Sunscreen?

[seattleguamgirl]

DS will be six months this week so it's time to start applying sunscreen. Do you have any brands to recommend? We will be swimming outdoors a couple times a week for the rest of the summer--our corporate housing has a pool so I want to take DS swimming occasionally.

TIA for the recommendations!

[Adam's Pi]

I believe the brand we use is Coppertone Waterbabies SPF 50 (it comes in a pink tube). It was the brand recommended by our ped. I think the important thing when picking a sunscreen is that it is a high SPF, blocks UVA and UVB rays, and is a multi-spectrum block.

[Marisa]

California Baby makes a sunscreen that has all natural ingredients. We use the Waterbabies kind now (Joey is 18 mos) but last year when he was 6 mos I felt more comfortable using something that wasn't full of chemicals.

[seattleguamgirl]

Thank you both for the recs!

Marisa, I didn't know California Baby makes sunscreen. Do they sell it at Whole Foods along with their bath products?

[Marisa]

Yes! And... I just saw that they had it on sale this week (as of Saturday) so get there soon if you can, it's a little pricey! :)

[spps]

Anyone have any recs for sunscreen for really sensitive skin? We tried the Waterbabies by Coppertone brand and it gave DS eczema.

[lml41981]

We're using Jason's kid sunscreen with SPF 46. It does have fragrance and DD does not have sensitive skin, so I don't know if it would work for you. It is only $7/tube, so if it doesn't work you won't be out a lot of money trying it. :)

[Marisa]

We have been using the California Baby stuff for the past couple of years. I have tried the Jason's stuff too, that wasn't bad either.

I was impressed with how well the CB stuff did, even on a week-long beach vacation it kept DS safe and sunburn-free.

[BeachBum]

We live in Fl, so I need something that really works. We have been using California Baby and have been very happy with the coverage and protection. I have only found it online--not in stores which is kind of a bummer

[MichelleRenee]

Would the California Baby be the best choice for an 8mo with really sensitive skin, or should we go with Aveeno sunscreen for babies. We are going to Florida and I am sure the sun will be stronger there than in Ohio.

[Ericka_Jarett]

MichelleRenee - They say any sunscreen without chemicals is usually pretty safe with sensitive skinned babies, not sure how true that is though.

Has anyone used: Blue Lizard Australian Suncream for Babies. It's chemical free and has zinc oxide which I understand is a surface protectant as opposed to WaterBabies which is a checmical penetrating lotion. We are going to Fl in April while Easton is 7 months and then to Southern California when he is about 10 months. Plus going to the Jersey Shore this summer.

[ktsb]

I'm wondering about the 6 mos rule. We are having extremely warm weather for this time of year (80s) so we really want to be outside enjoying it. I keep a hat on and have ordered some sunglasses but it's getting increasingly hard to keep her now naked arms and feet shaded.

DD is 5 mos and 1 week.

[aprilshowers]

BeachBum - do you live near a Whole Foods? They should carry it there.

[maybebaby]

ktsb My ped said the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) changed the recommendation this year to say that sunscreen is fine for all babies, not just 6 months and up. I would not hesitate to put sunscreen on a 5 month old, personally.

[Bloomwood]

I just saw a derm this week and was asking about sunscreen. I thought I'd share what I learned.

She showed me a chart that illustrated the different protection levels of sunscreen. SPF 15 protects at 93% while ANYTHING at and above SPF 30 protects at 96%, so there's really no advantage to buying the SPF 50 like I did for DD.

As previously mentioned it is important to look for UVB as well as UVA protection. She said to look in the active ingredient list for one of the following (it only needs to be one):
Parsol (marketing name for avobenzone)
zinc oxide
titanium dioxide
mexoryl/anthelios/ecamsule

She also said that the best protection is avoidance and then coverage (long pants and shirts)

Katie - I would definitely use sunscreen on her. Also, you can pick up some cotton poplin shirts that are super lightweight to protect her arms. I have a couple from gymboree.

[allyray231]

I have an all natural sunscreen for DS (dont remeber the name) because he has sensative skin. califonia baby is good too

[ion]

Has anyone heard of All Terrain Kidsport? It's supposed to be all natural and has that zinc oxide. REI carries it. I wanted something with less chemicals like California Baby, but it doesn't have zinc oxide.

[mgrace]

ion, California Baby has titanium dioxide instead. You can check the ingredients out at drugstore.com

Target now carries California Baby products.

[ktsb]

Thanks everybody! Just what I wanted to hear. :)

[jh124]

We use Banana Boat Tear Free for kids.

[ceaserbride]

We bought Waterbabies by Coppertone brand today for dd. When we got home I applied it before we went outside. Well dd got tired and started rubbing her eyes and then it was an all out scream fit. I rinsed her eyes with cold water and they were still red for about an hour! I see the post above about the bb tear free but didn't see it. I may have to keep looking.
I was thinking of going with Aveno. Has anyone had the tear problem with it????
Do you apply sunscreen to the backs of your babes hands??
Anyother recs would be appreciated!

