Doreen Nagle: Sun protection is a family priority

Tag : titanium block

Sunblock or sunscreen?
Most of us use the terms "sunscreen" and "sunblock"interchangeably. Sunscreen protects skin by absorbing or reflectingUVA and UVB rays. Sunblock, on the other hand, actually blocks,reflects and scatters the sun's rays (note: no sunblock willcompletely block solar rays).
Many experts, including Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, agreesunblock can be more beneficial, especially if it contains titaniumdioxide and zinc oxide. Those ingredients are less likely to causeallergic reactions than avobenzone (Parsol 1789), the sunscreeningredient in most products.
Check the label to see if the product is waterproof. Either way,reapply every few hours when swimming. Also reapply when your childhas worked up a sweat playing outside.
Apply liberally. Toddlers should be covered with about half of anadult palm full of lotion. Older children need about double thatamount.
Cover all skin that will be exposed. Don't overlook tops of feet,toes, nose, rims of ears, backs of necks, cheeks, hands andshoulders. Lips also need cover-up. They have no melanin and,therefore, can burn.
The sun's damaging rays can pass through clouds, so use sunblockeven when it is not sunny.
Do not put ointments, petroleum jelly, butter or sprays on sunburn.Call your pediatrician if your child is in pain, has a fever or hasdeveloped blisters from sunburn.
Some new products combine sunscreen and sunblock to get UVA and UVBprotection. SPF rating
Many people have a misconception of what a sun protection factorrating means. An SPF rating is the amount of time it would normallytake for skin to turn red versus the time it would take without theproduct. So if it would take 20 minutes to redden withoutsunblock/screen, an SPF of 15 means it would take 15 times longer(five hours).
Use an SPF of at least 30 for children.
A mistake some parents make is reducing the amount of SPF as theirchildren grow tanner. Tans do not protect against the sun's harmfulrays, so continue to reapply protection. Clothing
While covering up with clothes is not a guarantee of fullprotection (a cotton T-shirt is comparable to an SPF of only five),choose lightweight, light-colored clothing when dressing yourchild. Put a baseball cap on older children or a hat with anattached neck scarf (see below for dressing an infant). Use sunumbrellas at the beach or poolside; many are made withsun-protective fabric these days. Buy sunglasses with UVA and UVBprotection.
Infants younger than six months of age should not be out in thehot, direct sun. If the baby must be in the sun, protect her with alightweight, wide-brim hat, sunglasses, cool long sleeves andcovered legs. Do not apply sunscreen or sunblock. Ensure she hasplenty of water, and keep her time in the direct sun to a minimum.Some sun exposure is necessary to manufacture vitamin D. Parenting from the trenches
Look online for manufacturers who make clothing from sun-protectivematerials.
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Doreen Nagle is author of "But I Don't Feel Too Old To Be A Mommy"(HCI, $12.95). She welcomes your parenting tips and concerns at parentinginanutshell@joimail.com .