Alright, its summertime, and time to worship the sun god.
A very popular question we hear in the clinic is, "How much SPF do I need?" There's nothing America likes more than hysteria and overdoing it... Let me give you some data to chew on... the SPF of a 100% cotton shirt has been sited to have an SPF of somewhere in the range of 4-15. (Yes, don't you love the exact answers science likes to give us.) So if I'm being really honest with you, if you don't get a sunburn with a t-shirt on, you probably don't need anything more than SPF 15. But, doctor's aren't above the hysteria apparently, because I still recommend about SPF 30 for most kids. Anything over that really is overkill, so don't waste your money. Of course if the SPF 100 is on sale and cheaper, feel free, but I haven't heard of any real added benefit over SPF 30.
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The next question of course is: Can I put sunscreen on my infant less than 12 months of age?
My answer to this question is avoidant and simple: The best sunscreen for a baby is SHADE. Please, people, does your baby really need to lay out in the sun? If your family is enjoying a day out in the sun keep your baby covered! Especially if they are less than 6 months. A sunburn can be very severe in this age group, so don't mess around. Plus, they'll probably end up sucking the sunscreen off of their hands anyway, which are probably the most exposed part of the baby's body. Keep your kids in the shade until they are old enough to move around and play in the sun on their own, then hit them with the SPF 30. If you don't think you can keep your baby in the shade there are a million baby sunscreens you can try, and they are probably fine, but just be really safe and stick with the shade.
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