Sunscreen Suggestions - Saint Charles,IL

My son had sensitive skin as a baby. I used Aveeno and Neutrogena. Both were good - did not irritate his skin, but I found Aveeno too thick and hard to rub in. Neutrogena was lighter and rubbed in easier. Nowadays, I use the no-name brand immitation of Coppertone Waterbabies - spray. Spray is so much easier now that he's a fidgety 2 year old.

Arbonne ABC. Best I've ever tried. No allergies, no irritation.
I use the adult version on myself.
:) A.

I have always used either water babies or one by Huggies for babies, they both have an SPF of 50. They are waterproof also so they don't come off in the water. The Huggies one wsa more like a mousse and was easier to put on and not as greasy.

I can't speak for a baby sunscreen, but I love these products by Absolutely Natural. It is a wonderful brand. We discovered them one year on a trip at a resort in Florida. My fair-skinned husband, once again, got carried away and turned into a sun-burnt lobster (not pretty!) and a rep from the company suggested that he try their "Rosehip aloe after sun". The next day he was still glowing but pain-free. That was about 4 years ago and every year we reorder, through mail order. It's just a wonderful line of products. I don't use anything else on my skin. My neighbor and her family and extended family went to the Caribbean last year and I gave her my sales pitch.... not only did she love their sunscreen but she loves their Pure Aloe and Tea Tree product! If you call, they do offer specials (buy x-number and get one free!) Especially if you are a new customer. The Sunscreens have minimal fragrance - that's important to me because I have allergies. (Although the Rosehip after sun does have a natural fragrance- I did notice that the children's sunscreen has an added natural fragrance too.) The main ingredient in children's sunscreen is Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide, which you will find in store brands. The difference with the rest are all the other chemicals that are in there too. Plus..... no animal testing.

http://www.absolutely-natural.com/

The products aren't OTC cheap but you use them sparingly and they will last a while. Good luck.

First, check with your pediatrician - some suggest nothing (except clothes to cover up), until one year old. My children see a dermatologist who suggested a sunscreen called Blue Lizard. I have found it at Walmart or have asked the pharmacy at Walmart to order it for me when they are out. The other thing she suggested is plain zinc oxide, I have bought mine at Walgreens. Hope this helps!

Hello and congrats on your new baby. One thing I did in the summer with my kids (one 4 and one 15 months), before I got them dressed everyday, I covered them from head to toe with a layer of waterproof sunscreen (like water babies 50 or more by Coppertone). I then got into a habit of doing it everyday and they were always protected. It just seemed like there were times that I just wanted to go for a quick walk or something in the summer and I was hesitant because I knew I would need to get the baby lathered up and that would probably just cause them to get fussy. Doing it every morning, they were always protected. Although, skin can get sentitive and they will need more baths unless they already are bathed daily or every other day. For me it was really easy to get into the habit. Good luck.

We just got back from a week long vacation to Florida and lots of time in the sun with our 2 and 4 year old. We used the Huggies Little Swimmers sunscreen with SPF 50. I couldn't believe how well it worked considering the amount of time we spent in the sun. Really waterproof and easy to apply. We barely had to reapply throughout the day and they didn't get sunburn. Goodluck!

Hi!

Make sure the sunscreen has UVA/UVB on the bottle. Spf 30 is fine, 45 is better. ;-)

Enjoy your summer!

check the database that the Environmental Working Group maintains on cosmetics safety (you can just google this - let me know if you cant find it). They evaluate and rate the ingredients in everything. I found it very helpful in choosing a sunscreen for my family.

Please use sunscreen year round. it is not just the "hot" sun that does skin damage. Anything w/o oil is suggested, and at least a 30. xo

Just learned about this resource that provides info on what type products to use that are safe and don't contain yucky chemcials.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/parentsguide/EWG...

My daughter needed special suncreeen and all the dermatoligists recommended Blue Lizard. It is made in Australia and you can either get it at drugstores.com or sometimes CVS. I would get the one for babies or sensitive. It was amazing and it is free of all the bad ingrediants we are hearing about.

I've always used Neutrogena and had no problems. Put it on with a make up sponge...it goes on easy and less mess!

www.cosmeticsdatabase.com has all the ingredients and toxicity of all skin products. We use California Baby and that works well for us. The regular stuff is so toxic I would never put that on my baby

As far as brands go, a lot of people recommend the California Baby. It is a little expensive but I guess it is all natural. I have seen it on amazon for a little less money. One tip I do have is buy a sunscreen "stick". It makes it sooo easy to apply it to their face!

Jodi_

arbonne has good sunscreeen.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Breastfeeding and Parenting Solutions

Any waterproof SPF 30 is fine, but even though it says waterproof, you need to reapply every 2 hours or so. Get something for children--and good for you!

Dear mama- I know this is going agaist the grain, but hear me out: I never have put sunscreen on my kids (now all teens) UNLESS we were going to be at a pool all day, or going to a different climate (like Florida) or there was a chance that we'd be out all day. None of them has ever really had a sunburn, perhaps just a little pink, with no pain. (We are from northern European descent- Swedish and English, so we're pretty pale) If you're just going to the park for an hour, it's really healthier to let her skin be exposed. many kids are now Vitamin D deficient, and the cause is that their skin never sees sunlight! Also, many of the ingredients in sunscreens are much worse for a child's skin than sunlight. Here is a link with more info for you. http://products.mercola.com/summer-survival-kit/ For more info, google Dr. Mercola (he's a doctor that advocates natural solutions, as well as medicinal ones when necessary) and Sunlight or Sunscreen. Our grandmas and grandpas never ever used sunscreen, and yet skin cancer was virtually unknown in their day. They took precautions not to get bad burns (like sunbonnets and hats) and did just fine. Skin cancers arise from a history of sunburn- not sun exposure. I'm telling you this not to alarm you about the possible dangers of sunscreen, but to give you comfort about sunlight. It's not so bad after all!

California Baby sunscreen at Target. It's safe for baby and the bodywash/shampoo is too. It's pricey($9.99) but it's worth it.

Hi J.-
I love Arbonne's Baby Sunscreen with SPF 30. Its gentle enough for the baby's sensitive skin, made without mineral oil or fragrance, and botanically-based. If you need more info email me at ____@____.com.

I used Avveno Baby sunscreen last year for my son, from time he was 6 months old to 10 months old. I asked my son's dr and the pharmacist and they both agreed on it. We spent a lot of time outside and we also were in the pool about 2-3 hours a day. I also bought a hat, shirt, shorts and sun suit for him that were 50+, that blocked UVA and UVB rays, when we were going to be in direct sun at the worst times. You can find these on ebay a little cheaper than you can on-line. He never tanned or burned. Here is the link so you can read about what they said about it.

http://www.aveeno.com/baby/index.jsp?channelFull=09AVOSGG...

Arbonne ABC Sunscreen! It is wonderful!!

I have a great sunscreen from Arbonne. It is SPF 30 and contains no paraben, chemicals or fragrances. It has been pediatricain tested as well! I have my own business with Arbonne and have had great testimonies from moms who have exclusivley used this product on their children from birth on and their children have never had a sunburn! Let me know if you are interested!