We Had Joy, We Had Fun, We Had Seasons in the Sun

Unless "we" included your baby, of course.

When we were growing up, sun protection consisted of our parents slathering on the same oily coconut-scented concoction that they were using to protect themselves. That was if they remembered to put anything on us at all.

Times have changed. Now, parents don't feel they're doing a good job of protecting their kids from one of the evils of the world - skin cancer - if the little ones aren't lathered in 100+ sunblock before the slightest hint of sun touches tender skin. To that we've had sun hats, bathing suits that hide shoulders and backs (and sometimes legs), and sun shades in the car. We have to admit, we're not as rabid about this as perhaps we should be. We put on the sunblock, to be sure, and we keep dear daughter shielded from the sun in the car, mostly because she yells "I can't SEE!" if it's in her eyes. But we no longer buy a separate kids' sunblock for her (she's 3) - and now we've learned that perhaps we never needed too.

We came across some advice from Babycenter's pediatric dermatologist, who had these points to make about applying sunblock to baby skin:
-keeping baby out of the sun altogether is preferable to applying any sunscreen
-you should look for sunscreens that have zinc oxide or titanium oxide, which provide physical barriers to the sun as opposed to chemical ones. Chemical blocks may cause allergic reactions and irritation.
-If you have to use chemically-based sunscreens, look for PABA-free ones. PABA has been linked with skin irritation.
-If you're concerned about blocking both UVA and UVB rays, definitely go with the physical barrier sunscreens, which block both.
-You don't really need to go above an SPF of 30. The added protection is minimal and doing so with the chemical sunscreens just means more bad stuff on baby's skin. Go lower and reapply as necessary.

In short, many of the sunscreens for kids with the super-high SPF's and chemicals are not advisable or even necessary. Buy a physical-barrier sunscreen for the family, and baby can use it too.

Next: Adding style and sun protection to your stroller