sun protection, summer, swimming, and sweet babes

Looking forward to answers...subbing....

Thanks for the suggestions. It seems everyone had their own style of coping with the sun. DD was born in August and she wore mostly onesies or similar without getting a sunburn if I kept her in the shade. We'll probably do the same this summer. Still not sure about swimming. I'd like to see more comments. What are the swimsuits with long sleeves and pants? I've not seen those.

I was very hardcore about avoiding sun exposure the first summer. Especially after I saw him turn a little red (not really burned) after a stroller ride where I kept him well shaded. We took baby swimming lessons in an indoor "therapeutic" (i.e. bathtub temp) pool. This gave me a chance to get in the water with him a little.

The second summer, I didn't let him swim until at least 4 in the afternoon at the lake and only in the shade in the wading pool at home. Grandma hated this, but tough. We know that sunburns on young skin has lifelong implications, so I'm not taking any chances. We also always went to the park EARLY (8:00) so we were coming home by the time the sun was getting strong.

Your dd may be different, of course, but my ds really didn't particularly like pools or lakes until he as about 18 months old. He's always loved the bath, but that's a more routine and structured situation. For an infant, I personally think it's more important to make sure they don't develop a fear of a water than to try and encourage them to swim or to love the water. That will come later.

If I had to rank them, I'd say a sunburn (cancer risk) is worse than using sunscreen (allergy risk) in a baby, but I prefer to avoid both as much as possible. I did use sunscreen once when we were in San Franciso and couldn't keep his legs adequately shaded.

Maybe I'll try the UV protectant sunsuits this year. I always assumed they'd be to hot, but that doesn't appear to be the experience of other posters.

Lara

We go to an indoor pool now in arizona. But when we lived in hawaii we always put the girls in a spf 50+ rashguard/wetsuit. Always always they wear hats when outside. There are many good uv hats out there for children but i prefer using flap happy hats because of the very wide brims and tie under the chin. We also used those with the swimsuits with built in diaper...both by flap happy. Being in year round sun its hard to avoid exposure. As infants i used sunscreen. My FIL died last year of melanoma so we are VERY careful about sun exposure. It is best to avoid the outdoors during peak UV hours. But definitely use hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. I just ordered my dds a uv suit to wear during the day. There are many great products made in australia for sun protection.

Oooo! I would never allow my dd to get a sunburn. I couldn't imagine her having one, because I won't allow myself to get one. I kept her barely dress all last summer and she didn't even get slightly red. If I overdress her, and she gets too hot, she breaks out in a heat rash, so I don't have the option of dressing her more. I don't even allow myself to get tanned in the summer, and I still manage to swim.

I don't believe dd would be afraid of the water if dh and I are both with her. I know I can't force her to enjoy swimming, but she already loves the water in the bathtub, and she loves to kick and splash. I believe she would feel safe with us, but if she doesn't she doesn't have to swim. As with any activity I may introduce her to.

I agree that sunscreen is better than sunburn. I will probably introduce her to swimming indoors. There is a baby swim class here, and we may try that. Thanks again for the input!

Oh! I've been checking out the flappy hats! I'll get one of those too!

the best sunscreen I've found is Aubrey Organics. Other than the active ingredients there are NO OTHER chemicals in it. And the active ingredients are relatively mild ones - titanium dioxide and something else...

Organic Living published a study last year and they are finding that many sunscreens contain cancer causing ingredients so it's very impoartant to use one that contains the least amount of chemicals.

Also, FWIW, chlorine is not only bad for skin and hair, but it's also absorbed thru the skin and toxic to the body. So IMO outside in a lake with a "healthY" sunscreen and long clothing is best. My DD loves playing in the ocean, but so far we only go after 3 PM or later. So it's rare that we need sunscreen.

Another idea is to bring a shade umbrella, find a lake or creek or something that is shady in one area (prob wouldn't be a public beach tho... ) or as in our case near the ocean - I have heard that behind the condos is a good place to go because they shade the beach in the afternoon.

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