Protecting Your Baby and Toddler from the Sun
Babies and young children have thinner and more delicate skin than adults. Afterall, our skin has had a lot more years of conditioning to the outside world. Due to this, the risk of young children getting sunburnt is significantly higher.
The most important thing to highlight whan discussing protection from the sun is that sunburn is only the short term result of over exposure to the sun. We need to think longer term in order to protect out children from developing more serious over exposure conditions such as skin cancer.
Some fundamental rules to follow are as follows:
+ Stay in the shade during the hottest time of day - 11.00 - 15.00
+ Always apply factor 50 or above for your baby or toddler
+ If going for a long walk always take a parasol for the buggy, sun hat and eye protection such as baby sunglasses
+ Brimmed hats are ideal for your little one to protect both their face and the back of their neck from the sun. This is area most prone to sunburn as it is often forgotten about!
As mentioned above, don't forget to protect your children's eyes as well as yours. Wear good quality, wrap around sunglasses. Look for the sticker on the lenses that tells you that the sunglasses provide proper UV protection.
Think about the clothes that your little one is wearing. You need to consider whether they will get too hot, as well as considering whether their arms or legs will be exposed.
Skin types do play a part in how quickly you will burn. They are divided into 5 categories. Individuals with skin type 1 will be pale skinned, have freckles, light coloured eyes and fair or red hair. These people will burn easily in the sun and never tan. Individuals with skin type 5, have dark brown or black skin, dark eye colour and dark hair. They almost never burn in the sun. Even though they don't burn over exposure to the sun's rays will still cause the premature aging of the skin and increase the risk of skin cancer.
Taking precautions in the sun is vital for everyone, but particularly for children.
The summer time is a great time of year, you just need to remember to take the necessary precautions to protect yourself and your little one from the sun.
Have a fun summer!
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