5 Month Old and Sunscreen

My son's pediatrician said no sunscreen until 6 months. It makes it really hard in the summer months!

I believe docs say to keep the itty bitty ones out of the sun all together as much as possible.
however, I think at 6mos. sunscreen should be used.
I use Arbonne's ABC baby sunscreen on all of my boys 8,6, and 3 simply because it does not contain harmful ingredients and it works really well. (waterproof too)
If you want more info. you can respond to my message, I'd love to help you.

L.,
Do you think you can send me the responses that you get from people. My son is 4 months old and I haven't used any either because of the warnings.

Jenn

Sunscreen is controversial at any age. In the olden days they never wore sunscreen and no one got cancer. They wore hats and covered their bodies with light weight cotton. There are more sunscreen options at http://www.mercola.com search 'sunscreen'

My son is 4 months, we use sunscreen on him. We cover when we can but we are VERY active (2-3 daily walks at various times for 30-45 minutes, we do not have a dog, he just loves to walk). He has been wearing it for two months and at this point he is fine. I do not remember what the doctor said but I know that he needs protection from the sun. Just my journey.

Hi, L.. I remember asking my Dr. why you had to wait after 6 mos for sunscreen, and the reason is that since the sunscreen's chemicals are absorbed right through the skin and into the body and into their whole system, their little liver isn't able to process/breakdown all those chemicals that come in through the skin yet, from the sunscreen. To be safe, to avoid liver toxicity or damage, they recommend waiting until at least 6 mos before using sunscreen. Only 1 more month to go!!!!! Better safe than sorry.

I have been using Aveno Baby since daughter was 3 months old. My doctor said it's ok to use sunblock but spareingly. Their skin absorbs things better than ours. I don't apply to hands and I only use it when we are going to be in the sun (walks/canoeing). Mostly I try to keep her shaded and inside between 11am-3pm when the rays are the strongest.

I have used Neurtagina for sensitive skin on my son who is almost 2 months old. You need to do a patch test first to make sure there is no reaction, just put a little on your sons arm and wait 24 hours, if it doens't turn red or splotchy, then it is probably okay, however, this sunscreen is not water proof and will stain some fabrics.

Hi L.,
When my children were born, out doctor told us not to use sunscreen on a child less than one year old. Something about absorbing thru their skin and into their bloodstream. He recommeded hats, long, loose fitting clothing when possible and keeping them in the shade.

I have found this web site invaluable for questions regarding toxicity of personal products, e.g., sunscreens, soaps, lotions, etc:

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.org

It gives each product's hazard ranking plus the data gap (how much is known/not known about the safety of each ingredient). It's pretty cool.

I just bought Badger sunscreen today for my 10 month old. They sell it at the coops.

There are sunscreens for babies, but they may wipe it into their eyes or ingest it because of sucking on their hands, etc. -Little ones should wear hats and not be in the sun from 10-2 each day because that is when the sun is stongest--also no more then 45 minutes per time.Shade is the best choice for such little tykes.

I saw a segment on the TODAY SHOW last summer about kids and they talked about sunscreen. They recommened the new swim suits that are actual shirts on top that provide an spf of 50 and using a hat. They also said that if there's no way for your baby to be in the shade to use sunscreen even if they are not 6 mo old. They said something to the effect of ''Using sunscreen before 6 mo is better than NO sunscreen'' Also if you do get a t-shirt suit you won't need to use as much :) and your little boy is pretty close to 6 mo so I wouldn't worry about it. So go outside!!!

We're outside a lot with our 4 month old and our pediatrician said it's okay to use sunscreen sparingly at this age. It does get absobed into their skin and they can't process it as well as an adult. So we keep the long pants and socks on, use a sun hat and put just a bit of sunscreen on her arms if we are going to be in the sun. We also try to avoid being outside in the hottest part of the day and get outside in the morning or late afternoon.

i didnt use sunscreen because of that - although i hear if you look hard enough there are sunscreens ok for that age group.

HOWEVER, it is probably best to just keep your child out of the direct sunlight.

I was told that no baby under six months should use sunscreen. HOWEVER, I recently saw on a news report that now they do recommend it, so I would call your pediatrician and take his or her advice and ask for a product recommendation too!

Our pediatrician said that at that age babies have extremely porous skin and shouldn't be exposed to the chemicals in sunscreen. I would wait!

yes you can put sunscreen on a 5 month old. just make sure you give you munchkin a bath when you get home. dont put it on his hands as those tend to go in the mouth and be careful around the eyes. i dont know what the thing is about the whole 6 month of age issue. but my daughter is fine and i put it on her before 6 months. i even asked my pediatrician why and they couldnt answer me. they didnt know.

A baby under 1 year shouldn't be in the afternoon sun even with sunscreen ~ it is bad for their eyes, which cannot be protected. Seek out shade or stay home.

I have a girl about 4 months old. A month & 1/2 ago we moved from snowy MN to sunny TX. I also was questioning the sunscreen issue. So when we were at the pediatrician I asked her about this. She said at 4 months it's safe to use sunscreen. The only thing I'd say is if your boy is putting his feet and hands in his mouth...don't put the suncreen on them and just be more cautious about those areas getting sun exposure.

L.,

You shouldn't put sunscreen on a baby younger than 6 months. My pediatrician strongly encouraged us to just keep my babies out of the sun. I know it's hard, but hats and protective clothing, umbrella's and sun guards are the best you can do at that age.

J.

I bought a sun tent at Target and would put a carrier or some kind of seat for baby in the tent with toys. We were always outside and baby was always in the shade. You can also try taking a pack and play to the beach and putting it in the shade by a tree while you sit near by in the sun or putting a sheet over the top of the pack n play or buy one of those big beach umbrella's to prop up. Good luck. I think you just need to be creative. It doesn't need to stop you from beebopping around in the sun. I love the sun! I'm soooo happy summer finally arrived! :)

L.,
I don't know that I checked the label, but I used aveeno on my twins. I absolutely loved it, however, it is a bit more expensive than any of the others!
J.

Contrary to what some of the other ladies have said, our pediatrician told us that we can use sunscreen on our almost 5 month old twins. I even commented that the bottle said not under 6 months and she said it is okay. She said you can't always avoid the sun and you don't want the babies getting burned.

I agree, no sunscreen before 6 months. Just stay in the shade when you're able to and put him in loose fitting long sleeved clothes.

My pediatrician told us it was fine to use on our 5 month old. He did say that children under 6 months of age should not be in the direct sunlight, but that the sunscreen as an extra precaution was just fine.

I have a 4 month old and just saw his pediatrician and asked that same question. She said that it is completely safe to use sunscreen on him at this age. She said sunscreens used to contain "pava" which is not recommended for infants. But now most sunscreens are made without that ingredient. I just tested the sunscreen on a small portion of his skin to make sure there wasn't a reaction. I do try to keep him out of the sun but now I know if he is in it he is protected.

They say you shouldn't use them before 6 months unless you have to. Keep them in the shade hats and loose, light clothing. But if you have to use something check out Kinesy's. I went to this database that shows safety of sunscreens and I wanted a spray after trying to apply some regular cream to my twin girls. It was a mess! I love this stuff. I bought the baby spray and I feel good that it's safe for them too.

Burt's Bees makes a chemical-free sunscreen that should be ok to use, but like with anything, call your doctor or nurse to see what they would recommend.