IMG: Sxc.hu

1 Don’t use old bottles of sunscreen. Believe it or not that old bottle from last year is bad for you, it no longer contains everything in it needed to protect your skin. In a way it is more like putting lotion on now.

2 Apply Sunscreen. I don’t care how long your child says they will be outside, if they are leaving the house make sure they apply sunscreen. It doesn’t take long for the sun to burn their sensitive skin. But it only takes a few seconds to apply a coat of sunscreen on those precious bodies.

3 Reapply Sunscreen. The general rule of thumb is coat them before leaving the house and then 2 hours after being in the water. Course I coat their skin before leaving and every 2 hours even if they aren’t in the water. You never know right?

4 Find Shade. If it is possible try playing outside underneath a tree or some other form of shade. The sun is at its worst between 10 am and 4pm. You may want them to come inside during those hours and just have a ton of fun after 4 so the sun rays have went down.

5 Drink Plenty of H20. That’s right, even though there are plenty of sports drinks and soda out there, maybe even a few punches and kool-aid…your child should drink plenty of water when being outside. The sun drains all that water out of their bodies, so they should be drinking even more than they normally would if they plan on playing in the sun.

By the way don’t think that just because there are a ton of clouds in the sky you can’t get sunburned. I thought this my first year living in North Carolina and got a second degree burn all over my back. It is possibly and highly likely. Hope this helps with your sun safety this year.

Post from: Blisstree

Sun Safety for Your Kids

 With the warmer weather leading us into summer (at least in the Northern Hemisphere), quilters and their families likely will be outside more.  That generally means more exposure to the sun and the need for sunblock.

Scott Warthon, at b5’s Health and Men, has some great information about Understanding Sun Protection Factor or SPF .  This helps us understand why and how the different levels of SPF work as they do.  He also has posted a chart giving us information regarding which SPF to use with which skin type.

(Scott learned the hard way…he got a sunburn!  See This is Why You Should Wear Sunblock)

(c) 2008 Mary Emma Allen

Post from: Blisstree

Quilters Beware – Sunburn Time is Here!