Question:
Okay think I might have made me look like a stupid mummy during contact, I
was trying to be good mummy the other week when the nice sun came in and it
got a little hot, I thought I am going to get Joanna some baby sun block and
protect her skin from the sun, I know its not as hot as it can get yet but
still the sun is warm and I am catching the sun so she must be at risk from
it so I went to Asda and brought the asda range 50 sun system sun block and
applied it to her the other week then it rained for a good fair days so the
sun cream went away but today I didnt see Joanna but it was hot and I caught
the sun so I looked in my home doctor book for a nice home remediy and in
there it said that sun block should not be used on babies under 6 months old
but in my opinion that is stupid because baby skin is fragile and should be
protected surely, I know if you go out you would use a sun umbrella thingie
but surely you would put some cream on as well as the umbrella thingie and
the hat? My opposit neighbour said about applying sudercream all over
babies body but that doesnt sound as good as sun cream surely. Can someone
please advice me here?
Answer:
I never used sunblock of any sort until well after 6 months of age. There
seems to be all kinds of side effects possible from sun blocks for babies,
mainly because their skin isn't anywhere near as conditioned as maybe yours
or mine is. Our skin has been through a lot more than a baby's skin has.
I, personally, just kept mine out of the sun as much as possible. I used
the visor or something similar if we went for walks, as well as I never once
took any of mine outside without a hat on. For the boys, it was normally a
little baseball cap (as they were around 6 months come summer time, being
born end of Dec/end of Jan, and with DD, it's always been some sort of
little bonnet - although DH and my mom HATE the bonnets and say they look
stupid, but I personally find a little bonnet a helluva lot cuter than a
baby sick with heat stroke or sunburn! She was also born beginning of
August, and I didn't dare put really anything on her skin the rest of the
summer and just kept her outside in the shade. At Joanna's age, though,
she's probably wanting more to explore and move around a bit, and sitting
around like a bump is probably not really her thing, or it definitely won't
be for long!
Do you have some sort of playpen that she can have a bit of freedom with
that she enjoys to be in? DD seems to just love hers, and she's already
long past the age where she'll sit in any given spot for more than about 0.3
seconds... I can't even change a diaper without a fight to keep her down
since she's off and running the second I have her diaper off, it seems. She
does play nicely, though, inside or out, with some toys in her 'baby jail'
;) and I dunno, that seems to have worked for us.
If you're outside for a walk, use a stroller or carriage visor, and even if
you like those little parasols/umbrellas, use it. If you're out in the yard
or just sitting around outside, put her in the shade. Chances are, if the
sun is out, the shade will be a little cooler, but I'd bet not by much.
Stay out of the sun and try and stay indoors when the sun seems to be the
deadliest - I can't remember for sure, but I think it's generally between
about 10am and 2pm? Maybe it's 11am to 3pm?
I doubt some sort of sunblock is going to kill her. I believe it's just not
recommended because of the side effects - generally sun blocks, sunscreens
have smells, some have alcohol in them (although I think most intended for
small children have no alcohol) and have all kinds of additives in them as
active ingredients. I just stayed out of the direct sun as much as
possible. A little sun is good for babies. Babies don't seem to get any
sun, really... When you think about it, when it's cold out, we put babies in
snow suits, pants and sweaters, cover them up with blankets, bunting bags,
etc., in car seats and strollers, and we seem to try and keep them out of
the sun most of the time. I'm sure a little sunblock isn't going to cause
her any harm, but you never know. Try a mild block, if need be, and check
what it's made of. I'd knock out anything and everything that has alcohol
at all in it, and I'd avoid the ones that smell all pretty as well. I would
also aim for a type that you don't need to reapply often, and I would just
say don't stay out in the sun and heat for long periods of time. If
possible, save walks for later in the evening once the sun is less nasty.
That's a tough call, since everything seems to scream out sunblock being bad
for small babies. Again, it's your choice as a parent, but I have yet to
hear of a baby dying because their parent put on a bit of sunblock while
outside (could have happened, but I've definitely heard of more kids with
sunburns, heat stroke and dehydration!)
