Summer Safety : Sunscreen Safety Tips for Moms
Thank you to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for sponsoring this post! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Summer is here in Atlanta, schools are closed and it’s time to spend a lot more time outside.
There is so much to do here in Atlanta in the summer from spending days at Piedmont park, heading out to festivals in Decatur, planning a day at Six Flags or to heading over Zoo Atlanta to learn more about animals. There are ENDLESS outdoor possibilities! Our days are full of bike rides , sports, playgrounds and endless trips to our neighborhood pool. We are prepared for LOTS of outdoor activity in the summer sun. But even though we are having a ton of fun, it’s always good to remember to be safe in the summer. That means keeping our children hydrated, being aware of basic first aid for insect bites, keeping our cars locked to prevent small children from finding their way in, and wearing sunscreen the entire time.
Did you know that even ONE sunburn can nearly double your child’s chances of developing melanoma( skin cancer) as an adult? You can greatly lower your child’s risk of getting dangerous skin cancers by simply applying sunscreen and following some summer sunscreen safety rules.
Here are a few sunscreen safety tips for moms this summer.
Sunscreen Safety Tips for Moms
Protect the Babies
For children younger than 6 months, don’t use sunscreen yet! Instead, dress your baby in tightly-woven long sleeve shirts and pants and a sunhat. And try to keep him/her in the shade as much as possible.
Make Sure Your Sunscreen says BROAD SPECTRUM
This means that the sunscreen protects the skin from harmful ultraviolet UVA and UVB rays from the sun which can cause cancer. Make sure that the brand that you buy clearly says Broad Spectrum on the label.
SPF Matters
SPF stands for “sun protection factor.” Make sure that whatever sunscreen you buy, it is SPF 30 or higher. This means that the sunscreen blocks 97% of the sun’s rays. Higher SPF’s can block slightly more, but no sunscreen can block 100 of the sun’s rays.
Apply the Right Amount
Sunscreen has to be applied the right way to do it’s job! Remember to apply sunscreen 15-20 minutes before your children go outside. And don’t be skimpy! Apply a good amount! Dermatologists recommend using 1 oz ( enough to fill a shot glass) to cover all exposed parts of the body. Also, don’t forget to apply sunscreen to ears, hands, feet, shoulders and behind the neck. And reapply sunscreen about every two hours and after swimming.
Don’t Forget Sunscreen on Cloudy Days
Remember that even if it is a cloudy day, 80% of the sun’s UV rays can get through the clouds! Some of the worst sunburns occur when children spend a cloudy day outside without sunscreen.
Limit Your Time
Remember that sunscreen cannot provide all day protection. Even when you follow all of the tips above, it’s still best to limit your time in the sun! Especially in the middle of the day between 10 am and 2pm when the sun’s rays are most intense! So hit the pool early and head to the playground in the afternoon!
Hopefully, these sunscreen safety tips will help you keep your kids safe and burn free this summer. Remember, keeping our children safe in the summer is just as important as making sure they are having fun. Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14 in the U.S. Summertime should not be a scary time or a time spent in the hospital due to preventable injuries. Children’s wants to make sure your children have a healthy safe summer. Head on over to Children’s to learn about more summer safety tips.
Do you use sunscreen for your kids? How are you keeping your kids safe this summer?
I learned to use sunscreen after getting a wicked burn a few years ago. It actually prompted me to sell the convertible..haha! SPF certainly matters and hopefully parents will slather it on the kids.
I don’t have any kids but I definitely use sunscreen. My friends laugh at me because I am a stickler when it comes to UV protection. I think we as African Americans believe we are not at risk for melanoma but we can have skin cancer too! Thank you for writing this post and spreading the word!
I always use Sunscreen on my children, but I must admit I didn’t know about using it on cloudy days! I will certainly make sure I am always using it. And making sure it says Broad Spectrum.
When I know that we are going to be out in the sun a long time, I make sure that we all are rubbed down with sunscreen. I didn’t know about wearing sunscreen on cloudy days though.
I think people forget that they need to reapply every few hours. And maybe even more if they get wet. I know when I took my nephew to the pool a couple years ago, I was slathering him down with sunscreen. But I ended up getting burned because I forgot to reapply!
These are great tips! We use sunscreen but it is always hard to get them to put it on. I got sunburn only once as a kid. Seems like the sun is stronger now or something because these kids have had it at least twice. I may have to look into a spray or something.
Don’t kill me but I don’t use sunscreen. As a kid my skin was so sensitive I rarely used it and now I never use it. It’s a bad habit I need to repair.
It’s hard to find sunscreen that actually works and that is trust worthy. I heard on an NPR broadcast that after testing many 15 spf’s were just as effective as those that claimed 30 spf and higher.
We are a Sunscreen 365 family. We never leave home without it!
Good tips. Boy it’s hard to limit outside time when the weather is perfect and you want to keep the kids off the tube and games. I have to remember to reapply every couple of hours.
I really need to do better with sunscreen on my kids. I am going to search for a more clear formula because they hate walking around looking like ghosts. But that is no excuse for not applying sunscreen.
Thank you for these tips. People have to remember to always wear it even when it isn’t summer time, and to re-apply it especially after water activities.
These tips are fantastic. I always make sure the kids are sunscreened up before hitting the pool!
This is such a great resource. It’s so important to make sure you’re using sunscreen correctly to get the maximum benefit.
We never go anywhere without making sure the kids and us are totally protected with sunscreen. We also make sure we wear hats and other things to keep the sun off of us.
I am paranoid about this, so I always use too much LOL. I slather it on my boys and then re-apply every 30 minutes or so.
Being out in the sun can be an enjoyable experience, if properly prepared. Getting a sunburn is not fun at all. Thanks for sharing these tips!
Great tips! It’s super easy to forget sunscreen – but SUPER important.
Keeping my kids safe from the sun is so important. I make sure that they reapply it often.
These are all great tips. I keep sunscreen on hand at all times and I have some stashed by the front door as a reminder.
These are some great tips. I think it’s so important to know about sunscreen. I try to apply it every couple of hours too.
Sunscreen is such an important step to protecting your skin. I always get the strongest one I can and make sure we reapply often.
It is so much easier to get a sunburn then it used to be. I make sure to stock up on sunscreen when I start to get low. We use it all year long.
It is so important to take care of your skin. As a red haired fair skinned person I burn so easily. I always make sure to keep some with me.
My kids have very fair skin. We don’t leave home without sunscreen. Thanks for the tips.
You’re so right! I really need to bring at least one bottle with me in my purse. I’m definitely guilty of not wearing sunscreen on cloudy days.
A daughter and I both have red hair… which means we burn easily so we have to have sunscreen on.
I always use a high spf sunscreen. It’s important to me
Sunscreen on cloudy days is always the one I have trouble with. You always think you don’t need it!
So important! You really do have to put your sunscreen on every few hours. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way.
We’re all about the sunscreen. The worst thing is remembering to reapply it especially when we are at the beach.
I’ll be honest and say I don’t always use sunscreen on myself or the boys! I’ve got to do better, thank you for the reminder and safety tips!