[dollface]

Hi ladies. I work for a dermatologist so i am always scrutinizing whatever I put on my son's skin. Here is a great resource to look up the risk factor in almost any product out there...

www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

We only recommend one sunscreen out of our office and it's called Z Silc. as far as what type of protection, you want to make it's a physical block or a chemical/physical combo, not just a chemical. Here is a list of sunblock ingredients and what a chemical/physical block might have in it...

UVA chemical sunblock sunscreen ingredients
*Avobenzone, Parsol 1789
* Dioxybenzone, UVB, UVAII
* Ecamsule
* Menthyl Anthranilate
* Meradimate
* Oxybenzone, benzophenone, benzophenone-3
* Sulisobenzone, UVB, UVAII
*Zinc Oxide
*Titanium Oxide

UVB chemical sunblock sunscreen ingredients
*Aminobenzoic acid
* Cinnamates, octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC), Ethylhexyl p-Methoxycinnamate
* Cinoxate
* Dioxybenzone, UVB, UVAII
* Ensulizole
* Homosalate
* Octocrylene
* Octinoxate
* Octisalate
* Oxybenzone, UVB, UVAII
* Octyl dimethyl paba
* Padimate O
* Para-aminobenzoic acid, PABA
* Salicylates, octyl salicytate (OCS)
* Sulisobenzone, UVB, UVAII
* Trolamine salicylate
*Zinc Oxide
*Titanium Oxide

The ones I bolded are more likely cause irritation.

[TracyDP]

Hi ladies. I work for a dermatologist so i am always scrutinizing whatever I put on my son's skin. Here is a great resource to look up the risk factor in almost any product out there...

www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

We only recommend one sunscreen out of our office and it's called Z Silc.

Do they sell this at regular stores or just out of Derm offices?

[karlatta]

We use UV Natural Baby 30+ for the whole family. It's completely natural and has Zinc Oxide as a block.

I wouldn't use the Z Silc as it has parabens, and we try to limit paraben exposure (esp. on my daughter) as much as possible. Since we use it every day, I'm not comfortable exposing her to that much.

[ceaserbride]

Karletta
UV Natural Baby 30+

Have you ever had a problem with stinging eyes with this brand??
My dd rubs her eyes a lot with her hands and arms and I know Coppertone Waterbabies causes stinging.

[mommydearest]

We used Aveeno Baby a few times, though honestly, I just kept her out of the sun.

[karlatta]

Have you ever had a problem with stinging eyes with this brand??
My dd rubs her eyes a lot with her hands and arms and I know Coppertone Waterbabies causes stinging.

No. According to UV Natural, the formula is sting-free and won't irritate eyes. I can't tell you if that's really accurate or not, though, because DD doesn't rub her eyes. I do have to caution that it doesn't have the best smell in the world - but I'm willing to put up with that for all of its other benefits.

[Ericka_Jarett]

We bought this last year and will use it again. According to that site posted, it's a 2: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/product.php?prod_id=17090
by Blanket Sunblock Lotion for Babies. Titanium Dioxide formula

It's 50+ SPF
Non-stinging (we have applied to the back of Easton's hands and no issues)
Paba-Free
Hypoallergenic
Waterproof

Got it at Big Lots last year for $3 a tube. You can get it at TRU and BRU too

[BrownEyedGirl]

Target didn't have the California baby but I did get a couple other options...

Aveeno Baby and Burt's Bees.

Here's my question...What makes baby sunscreen baby sunscreen? How is it different. The Aveeno is "Baby" and SPF 55, The Burt's Bees is 100% natural, but not "baby" and only 30 SPF...but if this is correct: She showed me a chart that illustrated the different protection levels of sunscreen. SPF 15 protects at 93% while ANYTHING at and above SPF 30 protects at 96%, so there's really no advantage to buying the SPF 50 like I did for DD. does it matter.

Basically, which is better??

[BrownEyedGirl]

Anybody???

Difference between baby sunscreen and adult sunscreen??

[Bloomwood]

Anybody???

Difference between baby sunscreen and adult sunscreen??

marketing so they can squeeze a few extra pennies out of you!! :)

[ktsb]

Anybody???

Difference between baby sunscreen and adult sunscreen??


You pose an interesting question. We are moving to just using the Aveeno product for the whole family (DH and DD have very sensitive skin) and I can see no difference between the baby product and the adult product.

It used to be the SPFs on the baby products were generaly higher but not really any more.

[TracyDP]

So the baby sunblock I have is a 7 on the database. Not good. But, the sport sunblock DH and I use is a 3. So, would it matter if I used the sport stuff on DD? I can't imagine it would make that much difference. I don't see any "tear free" baby sunblocks on the safe list on the DB anyway. If there is one, please point it out because I didn't see any. All the tear free ones seemed to have a high rating.

[Ericka_Jarett]

you have to watch with the adult ones, they can sting the eyes. Most baby ones are designed not to sting

[ellidew]

We use Banana Boat Baby Tear Free SPF 50. It's a broad spectrum UVA & UVB block. It's a 3 on the database. (http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/product.php?prod_id=93182) It's a No tearing, Hypoallergenic, waterproof, PABA-free, fragrance-free formula.

