The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms

Fun in the sun is great but remember that ultraviolet rays are the number one cause of skin cancer and at the very least can make you look years older if you don’t take the proper precautions. Can you believe that on average only 11% of all people use sunscreen?! While this is an appalling statistic at first glance it does include all of the people who live in hot third world countries who can’t afford or do not have access to sunscreen. Statistics aside, lets focus on what really matters, the sun and our kids. Sunscreen and our kids must go hand in hand and it’s so important that everyone with babies and kids are sunscreen savvy .

As someone who has battled basal-cell cancer on my face (and lived to tell about it….ok, it’s not quite that dramatic, but it was pretty scary at the time). I am an advocate for lathering on the sunscreen. My kids look like pasty white arctic polar bears even in the spring because I use so much sunscreen on them. Help your children set the stage for a life that will be skin cancer and wrinkle free. Good skin care habits start young.

It’s very important for parents to not only to lather on the sunscreen but to ensure that they re-apply the sunscreen every 1-2 hours (depending on how much water is involved in your daily activities). Even if you are using the waterproof sunscreen it’s still important to re-apply at least every two hours. Kids are so active and can shed the protective powers of sunscreen much quicker than adults. Between sweating off the sunscreen, wiping it off and playing in the water….that sunscreen doesn’t stand much of chance to soak in. Another key thing to remember about sunscreen is that it takes a few minutes to absorb into the skin and be ready to fully protect little ones. Apply the sunscreen 20 – 30 minutes before you head outdoors….to give it time to soak in.

In terms of applying the sunscreen, a key tactic that I learned was to make putting it on a game for the kids. Children are notorious for resisting things that are good for them, especially when it is a cold greasy liquid or slimy spray. To combat this behavior, try and have some fun with it. What child doesn’t like a good game of “hide the sunscreen”? Make sure that you “hide” the sunscreen in their ears (number one place that’s forgotten when putting on sunscreen), in between their toes (and get a little tickle in there while you are at it) and on their scalp (for all the kids who refuse to wear a sunhat) The new mist sunscreens are great for the scalp. For all the problems the sun causes in our medical system, sunscreen should be free…..or at least covered under our regular health care plan. However, it’s not….so, watch your local drugstores or big box store for sales. Quite often they will have a sale you can take advantage of. It’s worth it to stock up on it and have a bottle located in your house, in your car, in your hubby’s car…..in Grandma’s car. You can never have enough sun screen laying around. For those of you who took advantage of the end of season sales last year, be sure to check the expiry date on the bottles you purchased. Sunscreen does expire so be careful.

Ok, so, now that I have preached my heart out on the sunscreen topic, I only have one last point to make….when you have spent 30 minutes lathering up your kids with sunscreen, do not forget to lather yourself…..mommies need sunscreen too!!!!

Have fun out there!

Filed under: Parenting Tagged: | Sun Protection, Sunburn, sunscreen