Today the whole family gets out of bed full of excitement, it's beach day! Finally our baby will discover one of nature's greatest gifts, the sea. Today he will finally play with the sand and will be amazed by the waves, for sure. But How should I protect my baby from the sun? From what age can a baby be exposed to the sun? Let's take a look!
From what age can a baby be exposed to the sun?
It is very important to avoid sun exposure to babies under 6 months old. We must take into account that no sunscreen should be applied to them either. This does not mean that they cannot touch even a ray of sunlight, but their skin is very sensitive. And even if we have a sunscreen that creates a protective screen on top of the skin, there is no guarantee that it will not absorb a small percentage of the sunscreen that we provide.
So, if your baby is under 6 months old we recommend that you cover your baby's skin well, put a hat and take a nice walk in the early morning. Or in the late afternoon, in the shade, and also protect your baby's eyes with a good pair of sunglasses.
Can't I go to the beach with my baby in an umbrella?
Well, why don't we go to the beach with our baby well protected, with an umbrella or a tent so that the sun's rays do not affect him?
We must keep in mind that the protection offered by an umbrella is not the same that you can find in the shade of a building or a forest well populated with dense trees. According to a study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also shared by the World Health Organization (WHO). When we are under our umbrella we receive up to 30% of solar radiation, which affects us due to the refraction of the sun's rays in the sand.
Facts aside, at Safe Sea we are fanatics of the sea. We love it so much that we believe that everyone should enjoy it. So let's be honest, a baby under 6 months old will surely not enjoy a day at the beach. Spending hours surrounded by sand that we won't let him taste, not being able to move from the little shade we can provide, the high temperatures, the possibility of ending up burned... We better wait a little bit and, thus, we give him a first experience with the sea and the beach!
Consequences of exposing an infant to the sun too soon
We don't intend to alarm anyone, but our mission is to protect you from the sun while protecting the oceans. So we take sun protection very, very seriously.
According to the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV) the skin cancer with the worst prognosis has increased by almost 50%. And in Spain, more than 5,000 cases are diagnosed and around 900 deaths are generated annually.
Although it is very rare for a child to have skin cancer/melanoma, it is estimated that 80% of these cancers could have been avoided with good sun protection from childhood. This is because solar radiation accumulates, as the skin has a memory.
Too much sun can not only affect the skin, it can also cause eye discomfort. So when your child accepts it, protect his or her eyes with good, stylish sunglasses.
In the end we must keep in mind that our little ones are not aware of the consequences that we may suffer in the future if we do not protect ourselves properly from solar radiation. That is why it is so important that we, their mothers and fathers, have as much information as possible and the best sunscreens to guarantee a life full of experiences, adventures and joys to our loved ones.
What cream should I apply to my baby from the age of 6 months?
It is of utmost importance to keep in mind that a sunscreen always covers the broad spectrum of solar radiation. That is, UVA and UVB rays.
The ecofriendly baby sun creams are especially suitable for babies from 6 months to 3 years of age. Their formula is free of Oxybenzone and Octocrylene, and they are also very water resistant. Offering up to 80 minutes of maximum protection.
Its composition means that all its ingredients are retained on the skin during immersion in water. This means that no UV filters, detergents or preservatives are released into the water, so while we protect ourselves from the sun we take care of the sea and marine life. This effect, while preventing the sunscreen from being released into the sea, prevents it from being absorbed by the skin. So it is ideal for use by your baby from 6 months of age.
