vitamin A and D drops for breastfed babies, particularly in communities where there is little sunshine.) Formula-fed babies receive vitamin D from most formulas, since they are enriched with this vitamin. Our bodies also make vitamin D when we are exposed to sunlight. You don’t have to put your baby at risk for sunburn to allow him the benefits of sunlight. As little as 10 to 20 minutes a day in the outdoors is often enough for a baby’s body to produce adequate vitamin D.