sunscreen under 6 months

[hw77]

General guidelines are no sunscreen under 6 months. I asked the pedi if this was due to potential allergies or just b/c babies skin is in general sensitive and she said we could buy baby suncreen  and try it.... Our daughter is 4.5 months old we are going to the beach just for the weekend, we've bought a tent, hat, long sleeve shirt, is it better just to keep her completely in the shade and only outside for a little bit then risk trying a baby sunscreen? 

Just looking for some clear guidance.

if she was over 6 months then what brand of sunscreen would you recommend? 

[Deleted]

My pedi said to have her wear a hat and rashguard, but exposed skin could be covered in sun BLOCK (not sunscreen) made with zinc oxide. It was a little greasy but not problematic.

[imimahoney]

Actually my pedi said that now they say you can put sunblock on babies under 6 months old. Obviously, do your best to keep them out of direct sun but a little sunblock won't hurt them.

[spankswife]

Our pedi said the only concern is they might get a rash but a rash is better than sunburn.

We use babyganics bc I like the pump spray (not aerosol). I'd use a hat and tent, but sunscreen on the legs/feet/hands if you go swimming.

[humpforfree]

Mine said no sun under 6 months (thus no sunscreen), but when we were out at the lake I did put sunblock on him (and rash guard and hat and A&A blanket)... I took precautions to keep him out of the sun, but I would rather be safe than sorry..

[rugbywife]

Can I just clarify with people...this is for when it is an extended amount of time, right? Like more than a few minutes?

[jorja]

My pediatrician told us to go ahead with sunscreen at our 4 month appointment. He said the risk of a burn is worse than any of the risks associated with sunscreen. We still try to keep her out of the sun as much as possible. We use Babyganics and Neutrogena Pure and Free.

[rugbywife]

Jul 29, 2015 20:18:16 GMT -5 luckydog said:

We put it on DD'S legs when we walked outside with her in the carrier. No problems.

Every doctor has a different opinion on this. I would try a little on her leg now so that if she does react, it is just that little spot and you can take other precautions this weekend.

See, this is my issue. I wear DS in my Beco and I wonder about his legs. He isn't even 3 months old yet. No idea what to do. 

[cheeseandcrackers]

She has been on the beach several times but I have tried to keep her in the shade a lot. The times I didn't I just put a little bit of Babyganics Pure Mineral Sunscreen Stick - SPF 50+ on the uncovered parts, she didn't get a rash or anything so I guess it worked lol.

[hw77]

Thanks!!! I agree a rash is better then a sunburn but plan to keep her pretty much entirely out of the sun. I myself have had hardly any exposure to the sun this year and really cant sit out too long anyway (of course I'll be lathered in spf 30)

[rugbywife]

Jul 29, 2015 20:24:36 GMT -5 luckydog said:

Jul 29, 2015 20:19:30 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

See, this is my issue. I wear DS in my Beco and I wonder about his legs. He isn't even 3 months old yet. No idea what to do. 

Dermatologists will tell you to use sunscreen from birth (generalized statement). Pedis differ. We did a light blanket for shorter times outside, but that isn't real coverage. So we tried it, had no problems, and just did her legs til she was a bit older. 

What is the reason for not using it?  I do a white blanket on him when he is in the stroller to protect his legs. I have only had him out in the carrier in the sun a handful of times but I have never known what to do with his legs/arms. 

[badtzmaru22]

We used it under six months with no problems. Zinc oxide is also in diaper cream, so I didn't think it would be a big deal.

[hski2349]

My dd had to go to a pediatric deem, who was one of the top in the country. He and his colleague wrote the sunscreen guidelines. He told me the reason it says not to use under 6 months is to discourage babies sitting in the sun. But if you are out walking , at the ark etc., try to cover the, up, but it is ok to,apply sunscreen in moderation.

[rugbywife]

Jul 29, 2015 21:04:01 GMT -5 hski2349 said:

My dd had to go to a pediatric deem, who was one of the top in the country. He and his colleague wrote the sunscreen guidelines. He told me the reason it says not to use under 6 months is to discourage babies sitting in the sun. But if you are out walking , at the ark etc., try to cover the, up, but it is ok to,apply sunscreen in moderation.

Ok, this makes more sense. I am not going to sit him in the sun but I would like to protect him when he is exposed.

[londoncalling]

Jul 29, 2015 20:19:30 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

Jul 29, 2015 20:18:16 GMT -5 luckydog said:

We put it on DD'S legs when we walked outside with her in the carrier. No problems.

Every doctor has a different opinion on this. I would try a little on her leg now so that if she does react, it is just that little spot and you can take other precautions this weekend.

See, this is my issue. I wear DS in my Beco and I wonder about his legs. He isn't even 3 months old yet. No idea what to do. 

I had a pair of spf baby legs. I don't know if they still make them.

Eta: the ones with spf are called BabyCool!

[boiler717]

Jul 29, 2015 20:26:53 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

Jul 29, 2015 20:24:36 GMT -5 luckydog said:

Dermatologists will tell you to use sunscreen from birth (generalized statement). Pedis differ. We did a light blanket for shorter times outside, but that isn't real coverage. So we tried it, had no problems, and just did her legs til she was a bit older. 

