Learn about using Sunscreen in infants, read
tips to apply sunscreen to babies and protecting baby from sun.
Using Sunscreen In Infants
Covering an infant's exposed body parts with
sunscreen, when talking him/her outdoors, is a subject that has been
subject to different views by people. Till sometime back, it was
suggested to completely abstain from using it on infants less than six
months of age. However, the opinion is now changing a bit. If your baby
is under six months of age, it is advisable to use sunscreen only on the
small areas of his/her body. In majority of the cases, the face and the
back of the hands are the body parts that require the use of sunscreen
in infants. In case of other areas, it is best to cover them with
adequate clothing. In case of babies older than six months, you can use
it a bit more liberally. In case of babies, make sure to use a sunscreen
with an SPF between 20 and 30.
Applying Sunscreen
- Before using the sunscreen over the body parts of your baby, it
is advisable to test it. Apply it on your baby's back and wait for a
few seconds, to make sure that there is no adverse reaction.
- Now, take a small amount of sunscreen in your hands and rub the
palms over each other.
- Gently, rub your sunscreen-smeared palms over the body parts of
your child. Make sure to avoid the area around the eyes, even the
eyelids.
Some Tips
If your baby ends up rubbing sunscreen into her eyes, it is advisable to
wipe his/her eyes and hands clean, with the help of a damp cloth. In
case his/her eyes starts watering, become red or he/she tries to touch
them time and again, it might be that his/her eyes are burning. In this
case, wash his/her face immediately, even splashing some water in
his/her eyes. Next time, try a different brand of sunscreen, preferably
one with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide.
Do Not Overuse
There are mainly two reasons, because of which you should make sure not
to apply too much sunscreen in young babies. They are:
- In case of infants as well as young children, there is a high
body surface to volume ratio. In other words, as compared to adults
and older children, they have much more skin for their body parts.
This makes them even more vulnerable to chemical exposure, and the
resultant adverse reaction, from the use of sunscreens. So, it is
advisable to use as little sunscreen on kids as possible.
- In babies, the body's mechanism to keep itself cool, by sweating,
is impaired slightly. At the same time, they are at a much greater
risk of becoming dehydrated because of heat. Too much sunscreen can
further interfere with a baby's ability to cool off and make him/her
highly susceptible to dehydration.
