What sunscreen should I use on my baby?

What sunscreen to use on your baby depends on the age of the baby. If your baby is younger than 6 months, sunscreen shouldn’t be your first line of defense. For babies this young, other means of protection are key — like clothing that covers his whole body, a big canopy on his stroller, a nice big sun hat, or all of the above. Then, minimal amounts of sunscreen can be used on the uncovered parts, like the backs of his hands.

If he or she is older than 6 months, then there are oodles of choices, but the jury is still out on which one is really the best. There are two basic kinds of sunscreen: ones with chemical ingredients (like oxybenzone) and ones with mineral ingredients (like titanium dioxide or zinc oxide). In the Environmental Working Group’s 2010 sunscreen guide, all of their most recommended sunscreens are the mineral kind, because of potential “hormone disruptors” in the chemical kind. Top on their list is California Baby, which doesn’t feel too greasy going on and doesn’t cause sensitive skin to break out in a rash.

There are a few tried-and-true tips that you should keep in mind to help protect your baby’s skin no matter what sunscreen you choose.

For the uncovered areas, make sure to keep reapplying sunscreen every couple of hours when you’re outside, even if you’re using a sunscreen with a high SPF. High SPF numbers, which only protect against the sun’s UVB rays, can be misleading and cause people to use less sunscreen less often. Also, look for sunscreen that protects against the sun’s UVA rays, which can be even more dangerous than UVB.

Finally, there is no better sun protection for your baby than simply staying in the shade, covering up, and keeping him or her inside during the hottest hours of the day.

It's best to avoid the sun as much as possible, especially during peak sun hours, so go for a walk or swim with your baby in the morning or late in the day. Cover your baby up with a wide brimmed hat, light weight SPF clothing (long sleeve shirts and long pants preferred) and use an SPF sun shade on your stroller (attach to your stroller so baby is completely shaded). You can also wash sun protection into your baby's clothing with a product like Sun Guard Wash-in Protection.

For any exposed skin, sunscreen can and should be applied, even on a newborn. Choose a sunscreen labeled as safe for baby with an SPF of at least 30. The label should also say UVA/UVB or broad spectrum protection and water resistant.

Test a small amount on your baby's leg the day before you plan on using it, just to make sure there isn't a reaction. When you do apply sunscreen to your baby, use plenty and reapply often, at least every 2 hours.