Seeking Advice on Sunscreen for My Child Who Is 3 Months Old

M., I used a summer-weight baby blanket that I put over the stroller. It was a seersucker material so it allowed airflow but kept my little guy from the sun. As soon as he was 6 months, I was excited to use the sunblock!

we have an allergy to the sun that runs in the family and it was never a question on if we would use sun screen or not. my pediatrition ok'd it as soon as she was a couple months old, and we have used it every day since. my daughter has very sensitive skin, and it doesn't seem to bother her. you should not put it on her hands however, as they tend to find themselves in their mouths and that could be dangerous. also, try to keep it away from her eyes. (my daughter it two now, and it has always worked for us.) we use the highest spf/spv that we can find made for children.

Last year I got a little clip on umbrella with UPF 50+ from www.onestepahead.com -- they call it a "sun smarties parasol". Maybe you can find it other places too. It works great.

I think you've been given some bad advice. Sunscreen at ANY age is a must!

Some mothers have reported rashes, but it is my experience that rashes only happen when the sunscreen is not washed off at the end of the day. If you're concerned, use a product for infants, but any sunscreen is acceptable.

I had the same questions when my children were small. This information came straight from our pediatrician.

I have heard that but never listened to it. I would use the sun screen!

S.

Aveeno has a really good sunscreen. I know it worked really well for0 my son last summer. Hope that helps.

I bought a fantastic pop up sunshade tent from One Step Ahead. It wasn't the cheapest thing in the world but it was super portable (folding up to practically nothing) and my 2 year old son still uses it as a play tent! It has a bottom too so you don't have to worry about dirt/sand and bugs on the baby or any toys you put in there. And One Step Ahead.com is a UPromise partner so remember to sign in to Upromise before you buy!!

My pediatrician preferred that I didn't use sunscreen until 6 months because she said they haven't done enough testing for long term effects. Since a baby's skin is not very thick, the concern is that it could reach the bloodstream. I listened to her and bought the shade and he was just fine.

You could always use SPF clothing or sun tents (if she's not too mobile right now) - just a few examples:

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/thumbnail.jsp?siteId=...
http://www.coolibar.com/children-s-infant.html
http://www.babybungalow.com/phandteredt2.html

My daughter was born at the end of May 2004 and our son was in the midst of baseball season. So she had sunscreen on at a very early age, probably about one month old. I agree with everyone here that the rash would be much better than the burn. I think we used Waterbabies spf 50. Best of luck!

I completely agree with all the moms here. Both of my babies were summer babies. We do alot of camping so my babies were in the water at very young ages. Both my children are fair skin, and I used water babies sunscreen on both of my children. Neither one of my children developed rashes from sunscreen, I just use to be careful around thier faces. But I doused thier legs,neck, even the top of thier heads, as to not get a burn on thier sensitive heads. I never had a problem with sun burns. I too would rather deal with a rash or a sensitivity to the sun screen then deal with a bad burn on a baby. My children are older now 4 and 6 and they are completely outdoor kids and cant wait til they can swim again. Good Luck to you.

My daughter is also 12 weeks old. I have already had her to Florida for a visit with my parents and I lathered her up with sunscreen several times while we were there. She was fine...no rash, no sunburn, no problems at all. i did give her a bath right away once we came inside. My ped says sunscreen is fine right from the start. I used an infant sunscreen...the kind that comes in the continuous spray bottles...in a 55 SPF. It all worked out just fine. They even sell ones for sensitive skin. I wouldn't be concerened if I were you. It would be better for her to break out in a rash than get a sunburn. So, good luck and have a fun summer!!!

My girls were both born in the summer, and I had them outdoors immediately. I used sunscreen on their arms and legs, but not their faces. I kept a big floppy hat on their heads instead, and used a portable "cabana" for instant shade at the pool or park. You can find them in lots of baby stores/catalogs. Try Babiesrus.com or onestepahead.com. I bet you can find them at childrens consignment stores, too.

There is nothing better than being able to take your baby outside for fresh air and sunshine. Enjoy!!

My pediatrician advised me to use a spf of 50 and any brand baby sunscreen when my son was under 6 months. These were her thoughts, she'd rather worry about treating some simple rash than second or thrid degree burns which can happen on such delicate skin. If you are using Desitin or any other diaper rash product with zinc oxided your little girl should be fine! One of the ingredients in sunscreen is zinc oxide! Just remember the rulles apply genrous amounts 20 minutes before heaading into the sun and reapplying depending on situation i.e swimming or not sweating or not every 1-2 hours or after drying off! NOW GET OUT AND HAVE SOME FUN!!! We finally have nice weather!

I used sunscreen on my daughter when she was 2 months old. I just picked one, tried it on a small area first and she was fine with it. I used Coppertone on her. Good luck! Hope you find one for her.

Hm, I have never heard of not using sunscreen until 6 months. We have always been outdoor people, and therefore have put sunscreen on all babies in the family at very young ages. In fact, my sisters baby is just now 9 weeks old and we put sunscreen on her yesterday. I would think NOT getting burnt is MUCH MUCH safer than not using sunscreen. I've never been suggested by a pediatrician to not use sunscreen...Maybe I'm the mistaken one?