What is the reason for not using it?  I do a white blanket on him when he is in the stroller to protect his legs. I have only had him out in the carrier in the sun a handful of times but I have never known what to do with his legs/arms. 

The reason is because AAP says babies should be kept out of the sun, so no need for sunblock or sunscreen. If they said it was okay, then that would be saying it's okay for babies to be in the sun. They have softened their stance on this recently, however. In reality, of course you try your best to keep them out of the sun or covered up, but some skin is still exposed at some times and it's better to have sunblock on them than nothing. Sunblock with physical blockers like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are perfectly safe (it's essentially diaper cream!) and there's no increased risk of a skin rash that's different than using any other cream or ointment.

[thebreakfastclub]

I think doctors should just give practical real world advice on how to keep kids safe in the sun. It's not realistic to keep a young baby out of the sun 100% of the time if you have an older child at home as well. At my local pool though, DS is often one of only a few toddlers wearing a hat, so that is clearly not stressed enough.

[rugbywife]

Jul 30, 2015 6:30:24 GMT -5 thebreakfastclub said:

I think doctors should just give practical real world advice on how to keep kids safe in the sun. It's not realistic to keep a young baby out of the sun 100% of the time if you have an older child at home as well. At my local pool though, DS is often one of only a few toddlers wearing a hat, so that is clearly not stressed enough.

I know! I kept my kids out of direct sunlight for extended periods of time but realistically they are going to have some sun on them at some point.

[Deleted]

Jul 30, 2015 6:30:24 GMT -5 thebreakfastclub said:

I think doctors should just give practical real world advice on how to keep kids safe in the sun. It's not realistic to keep a young baby out of the sun 100% of the time if you have an older child at home as well. At my local pool though, DS is often one of only a few toddlers wearing a hat, so that is clearly not stressed enough.

DS will not keep a hat on. It is not from lack of trying. I kinda assume most parents try but could be wrong.

[Deleted]

We did some before 6 months but minimal. I tried to keep her in shade or long sleeves or only outside for minimal amount of time

[heygrey]

Jul 30, 2015 6:30:24 GMT -5 thebreakfastclub said:

I think doctors should just give practical real world advice on how to keep kids safe in the sun. It's not realistic to keep a young baby out of the sun 100% of the time if you have an older child at home as well. At my local pool though, DS is often one of only a few toddlers wearing a hat, so that is clearly not stressed enough.

I've yet to find a hat that my kid will keep on. It's not for lack of trying.
Eta: ditto @envino

[rugbywife]

We have tried so many hats. We have one she won't ALWAYS take off. I count that as a win.

[thebreakfastclub]

Jul 30, 2015 7:37:15 GMT -5 @republicrat said:

Jul 30, 2015 6:30:24 GMT -5 thebreakfastclub said:

I think doctors should just give practical real world advice on how to keep kids safe in the sun. It's not realistic to keep a young baby out of the sun 100% of the time if you have an older child at home as well. At my local pool though, DS is often one of only a few toddlers wearing a hat, so that is clearly not stressed enough.

DS will not keep a hat on. It is not from lack of trying. I kinda assume most parents try but could be wrong.

I am barely seeing rash guards either. I see a lot of young babies in just a swim suit.

DS mostly got in line when the choice was to sit in the car or wear his hat.

[mabillon]

Jul 29, 2015 20:26:53 GMT -5 rugbywife said:

Jul 29, 2015 20:24:36 GMT -5 luckydog said:

Dermatologists will tell you to use sunscreen from birth (generalized statement). Pedis differ. We did a light blanket for shorter times outside, but that isn't real coverage. So we tried it, had no problems, and just did her legs til she was a bit older. 

What is the reason for not using it?  I do a white blanket on him when he is in the stroller to protect his legs. I have only had him out in the carrier in the sun a handful of times but I have never known what to do with his legs/arms. 

Just dealt with this during an extended day at the zoo. I use the same blanket I use on the stroller (A&A), folded it into thirds basically, and tucked it around his legs while he was in the carrier. It was still loose from the bottom so his legs got plenty of air and he definitely didn't get burned.

[boxerdog]

I used baby sunscreen last summer when DS was under 6 months. The pedi said it was fine. I kept him out of the sun, but I was still paranoid about burns.

[Deleted]

Jul 30, 2015 7:56:51 GMT -5 thebreakfastclub said:

Jul 30, 2015 7:37:15 GMT -5 @republicrat said:

DS will not keep a hat on. It is not from lack of trying. I kinda assume most parents try but could be wrong.

I am barely seeing rash guards either. I see a lot of young babies in just a swim suit.

DS mostly got in line when the choice was to sit in the car or wear his hat.

My poor redhead looks like he's wearing a wetsuit at the pool. I am so thankful for rashguards.

What age does rational behavior set in? (Kidding, sort of).

[shellbear09]

I would mostly keep out of the sun but also use sunscreen. We have had luck with the aveeno stuff for sensitive skin. Just get a kind with zinc oxide. A sunburn is worse than any sunscreen.

[Deleted]

We avoided the sun as much as possible but did you use sunblock (blue lizard and badger brands) for the girls before 6 mos.