Sun Safety

• Keep babies younger than 6 months out of direct sunlight. Find shade under a tree, umbrella, or the stroller canopy. Use sunscreen on small areas of the body, such as the face and the backs of the hands, if protective clothing and shade are not available.

• For babies older than 6 months. Apply sunscreen to all areas of the body, but be careful around the eyes. If your baby rubs sunscreen into her eyes, wipe the eyes and hands clean with a damp cloth. If the sunscreen irritates her skin, try a different brand or try a sunscreen stick 

• When possible, dress yourself and your kids in cool, comfortable clothing that covers the body, like lightweight cotton pants, long-sleeved shirts, and hats.

• Limit your sun exposure between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, when UV rays are strongest.

• Use a sunscreen that says "broad-spectrum" on the label; that means it will screen out both UVB and UVA rays.

• Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 (up to SPF 50). An SPF of 15 or 30 should be fine for most people.

• Put sunscreen on 15-30 minutes before going outdoors. It needs time to absorb into the skin.

• Use sunscreen any time you or your child might sunburn. Remember that you can get sunburn even on cloudy days. Also, UV rays can bounce back from water, sand, snow, and concrete so make sure you’re protected.

• Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours. Sunscreen wears off after swimming, sweating, or just from soaking into the skin.