sunscreen for infant

i'm pretty clueless here, so i would love to hear your opinions. there are wipes, regular lotions, sprays, etc... what have you tried, liked, disliked, etc... did your baby react to any of the brands. any easier to apply? dd is just about 9 months, so i am looking for recommendations for an infant 9 months-15 months to get me through the summer.

i know on the preschoolers i loved the colored cr@p because i was able to see where it was applied already. although, i would always use gloves to apply it so i didn't have to worry about it being on my skin.

[steff23]

I used the reg lotion on my son and didn't put any on his hands or face! I also bought those stickers that change colors when your child is getting to much sun! I honestly think it just all depends on your child though! You basically have to try stuff and find out if your child reacts to it badly or if it even works. Good luck!

[chloez]

i use the lotion for my daughter I would make sure its the 50 spf.  The only thing I noticed is that I always had a problem with her rubbing her eyes and when she had lotion on her hands or on her face her eyes would swell up.  I finally found the tear free lotion and I believe banana boat is the only one that makes it.  Its wonderful!!!!

[houseofgirls]

With my first dd, I used the coppertone waterbabies one.  She never had a reaction to it, and never burned.  However, she doesn't have sensitive skin when it comes to products, and she also has a little darker skin from my side of the family.  She has never had a sunburn.  I made sure to put it on her head also, because she hated wearing hats, and was always pulling them off.  With my 8 month old now, I think I'm going to try something else.  She has very fair skin, and is very sensitive to products.  I'm going to try either Mustela, Aveeno or California Baby.  All seem to have pretty good reviews online, and seem pretty gentle.  I also am going to make sure she is well covered up, and not in any direct sunlight.  I'm actually a little nervous about her going in the sun...her skin is soooo fair!  I would hate to have her get a burn, it would be just awful.  I think I am also going to get her one of those swimsuits that cover her arms up, and thankfully she doesn't mind wearing a hat!

[ma2isiah]

I would recommend the stick kind for her face. It was the only way I could get it on my little wiggle worm's face with out getting it in his eyes. .

[AndiJ78]

I LOVE the coppertone sprays, SPF 50 and waterproof. I spray a naked baby or nearly naked kiddo, THEN put clothes on. For the face and head (yes, even the hair on wee ones) I apply it to my hand and then rub it on. For my older boys I apply to my hand and get the face and ears.

I still highly recommend keeping the baby out of direct sunlight, it overheats them way too fast.

And the little pink bottles of sunscreen sold at places like Wal-Mart for a dollar make my kids break out something fierce.

[bonster84]

i swear by p20 i used it on my little boy when i tok him to the canary island and he didnt burn at all he is fair skined with blonde hair and he come back the same colour he went with he was 18 months and it last all day you apply a hour before going out in the sun then again before going out and then you just re appliy once a day and its also waterproof. it is quite costly but the cost dont matter too much when it comes to your child its what will protect him.

[pertykitty]

i bought some mustela ($$$ i didnt realize till after i got home lol) but it too says not till 6 months, ok so addison is 5 months tomorrow, why cant i use it yet?

[AndiJ78]

They used to all say that, PK. But most, if not all docs, agree that it is better to use sunscreen on ALL infants than risk sunburn and subsequent dehydration.

It is always best to keep baby out of the sun if possible. I always kept mine in the shade, but still put sunscreen on and kept them hydrated.

[cantwait4baby]

Thanks for this post and answers I found it very helpful - I just purchased some lotion and am scared to death of our first trip out to the beach.  I have hats long sleeve bathing suits and a coverall along with water shoes.  Be careful with their little feet too. They get burned quickly and are often forgot.

[Trialanderror]

This is a good question. Five years ago I used just anything that said infant on it and was SPF45 after my son was 6 months old.
Only last week I read that you can make a healthier choice for your infant by choosing sunscreens that have no "parabens" nor "PEG Polyethylene Glycol". These seem to open the pores and your baby`s skin might absorb hormone-disrupting chemicals in the long run. I am not sure how serious that factor is but apparently there are sunscreens out there that work on mineral basis instead of chemical or just buid a physical barrier. Look for ingredients "zinc oxide or titanium oxide".

[tiredbuthappy]

so most like lotion? i think i'll look for the tear-free. i didn't know it exists. on the kids at work i was usually successfull in avoiding the eye problem. i was careful to use my index finger to carefully paint around the eyes. and i never applied it to the backs of their hands because that was what they would use to rub their eyes. i never had one burn on their hands. however, with an infant i would want to cover every inch.

i want to add that i do know you have to make sure it's not expired. throw out last year's bottles! in school i did an experiment where we compared the effectiveness of sunscreens. we applied it to clear plastic and placed it over uv sensitive paper. i compared new and expired sunscreen. there was a huge difference!!!

i never heard of parabens. something else to research.

[tiredbuthappy]

when i was younger i used to go with a family to the beach as a mother's helper. we would bring a small inflatable pool for the baby to play in. it helped keep him cool and was less scary than the ocean. we just set it up next to our blanket and chairs. you can also put an umbrella over it. i bought one last year at a dollar store and plan on using it this year when we go to the beach.

[AndiJ78]

HA! tear free my ***, I bought the banana boat "tear-free" stuff this last time (I was wrong earlier), T wiped some in his eyes and literally screamed for hours, yes HOURS due to the pain despite washing his eyes out several times. Now his eyes are red and swollen. Be very careful. I think what he did was wiped at his eyes with his arm (which had sunscreen on it)

It made the t-ball game, the ride there, and most of this afternoon a real joy for all in earshot. FINALLY taking half a bottle of saline to his eyes did it. You can bet your bottom dollar banana boat is getting a call on monday morning from a very angry mother.

Oh and most sunscreens will clearly label as PABA free, if in fact, they are.

[Amy730]

Try "Baby Blanket"- it's sold at babies r us.. I use it on my little one and it does seem to truly be "tear free". I use it on my face as well. They even come in various forms. There's a travel pack that has a "scalp spray" and a "blankie"- whihc is a wipe that wipes on easy.