A Guide To Baby Sun Protection

Hi there. I'm Abi Cleeve from Ultrasun. I've been in the sun care industry for 13 years, really helping people to make the right decisions on their sun care choices.

Today, I'm going to try and do the same for you. Protecting your baby from the sun is imperative. Baby skin is so vulnerable and it's essential that we really look after them.

Of course, the ideal is to keep your baby out of the sun as much as possible and I've given that advice to so many Mums who then say to me, “But if you're pushing your buggy in a certain direction or, of course, when they're toddlers, it's very hard to always achieve that.” So, my advice is twofold. It's very important to use the right protection for your baby and then, of course, to try and keep them out of the sun as much as possible especially between the hours of 11 and 3 when we all know the sun is at its hottest.

When choosing that sun protection, look for something that is a super-sensitive formula, then you know it has got the lowest chemical load possible. This means that the manufacturer has really tried to reduce the amount of chemicals in that product wherever possible and the only things in that product are there to protect your baby's skin. Of course, you need to find a really high SPF or UVB protection.

This will protect your baby's skin from burning but you also need to look for a very high UVA protection as well to protect your baby's skin in the long-term. The best way to do this is to read the labels. Really look at what is in that product and make sure it's targeted for your baby's skin.

A high UVB would be an SPF or UVB protection of 30 or more. When we're talking about babies, I would really like you to use higher than that, even in England. I would like you to be using a 50 plus.

It's very important to patch-test with a baby's skin. Obviously, your child is coming into contact with things all the time that they never encountered before. Just use a little bit on the inside of the elbow and do a little patch-test and wait 24 hours to see if there is any reaction on your baby's skin.

That's the ideal way to make sure you get the right sunscreen for your baby. .