As beach season gets underway, many parents are concerned about protecting their children from the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays. Sun is the best source of vitamin D, and it’s also good for the spirits (plus, it makes life on earth possible!), so it’s certainly not a bad thing, but a day at the beach can easily lead to more sun exposure than is healthy. Following are a few tips on keeping your children safe in the sun.
Sunscreen
Sunscreen is the first defence. In choosing a sunscreen for children, look for one labelled “broad spectrum”, meaning that it protects against both UVA and UVB rays (UVA causes accelerated skin aging, UVB causes burning, and both contribute to skin cancer). Usually this means a combination of chemicals that absorb the UV rays and minerals that physically deflect them. If your children have sensitive skin, choose a sunscreen that is hypoallergenic and fragrance-free.
At the beach, where the sun’s rays also reflect off the water, you’ll want sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 30 for your children. The SPF measures the length of time the sunscreen will protect the skin from the sun’s burning (UVB) rays compared to how long the skin would take to burn without sunscreen. So in theory,…
