The temperature has risen!
There are pictures of me when I was a baby with terrible sun burn on my face and I know the story like the back of my hand. My mam and dad brought me on a captain Morgan day cruise on a windy day in 1987 and my Nanna was not impressed with them when they arrived back at her house with a very sunburnt baby! I ended up with lots of lovely photos not me and blistered and sun damaged skin on my little face.
Nowadays sun cafe has come a long way and we know better and there are so many products and clothing that can reduce sun exposure and keep it to a minimum.
Here’s what’s working for us, bear in mind this year will be more testing as now Conor is two and very active and independent so getting him to comply is always a challenge.
1. Protective clothing – we need to keep the kids protected but at the same time not too covered up, it’s way too warm for that! So a hat is a must, shade on your buggy’s, sun umbrellas, beach wear that is protective and light loose clothing – try to avoid black. There are also sun tents a available at places like lidl around this time of year.
2. Sun cream – an obvious one, there are so many out there. I like factor 50 and so far haven’t had issues with skin irritations but there are a lot of specialised brands to cater to more sensitive skins such as la roche posay, Avene and bioderma. At the moment I’m trying Conor with the lidl brand, Cien. It has really good reviews and if we are going to be using a lot, this is very cost effective at around €5 compared to €20 with some other brands. A great tip I got from @livingwithtinyhumans on Instagram is to use a clean makeup brush to get the sun cream on their faces properly. I find letting Conor help rub it in himself works too at keeping him still.
3. Peak times – its advised not to expose yourself to the sun during 11am and 4pm when the rays and temperatures are at peak so if you can avoid the sun during these hours, you will lessen damaging exposure significantly. If you are out during these times, just make sure you are taking all the best precautions and stay in shaded areas.
4. Hydration – keeping hydrated is so important everyday and in hotter months even more essential. Kids will lose track so always make sure to have water on hand, ice pops are great and can be easily made at home too with fresh fruit and snacks like watermelon are big on water content.
5. Insect repellent and bite creams are handy to have this time of year just in case! The mosquitos are already out in force, they are the biggest pests!
If you’re anything like me, you panic over the smallest things! but try your best to enjoy the summer and once you get a routine going with sun safety, the kids will catch on like everything else, it’s important not to make it overly regimental in my opinion and try make it fun.
