Sunscreen for a 4 Month Old

you can still put sunscreen on her even though it says 6 months. my son was born dec 22, 2005 so he was around the same age as your daughter is now. I use to put sunscreen on him all the time when he was that young.

Ask your babies doctor, I had my daughter out and used sunscreen, but I mostly kept her in the shade, I can't remember the name of the sunscreen through, but ask your doctor they will be able to tell you.

This is something you're probably going to have to discuss with her pediatrician. You could ask about using non-chemical sunblocks (the only sunblock ingredients contained in these products are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide--this information will be clearly marked on the back of the package). Also, you could do the SunGuard thing (I think that's what it's called), which is a product that you launder on to clothing that gives an equivalent SPF of 50 or so and lasts through a bunch of washings. Mostly, you are going to have to try to keep her in the shade. Umbrellas, overhangs, etc. And don't forget sunglasses!

I think there are sunscreens they do make for babies. I used sunscreen on mine when they were as young as 1 month old, it didn't seem to hurt them,but I would check with a pediatrician just to make sure.

Use Titanium Dioxide formula. My daughter broke out in a rash last year from baby sunscreen and her doctor told me to only use sunscreen with titanium dioxide formula. Eckerd sells it.
All baby suncreens are not good.

I had this dilema last year. I talked to a pediatric dermatologist who told me that it is more important that they stay protected. That being said, she says to make sure that the sunscreen you use is an oxide so that it does not soak in. She says to use Blue Lizard's baby formulation called Baby Lizard. It is sold in many dermatologists offices and just started being carried in CVS. I think I remember searching on the blue lizard website for where it was carried near me. I was/am very confident using it since a dermatologist who uses it on her own baby reccomended it to me!!!

hi A....i've heard the reason they recommend not putting sunscreen on infants under 6 months is because they do not test it on children younger then 6 months so there is no data. my boys were all born in houston and it is HOT there in the summer so i put it on all of them when they were young. I just tested a small patch on their arm or leg to see first if they had any reaction. of course this is a personal decision, but thats what i did. maybe you could look on line and see if the research thing is true. good luck! B.

I think I used sunscreen with my daughter a month or two before she turned 6 months. Just put a small amount on her skin to see if she'll have a reaction to it. If she doesn't, I would think it's ok to use.

I saw this on Ivillage.com

"For babies under six months of age, sunscreen may be used on small areas of the body such as the face and the back of the hands if adequate clothing and shade are not available. For older children, test the sunscreen on the baby's back for a reaction before applying it all over. Apply carefully around the eyes, avoiding the eyelids. If your baby rubs sunscreen into her eyes, wipe the eyes and hands clean with a damp cloth. If the sunscreen burns her eyes, try a different brand or try a sunscreen stick or sunblock with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. If a rash develops, talk to your pediatrician."

There are two very important reasons for not overusing sunscreen in young babies:

1. Infants and children have what is called a high body surface to volume ratio. What this means is that proportionately babies have more skin for the size body as compared to an adult. Sunscreens are made of chemicals. On the older child and adult, the chemical exposure is relatively minimal because the body surface ratio is smaller than a baby. Therefore, babies get a higher "dose" of sunscreen than do those older. While this exposure would most likely not cause any problems, the likelihood of an adverse reaction is greater.

2. Babies have a mildly impaired mechanism to keep cool by sweating. In addition, they have a greater risk of becoming dehydrated due to heat. Sunscreen can somewhat impair effective cooling by perspiration, so placing it on an infant could be detrimental.

This should help you a little. I would get the best formula as close to a hypoallergenic with a high SPF like 45 or 50 and just put in on the cheeks, nose, head. Try and get a little sun hat and then you wont have to put in on her head, maybe just a bit on her forehead. Then maybe some on the arms and shoulders and maybe a bit on the front of the legs or where you think she will get the most sun. I think Coppertone has one called Waterbabies. That is a good one.

M.

There are 2 different kinds of sunscreen - chemical and physical. Whenever possible, look for the phsyical (the zinc oxide variety). My son was about 3 months with very fair skin for his first summer. Our pediatrician recommended using the physical variety if possible (though it is hard to find lotions that aren't chemical protectors too). We used Aveeno baby a lot as it is usually very gentle - though expensive. You only want to put it on exposed areas and try to avoid hands and the face. They will rub their hands on their eyes and put in their mouths and you don't want the sunscreen there. You can put a bit on her cheeks if needed. Also, you should look for a wide brimmed hat that says it has sun protecting power. Certain fabrics have been treated or can prevent the sun's damaging rays better than others. Since you may be in a/c a lot too, you can continue to dress her in light weight longer clothes and still keep her comfortable most of the time.

It's funny because it seems like a lot of people have the same question, and I keep responding to them. I use Arbonne baby sunscreen on my kids. The company's philosphy is to use only pure, safe and beneficial ingredients in their products, so there are no harmful chemicals that you would be smearing on your baby's delicate skin. This sunscreen is the best there is, I believe that whole-heartedly. If you want to try some, let me know. I wouldn't use anything else of my kids, because I know that there are cancer-causing ingredients in other products out there in the marketplace. You don't have to worry abou the baby sucking on their hand or arm and ingesting harmful chemicals, because these are completely safe.
If you want, you can visit www.arbonne.com to check them out.

I asked my pediatrician and she told me to put it on her. She told me to use Neutrogena Sensitive Skin (which is interesting because it's not even a baby formula). In any case, I used that on her and she is perfectly fine.

Hi A.. I wanted to let you know I am a consultant with Arbonne International which has all pure, safe and botanical products. I have a sample of the ABC baby line which has sunscreen, herbal diaper rash, hair and body wash & body lotion. Let me know if you would like to try it. You could also visit www.arbonne.com to check it out. Thanks and good luck...

L.

There is a sunscreen called No-Ad. It is very gentle and can be used on children younger than 6 months. I use it my son Austin who was less then 6 months old all summer, he had ne affects at all from this sunscreen I plan on using it on my 2 1/2 month old this weekend. You can get it at walmart and I do believe that a bottle is less than 5 dollars. It is a pink bottle with blue print.

Use a dark umbrella (the rain kind) when you're in the sun with your baby.