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July is UV Safety Awareness Month
Sun Safety: Information for Parents About Sunburn & Sunscreens
Warm, sunny days are wonderful. It's good for children to spend time playing and exercising outdoors and it's important they enjoy it safely. Here are some tips on how to help keep your family safe from too much exposure to the sun's harmful rays.
Simple rules to protect your family from sunburns:
- Keep babies younger than 6 months out of direct sunlight. Find shade under a tree, an umbrella or the stroller canopy.
- Dress yourself and your children in cool, comfortable clothing that covers the body when possible. Think lightweight cotton pants, long-sleeved shirts and hats.
- Select clothes made with a tight weave, which protect better than clothes with a looser weave.
- Wear a hat with an all-around 3-inch brim to shield the face, ears, and back of the neck.
- Limit your sun exposure between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., when UV rays are strongest.
- Wear sunglasses with at least 99% UV protection. Look for youth-sized sunglasses with UV protection for your child.
- Use sunscreen (see more below).
- Make sure everyone in your family knows how to protect their skin and eyes. Remember to set a good example by practicing sun safety yourself.
How to choose a sunscreen:
- Use a sunscreen that says "broad-spectrum" on the label; that means it will screen out both UVB and UVA rays.
- Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 (up to SPF 50). An SPF of 15 or 30 should be fine for most people. More research studies are needed to test if sunscreen with more than SPF 50 offers any extra protection.
- If possible, avoid the sunscreen ingredient oxybenzone because of concerns about mild hormonal properties. Remember, though, that it's important to take steps to prevent sunburn, so using any sunscreen is better than not using sunscreen at all.
- For sensitive areas of the body, such as the nose, cheeks, tops of the ears and shoulders, choose a sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These products may stay visible on the skin even after you rub them in and some come in fun colors that children enjoy.
Here are 4 ways to relieve discomfort from mild sunburn:
- Give your child water or milk to replace lost fluids.
- Use cool water to help your child's skin feel better.
- Give your child pain medicine to relieve painful sunburns. (For a baby 6 months or younger, give acetaminophen) (For a child older than 6 months, give either acetaminophen or ibuprofen).
- Only use medicated lotions if your child's doctor says it is OK.
The sun gives energy to all living things on earth but it can also harm us. Its ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage skin, eyes and cause skin cancer. One-quarter of our lifetime sun exposure happens during childhood and adolescence. Since children spend a lot of time outdoors, especially in the summer, it's important to protect them from the sun. Talk with your pediatrician if you have any questions about sun protection for your child.
To access the full article on sun safety for children, click here.
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