Young Baby Spending Time in the Sun

Tips To Protect Your Family from the Sun’s Harmful Rays and Prevent Sunburns this Summer

Tips To Protect You and Your Children from the Sun’s Harmful Rays and Prevent Sunburns

It is important that you carefully plan your outings to avoid excessive sun exposure.  Too much exposure to the sun can cause heat related illnesses and it increases your risk for skin cancer.  It is very important to take the time and protect you and your children from the sun’s harmful rays and prevent sunburns.  Use these tips to help limit your exposure to the sun:

  • Avoid the being in the sun between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm, when the sun’s rays are the most harmful.
  • Wear sunscreen that is rated SPF 30 or above.
  • Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before heading out into the sun and reapply every 2 hours unless your a sweating or swimming then reapply sunscreen more often.
  • Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays.
  • Do wear light colored clothing.
  • Do wear long sleeves and pants if you plan on being in the sun for long periods of time.
  • Do wear a wide-brimmed hat.  Baseball caps don’t protect the back of the neck and should be avoided.
  • Drink plenty of cool or cold fluids, preferably, water.
  • Watch for signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion, especially, important if your baby joins you on your outings.  Some of the symptoms include: fussiness, excessive crying, redness, confusion, dark urine output, excessive sweating, weakness, muscle cramps, dizziness, and possibility of fainting.
  • Watch for signs and symptoms of heat stroke.  Some symptoms include: high body temperature, no longer sweating, hot and dry skin, shallow breathing, nausea, vomiting, unconsciousness, rapid heart beat, and possible seizures.

Do you enjoy spending time outdoors during the summer months?  If so, do you apply sunscreen to your children on a regular basis?

Comments

22 responses to “Tips To Protect Your Family from the Sun’s Harmful Rays and Prevent Sunburns this Summer”

  1. Dominique Goh Avatar

    Great tips for preventing sunburns. I should be getting a sun hat too 🙂

    1. Christy Avatar

      I hope that you can find the perfect sun hat for this summer Dominique.

  2. Alexandra McAllister Avatar

    WOW! These are all great tips! Thanks for sharing. It is so important to protect our skin from the sun. Reminds me…must get a hat! 🙂 Thank you!

    1. Christy Avatar

      Alexandra I hope that you can find the perfect hat as well.

  3. Courtney~Mommy LaDy Club Avatar

    We are extra cautious here in AZ about sun and heat stroke. It is so easy to get into trouble, and there is always some horrible story of a child left in a car:(

    1. Christy Avatar

      I can understand it gets very hot in AZ. I always hate hearing about kids who are found hiding or left behind in the hot car. 🙁

  4. Pamela R Avatar

    My kids are water bugs–they live in the pool from the end of June until the last day of Aug–SUNBLOCK is like a second skin for them. =) Super tips!

    1. Christy Avatar

      Pamela I am glad that you don’t have to remind your kids to put on sunblock since they are out in the sun constantly. I used to have to urge my older kids to use sunscreen sometimes.

  5. DelSheree Avatar

    These are such great tips. My kids already have tan lines from how much swimming they’ve been doing. I know one thing they don’t realize on their own is that sunscreen doesn’t last all day and I have to remind them to reapply if they’re out for too long. Great article!

    1. Christy Avatar

      Yes, if you don’t reapply the sunscreen frequently they will burn their skin and increase their risks for sun related skin damage.

  6. Shari Avatar

    I use the Environmental Working Group’s database to choose sunscreens for myself and my family. It’s a great resource.

    1. Christy Avatar

      I have never heard of that database before, thank you for sharing.

  7. Meire Weishaupt Avatar

    Thank you so much for the tips! SPF 55 here in CA. We really need to pay special attention these summer days!

    1. Christy Avatar

      Yes, I need to work on following my own tips. I do always put sunscreen on my kids.

  8. Carla J Gardiner Avatar

    This is an excellent article and perfect timing for the summer months ahead. I had no idea that sunscreen should not be used on babies less than 6 months, thanks for this info Christy.

    1. Christy Avatar

      Carla glad I provided you with some helpful information for your grand babies.

  9. Marie Leslie Avatar

    Great advice for everyone–and not just for our kids. We adults are just as prone to sunburn and it carries as many risks as it does for our kids. Sunburn is the quickest way to ruin a fun summer.

    1. Christy Avatar

      Marie you are correct. Everyone should wear sunscreen and not just children.

  10. Katrina Avatar

    Great post and just in time for summer. I know that I burn in about 30 minutes so I always make sure I have sunscreen.

    1. Christy Avatar

      Your welcome Katina.

  11. Pat Moon Avatar

    Great tips except for one .. lathering sunscreen on children .. I do not like exposing them to all those chemicals. Skin cancer has been on the rise since sunscreens have been in use. Common sense exposure to sun needs to be applied. We need the vitamin D from the sun and sunscreen blocks the vitamin D. A light sun tan is healthy. Christy, you are doing a great job with your blog. Think about it.. selling sunscreen is big business.. this is my opinion from the things I have learned that I love to share.

    1. Christy Avatar

      Even with sunscreen applied me and my children manage to get a pretty good tan. I agree Vitamin D is important and the sunshine is known to help prevent other issues like depression.