HOMOSALATE (15%)
OCTINOXATE (OCTYL METHOXYCINNAMATE) (7.5%)
OCTISALATE (5%)
TITANIUM DIOXIDE (2.4%)

My niece (9 years old) is allergic to a lot of sunblocks and when she and my sister were in town last summer and we went sailing they tried the banana boat baby and she didn't have an adverse reaction. I use it for myself too.

[Wrighty26]

I found Burt Bees on sale at Target for $4.99 a tube - so I picked up a bunch. DS hasn't had any reaction to it at all - which is nice because several of the other "baby" products made him break out in a rash. I also just got a bunch of samples of California Baby sunscreen so we are trying that out as well. So far the only difference I see is that Burt Bees is a tad bit thicker and dries faster.

[miaclear]

I plan on getting DS sunscreen from the Trukid line. Their face stick rates a "0" and their regular sunscreen rates a "2"

https://store.nexternal.com/trukid/images/SunnyDays_thumb.jpghttps://store.nexternal.com/trukid/images/103152.gif

[karlatta]

So the baby sunblock I have is a 7 on the database. Not good. But, the sport sunblock DH and I use is a 3. So, would it matter if I used the sport stuff on DD? I can't imagine it would make that much difference. I don't see any "tear free" baby sunblocks on the safe list on the DB anyway. If there is one, please point it out because I didn't see any. All the tear free ones seemed to have a high rating.
There are several that are tear free that are rated well, but they just don't have "tear free" in the name. I use UV Naturals, which is tear free, although it only says it in the description, not the name.

[TracyDP]

We use Banana Boat Baby Tear Free SPF 50. It's a broad spectrum UVA & UVB block. It's a 3 on the database. (http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/product.php?prod_id=93182) It's a No tearing, Hypoallergenic, waterproof, PABA-free, fragrance-free formula.

HOMOSALATE (15%)
OCTINOXATE (OCTYL METHOXYCINNAMATE) (7.5%)
OCTISALATE (5%)
TITANIUM DIOXIDE (2.4%)

My niece (9 years old) is allergic to a lot of sunblocks and when she and my sister were in town last summer and we went sailing they tried the banana boat baby and she didn't have an adverse reaction. I use it for myself too.

I have the exact same Banana Boat sunscreen but it's the spray. I wonder what it is in the spray that makes it a 7 instead of a 3. I'll have to check out some of the suggestions here.

[jimmysgirl424]

We use Baby Blanket sunscreen lotion SPF 50. Its a 2 on the database.

[Ericka_Jarett]

We use Baby Blanket as well. I got it for $3 a tube last year at Big Lots. You can get a 2 tube package of it last year at BRU for $9.99. I returned it though after I found it at Big Lots, like to save some money where I can

[lil'eggroll]

what kind of sunscreen would you use on a baby with eczema?

[hub1176]

I second lil'eggroll. My youngest has ecezema and the baby sunscreen we use on the other kids makes her face and cheeks red and raw looking. So far I've ben using other stuff on her arms and legs, and trying to keep a hat on her and keep her in the shade...yeah right:rolleyes:

[whitlockan]

Sunscreen can make eczema worse?!? Maybe that would explain what we are finding. On days DS plays outside (they put sunscreen on him) and when I pick him up his skin in his "normal" eczema spots is NASTY,we give him a bath put some aquaphore on him and by the next morning he is fine - aquaphor works miracles on his eczema.

take a look, can this be caused in part by sunscreen??:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/whitlockan/armspot.jpg?t=1209386014
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h254/whitlockan/spot.jpg?t=1209386052

[boilermaker]

bump

[basketcase]

I'm glad this thread was bumped. Gearing up for the summer sun here!

I'm looking for a natural sunscreen that is also a spray. I love our California Baby sunscreen, but I'm tired of wrestling my kids every morning to apply it. :)

[jodylovesscotty]

I don't know a spray that is good, but I am going to answer about a good sunscreen for eczema. My daughter had (got better after a year) very bad eczema. Our dermatologist recommended Blue Lizard and also Nutragena Sensitive Skin. Neither of them made my daugher have an outbreak.

[mpc863]

Neutrogena also has a baby line. The sunscreen is chemical free (so just a physical block). I've tried it and the aesthetics are nice - it actually blends in.

I think I saw it at BRU. I'm sure they sell it at Target/Wal-Mart/CVS.

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=211762&catid=12101

[Rosebud]

whitlockan- My DS has pretty severe eczema and we've never noticed his sunscreen making it worse. DS has very fair skin and I use the California Baby sunscreen on him regularly. I've never noticed it aggravating the eczema. That almost looks like an allergic reaction to me in the photo. Have you asked your pediatrician about it?

[hub1176]

whitlockan- My DS has pretty severe eczema and we've never noticed his sunscreen making it worse. DS has very fair skin and I use the California Baby sunscreen on him regularly. I've never noticed it aggravating the eczema. That almost looks like an allergic reaction to me in the photo. Have you asked your pediatrician about it?

If they (sounds like it's day care) are using "regular" sunscreen it could very well be making those eczema spots look like that.