As school is letting out for the summer, many parents begin planning activities to keep their child busy over the summer. As a working mom, your child may go to daycare. If your daycare is similar to the one my kids attended, they go on field trips throughout the summer to keep the school aged children busy. If you don’t have a bottle of sunscreen in your house, you should make sure that you grab a bottle next time you are at the store. As you and your family are spending more and more time outdoors this summer, it is very important that you apply sunscreen every few hours to protect you and your children from the sun’s harmful rays and to prevent getting sunburned. Summertime is often filled with fun activities that often requires you and your children to spend several hours out in the sunshine, including, your baby.
Disclosure: This post is for informational purposes only. The opinions reflected in this post are my own and are based upon my own experiences.
How Can I Protect My Baby From The Sun’s Harmful Rays?
If you are planning on taking an infant that is younger than 6 months old out in the sun for long periods of time, you will need to protect their delicate skin. A baby that is 6 months old or younger, isn’t able to wear sunscreen and has to be protected differently from the rest of the family. Your baby’s skin is thinner and they can easily absorb the active ingredient in sunscreen, which in large doses can be harmful to your child. They also have a higher skin to weight ratio than older children so they are exposed to more chemicals that is found in sunscreen. If you take your child with you on your outings, it is import to dress them in a light weight long sleeve shirt and pants. Put a wide brim hat on their head to protect their face, neck, and shoulders from the sun’s harmful rays. Keep your baby in the shade as much as possible, you can use an umbrella or the stroller’s canopy. Be sure that you monitor your baby for overheating and dehydration.