Best Sun Block for Little Ones

Hi K.,

I found a really good one on-line, it's non-toxic and has the zinc oxide you need for full-spectrum protection. It's called UV natural suncreen and is great.

Also, check out there's a great website by the Environmental Working Group called Skin Deep (http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php?nothanks=1) where you can look up the toxicity of the products by brand or by product (that's how I found the sunscreen). Check it out, it tells you exactly the toxins and their effects as well.

Good luck!
C.

2 moms found this helpful

It is a little known fact that most sunblocks, even ones labeled specifically for baby contain many harmful chemicals. you should go to EWG.org (the environmental working group). they go through the ingridents of hundreds of baby products including sunscreen and rank them for effectiveness and safety. this wedsite was invaluable to us in selecting all our baby products!

1 mom found this helpful

The pink bottle with the little girl and the dog pulling on her bathing suit worked great for a lotion. I personally prefer though using the spray kinds (although it might be hard at such a young age)...I used Coppertone Kids Quick Cover Spray SPF50, and then I use the stick kind for the face. It works so well she hardly tanned through the block, and those kinds are so easy to apply!

Hi,

Bullfrog is an excellent product.

It does not wash off during swimming. Thus not needing to be reapplied as often.

My girlfriend uses it on her children all the time, They live on a farm thus they spend a lot of time outside.

i didn't find bullfrog until most of my children were grown. But the ones that I have used it on likes. With good results.

N.

I have a daughter who has red hair, green eyes and milky white skin. Her skin is very sensitive. If a sunscreen can work for her, then it can work for anyone. I buy BananaBoat Baby Sunscreen with SPF 40+ or more. It's more gentle for baby skin. At 7 months old, you don't want to put sunscreen all over your baby. They have little bodies and that's a lot of product on a little body. Cover him as much as you can with hats, shorts, umbrella, etc. and only put the sunscreen on the very exposed areas like bottom of legs,feet,etc.

baby rash ointment has the same thing, I think zinc oxide(?), as sunscreen. check the ingredients.

The best one for price and effectiveness that I have found is No-Ad for Babies. It comes in a pink and blue bottle and is SPF45 I think. I have had the same bottle for 2 years and my daughter had never been sunburned even though we went to California (Modesto) last summer.

I can't remember the names of the sunblock but the highest rating like + 50 and there are some good ones at Sunshine Health food. Good luck and definitely a floppy hat come summer.

The best one I have found is Coppertone Sport. It sprays on and does not have to be rubbed it. It is not greasy, so sand and dirt do not stick to it. It is sweat proof, so you will never have sunscreen running into his eyes from water or sweat, or even just rubbing his eyes. It dries almost immediately. You cannot spray it on their faces, because it will spray in their eyes, so what I do is spray it into my hand and then wipe it onto their faces with my finger. The other great thing about this spray is that you can spray it on his head too if he doesn't have enough hair to protect his head.

Keep in mind that an SPF 15 sunscreen will protect for 150 minutes, so if you are reapplying as often as directed, there is no need to get more that 15, and anything over 30 no better than 30 because spf 30 works for 300 minutes, and sunscreen will wear off sooner than that. Also, keep in mind that a bottle of sunscreen only lasts one season, so don't buy a giant bottle and think you can keep it for years. It's effectiveness decreases too much!

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5590

I really like the Sun Shades sunblock I get from Melaleuca. It blocks UVA and UVB and is waterproof for 80 minutes. My favorite thing about it though is that I can easily wash it off my hands after applying it. That was always my least favorite part of sunscreen use; the difficulty of getting it off your hands after you've applied it.

The sprays are easiest for toddlers on the run, but I love aveeno-it's gentle and smells so good! And dries really quick.