4 Month Old and Sunscreen

When my daughter was a baby I walked a lot. I asked the pedi about the sunblock and she said NEVER use it before 6 months. I babies skin absorbs everything you put on it and all the chemicals that are in sunblock go right into their little systems. She told me to use Desitin on her nose to keep that safe. If you want to find sunblocks that are safe for kids 6 months and up I really like http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/ site. I use the Badger brand on my daughter and it's worked great so far.
Best of luck,
C.

Sun Screen is not used on babies that young because the Dermis is so thin that the chemicals are absorbed through the skin into the body system. Actually I did not use sunscreen on my kids or bug spray until they were 1 year of age. I just brought very large brimmed infant hats. That shades them from the sun.
Why do you see so many swimsuits??? That answer is $imple.... For just the same reason you stopped to look at them in the store. They are so darn cute parents and grandparents just "have to buy them." Do you think the companies are thinking about the kids and sun exposure or chlorine exposure? No, they are thinking of bottom priceline...
Can you wait on introducing your daughter to the pool at such a young age? The chlorine levels in pools are not the best for such a young age. I would rather for you to introduce her into a natural water source than a chemical filled pool. Know that you have a life time for her to be introduced to the water. At 4months old, she does not even have spine control yet.
Good Luck and I hope this helps you!

First of all, Do NOT use Melaleuca Sunshades on your baby. It damaged my son's skin and.....on top of the harm that it caused him, the white film was stuck to his skin for 8 DAYS. I very strongly caution you against using that product.

I never used sunscreen on my baby. The skin is the largest organ and absorbs everything we put on it. We went to a pool that had an umbrella over a portion of the pool. When we were at our lake cabin, I would stick a huge beach umbrella over us in the water.

Two sunscreens that I absolutely love are......Arbonne baby sunscreen and a product that I got off of etsy.com from Rainwater Botanicals. It is absolutely safe and has a great coconut lime scent!

Oh, and Michelle M is absolutely right......"they" make them because those tiny suits are too cute to resist! :)

The ladies are right that the baby's skin will absorb more at such a young age. Melaleuca sunscreen is simply microfine zinc oxide and is safe for a little one. It also is about a 75 on the SPF scale. (I think it states 45 but the ratings only go so far...) I know there are other "baby" sunscreens that are made but I know nothing about those company's manufacturing practices. It also does not wash off easily in a pool.

M.

PS I do agree about the chlorine levels in a pool being too high for anyone, especially a baby. A saline pool or lake or the ocean would be the best place for her to be introduced to water. Like I mentioned, the baby's skin absorbs everything...

also try the swimsuits and sun hats that have the spf built into them...it really helps

I was told by my pedi absolutely NO sunscreen until they are 6 months. You are to keep them in the shade. They actually kind of yelled at me for asking. I felt like an idiot for asking after that.
Most hotels and condo's have indoor pools so that baby can go in. I wouldn't recommend going in an outdoor pool just yet. Babies have very sensitive skin and can burn easily. Especially is you miss a spot with the lotion. Their skin is very thin and you could do more harm then good.

More on protection below, but as a fair-skinned redhead, I've had a lifetime of sunburns (some truly dreadful ones as a kid), and am always looking for healing treatments for those who DO get the occasional burn. A recent study shows that GREEN TEA compresses applied to a sunburn actually prevents some of the damage to DNA in the skin that can eventually lead to aging and skin cancers.

Another comforting salve is patting plain, cool yogurt on the burn. Vinegar also cools for awhile. Both need frequent reapplication. Green tea could be added to either of these.

There are lots of clashing scientific opinions about the relative dangers of nanoparticles or chemicals in sunscreen vs. the dangers of sunburns. Google "sunscreen for infants" for links offering both opinions, as well as some probably safer "organic" alternatives.

If you can get SPF clothing in your daughter's size, that's a sensible alternative. Even better would be avoiding the sun during the highest-intensity period between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. – lower-angle, earlier and later rays are partially filtered by passing through more of our atmosphere. Sun hats are good if she'll keep them on.

The reason sunscreen is supposed to be used after 6 months of age is because babies skin can be sensitive and because of chemicals in the sunscreen. Sunblock is better than sunburn but you can also get UV protection in certain clothing including some styles of swim suits. There are a lot of sunscreens/sunblocks on the market for kids and specifically babies but beware that they don't all block both UVA & UVB rays (and a certain # of SPF isn't really the # stated so do some research or you may have a false sense of security). Most block UVB but UVA rays are the ones that can do the serious long term damage.

A safe sunblock to use is made by Melaleuca. If interested, send me a message and I can provide additional info.

I would talk to your peditrician and you can call the companies of the sunblocks, they can advise you and better explain. Another option is one of those kiddie pools with an umbrella over it and a sunhat as well. Babies get burnt easy, I wouldn't go in direct sun at all. Just the cool water and splashing around will feel good to your little one with no chemicals in the water.
good luck

Just go to the pool when their is shade on the pool and make sure she is not in the direct sunlight for too long. Also be careful of what the pool temperature is. At 4 months she cannot regulate her body temperature so if the pool is very cold (like they just added water or it rained) she could get hypothermia very quickly and your pool trip could turn into an emergency room visit. I believe the rule is no more than 10 mintues in the pool for a child under a year. And then wrap her up and get her warm quickly.

Yes, it's ok. We used it on my newborn last summer. I used it on my oldest when she was 4 months old. Just make sure it's not on her hands, especially if she's a thumb sucker. I also recommend a sun hat. If you don't put a hat on her, make sure to put sunscreen on her scalp. We forgot and my daughter got a burn on the top of her head :(

swim suits are cute.. but keep that baby in the shade.. she can wear a tee shirt to cover her arms. and a hat to cover her head.. she does nto need to be in the sun at all..

Baby skin is tender and sensitive, so they make special sunscreen for it. Try Babies R Us. Then just wash it off with soap and water when you get home.

agree with everything said below :) just watch the hands,mouth and eye areas ....hope she likes it :)