Can you put sun cream on a baby? Should babies younger than six months stay out of the sun altogether?
Lots of parents have questions about child and baby sun care. Tick sun protection off your worry list as we guide you through everything you need to know about keeping infants and young children safe in the sun.
Looking for baby’s first sunscreen? Browse our natural and organic baby sun creams, available in SPF30 and SPF50.
Baby sun safety basics
Looking forward to your little one’s first summer? Whether you’re planning your first family holiday, a day trip to the beach or a playdate in the park, keeping your baby safe in the sun will naturally be front of mind.
So, how do you protect your baby from the sun? Well, UK health authorities like the NHS say that babies younger than six months should be shaded from direct sunlight. They also advise limiting how long young children are exposed to sunlight during the day's hottest hours (11 am to 3 pm)[i].
Why? Well, the NHS website explains it best and says that young children should be shielded from the sun because they have more sensitive skin and sun damage in the early years can cause health problems in later life.
But this doesn’t mean that you and your baby need to stay cooped up indoors all day! Far from it. You just need to take a few sun safety precautions.
To keep baby sun safe whilst you’re out and about, pop sunshades on the pram and car and invest in a cute but practical collection of baby sun hats and cotton baby clothes.
UV-protective baby sunshades are also oh-so-useful and terrific for keeping your little one safe in the garden.
Something else to consider is a baby sun cream—more about that in the next section.
Babies and the sun: 5 tips for parents
These sun tips are helpful for keeping babies safe in the sun, but can also be applied to all the family.
- Minimise sun exposure, especially when under six months of age
- Avoid the heat of the day between 11am and 3pm
- Always provide some form of protection from the sun
- Shade your child with a sun hat
- Protect with an age-appropriate baby sun cream from age six months
Baby’s first sun cream
While we can’t stress enough how important it is that young infants are not overexposed to sunlight, using an age-appropriate, high-factor children’s SPF from age 6 months+ will help to protect your child from sunburn and imprint sun-safe habits that last a lifetime.
Are you looking to buy your baby's first sun cream? Wondering where to begin? Firstly, know that your baby cannot share your sun cream. Their delicate skin is much thinner and more easily irritated.
Therefore, from the age of six months, they will need a high-factor children’s sun cream such as our Organic Children Scent Free Sun Cream SPF30, which offers high-factor, broad-spectrum sun protection. This means it protects against UVA and 97% of UVB when applied liberally and frequently.
Organic Children Scent Free Sun Cream - SPF30 150ml
Discover peace-of-mind protection with our best-selling kids’ SPF30 sun cream
£29.00
Here are a few more reasons why it makes the best first baby sun cream:
- Dermatologically tested
- Clinically proven to be kind to sensitive skin
- Natural and organic
- Non-greasy and easy to apply
- Water repellent
- Eczema-friendly and kind to prickly heat
- Suitable for babies of all ages
For parents who wish to use a higher protection product, we also offer an Organic Children Lavender Sun Cream SPF50. This protects against marginally more UVB (98%) and has a beautifully light Lavender essential oil aroma.
This spf 50 is amazing. Our daughter’s nursery will only accept factor 50 but so many of them are thick, harsh and irritate her skin. This is wonderful. Rubs in well but thick enough to know it’s doing the trick. Smells so good and we often use it ourselves as well- Jo.
Organic Children Lavender Sun Cream SPF50 100ml
Discover peace-of-mind protection with our SPF50 sun cream for kids.
£29.00
Babies and prickly heat
Something else to be aware of is that babies cannot regulate their temperature and can quickly overheat. To avoid this, keep your baby well hydrated and dress them appropriately for the weather.
Some babies are prone to developing prickly heat in warm weather. This is a painful, temporary skin rash caused by trapped and is very common in young children.
You can reduce your baby’s risk of prickly heat by avoiding waterproof sun lotions containing petrochemicals and silicones. These works like wrapping their skin in cling film and are not used in our natural and organic baby and child sun care products.
Here are some helpful tips for reducing your baby’s risk of prickly heat:
- Choose a non-waterproof sun cream
- Keep baby in the shade
- Dress baby in loose-fitting, cool clothes
- Bathe baby in cool water
- Keep baby well hydrated
- Soothe their skin after sun exposure with a gentle, skin-kind children’s after sun
Organic Children Aloe Vera Lotion & After Sun 150ml
Soothe, calm and hydrate with an organic Aloe Vera lotion for children
£15.00
We hope you have found this guide to baby sun care helpful. You can browse our natural and organic baby sun creams or take our quick and easy sunscreen finder for help choosing the best SPF for your family.
Alternatively, contact our friendly customer care team at 01403 740350 or @GreenPeopleUK.
Reviewed by:
This blog post has been reviewed by Charlotte Vøhtz, founder of Green People, who has 25+ years of experience in the natural and organic beauty industry. A recognised leader in the field of organic beauty, Charlotte helped inform the UK's first organic beauty standards and was voted the People’s Choice in the 2023 list of Who’s Who in Natural Beauty. A published author, she wrote the organic beauty bible ‘Naturally Gorgeous’. Previously, she qualified as a nurse and spent over 10 years working in pharmaceuticals.
The contents of this blog post should be treated as information only. Please consult a medical professional if you have any health-related concerns or symptoms.
[i] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/first-aid-and-safety/safety/safety-in-the-sun/
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