Sun Protection For Children
Written by Vacation Idea.com Travel Editors.
During summer vacation time when kids spend a great amount of time outdoors, sun protection is an important health issue to decrease the risk of melanoma. According to expert estimates, 50% to 80% of the skin’s lifetime sun damage occurs before the age of 18. Here are some steps that you can take to make sure that your children are better protected against the sun:
Apply sunscreen before going outdoors
Apply sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15 to your children's skin about 15 to 30 minutes before they go outdoors. This will enable sufficient time for the sunscreen to get absorbed and provide maximum protection.
Continue to reapply sunscreen
A common recommendation by many public health agencies is to reapply sunscreen every 2 to 3 hours. Use waterproof sunscreen when your kids play in the water. You should reapply sunscreen more often if it rubs off for any reason.
 | |||||||
|
|
More Family Vacation Tips |
| ||||
| |||||||
|
|
Family vacation planning tips Things to remember before you go Summer sun protection for children Keeping your kids safe near water |
| ||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
Avoid sun exposure to the midday sun
The sun's rays are the most harmful between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. when they are most perpendicular to the ground. Advise your kids to play in the shadow or indoors during those hours.
Educate your kids about the dangers of sunburn
Your children should understand that they have to use sunscreen to protect themselves from getting sunburn. This is especially important when they are on their own on a school trip or in a summer camp.
Have your kids wear sunglasses
In order to protect your kids' eyes from strong sunlight, purchase plastic polarized UV sunglasses that can be used on land or in the water.
Protective clothing
You can purchase clothing and hats that block UV rays. It is important to know that regular cotton t-shirts do not protect you against UV rays.
