Summer Sun Safety - 5 Easy Tips

Alright fellow parents, Summer is almost here! Carefree days and hot weather with the sun is shining bright. Naturally the kids will be begging to play at the beach or pool all day. But as I am sure you are aware, spending prolonged amounts of time in direct sunlight, and being exposed to harmful UV rays can damage a child's delicate skin. This article will provide some easy and very effective sun safety tips to keep you and your children safe in the sun this Summer.

1) Avoid Sun Exposure between 10am-2pm - The sun is at its highest and strongest point during these hours of the day. If you must be outdoors (we understand), caking on the sunscreen and wearing sun protection clothing is extremely important in order to avoid sun burn. There are many types of sun protection clothing available to protect your child including:
•Kids Rashguards
•Long Sleeve Rashguards
•Toddler Rashguards
•Swim Shirts
2)Use a sunscreen that is water-resistant and has an SPF of at least 15. - There is no sunscreen that provides complete sun protection. The higher the SPF rating, the greater protection from the sun. Sunscreen should be applied liberally approximately 30 minutes before going into the sun. Be sure to reapply it after after swimming, toweling off, or any activity where you have heavy perspiration. Toweling off will remove all sunscreens, even the water-resistant ones.

3)Keep children under six months away from direct sunlight. - Sunblock and sunscreens can irritate a baby's skin. Also, the developing eyes of newborns are quite vulnerable to the sun. When outdoors with your newborn, make sure the child is in some sort of shade at all times.

4) Don't let cloudy skies fool you - Just because it is a cloudy day does not mean you can not get a sun burn. Harmful UV rays go right through the clouds. Regardless of whether it is a sunny or cloudy day you are still being exposed to the same amount of sun. Be sure to apply sunscreen to the areas of skin your family's rashguards, do not cover.
5) Dress the kids for maximum protection - We can't stress this enough. Wearing sun protection clothing in conjunction with sunscreen is your best defense against the sun. Make sure the rash guard shirts have an SPF rating. For example, all of The Beach Depot's (www.thebeachdepot.com) swim shirts, surf shirts, and rashguards have an SPF rating of 50+. We also strongly recommend hats and sunglasses, even for the little ones.

Justin Laubscher is co-owner of The Beach Depot, an excellent website specializing in high quality rashguards and sun protection.

Justin Laubscher is co-owner of The Beach Depot, an excellent website specializing in high quality rashguards and sun protection.