Skin care for kids

Sun protection advice for babies and children

Children aged under six months should be kept out of direct strong sunlight. Start applying sunscreen at 6 Months.

Once your baby reaches 6 months of age, it’s time to introduce sunscreens. Choose a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen that offers a minimum sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 (we recommend SPF 50). You may want to test sunscreen on the inside of your baby’s wrist. If the child has a little irritation, try another sunscreen. Continue to cover your baby with a hat and protective clothing. Use sunscreen on all exposed areas, such as the back of the hands, face, ears and neck. Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going out and reapply it every two hours or more frequently if you take your baby into the pool or if he or she is sweating.

How to Protect Your Toddler

Toddlers are difficult to catch and hold still, so you may need to be creative with your sunscreen routine. Sunscreen in stick form works well for the face and hands, as toddlers are less likely to rub the product into their eyes. Spray sunscreens are popular, but take care to apply the sunscreen evenly and liberally over all exposed skin, and rather than spraying a baby’s face directly, spray the sunscreen into your hands and apply it by hand.

Also continue to seek shade, schedule outdoor playtime before 10 AM or after 4 PM and keep covering young children with hats, sunglasses and lightweight clothing that covers as much skin as possible. For added protection, look for special clothing marked with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of 30 or more, which will allow only 1/30th of the sun’s rays to reach the skin.

To ensure they get enough vitamin D, children aged under five are advised to take vitamin D supplements even if they do get out in the sun.

Contact us

If you aren’t sure about which sunscreen to choose, come in and speak to the friendly Doctors and Nurses at Upper Hutt Skin Clinic about the award winning allmedic skincare range. Products that are only available through trained medical professionals. allmedic products are only available at a small number of clinics in NZ, including the Upper Hutt Health Centre.