It’s Baby’s Day Out! You slather them in Sunscreen Lotion before you step out with them, and then guess what? That poor Baby Skin still gets burned!
If you are reading this, there are good chances your baby has succumbed to Sunburn on more occasions than one. Luckily for you, in this article we have all the pertinent information related to not only the Treatment of Sunburn, but its Prevention, too.
That being said, Sunburn in Babies is a relatively common occurrence, and there’s no need to panic if it’s your baby at the receiving end of those harsh rays of the Sun. What you need to do instead, is focus on ensuring that Sunburn doesn’t visit your Baby again! Ready to get started, and see How to Reduce Sunburn, and even prevent it? It might be a good idea to begin with a closer look at What is Sunburn.
Sunburn in Babies: The Symptoms of Sunburn in Babies
Sunburn, in layman terms, is the Redness and Inflammation of the skin accompanied with a Burning sensation, that is a result of direct exposure to the sun’s harmful rays.
In most instances, the symptoms of Sunburn in Babies start to appear as soon as a couple of hours after they have been exposed to sunlight. In addition to the more ‘obvious’ symptoms of Sunburn that have been discussed above, you might want to look out for the following symptoms, too.
- Blisters
- Chills
- Weakness
- Fever
- Dry and itchy skin in the days post-burn
How to Treat Sunburn in Babies: Symptoms
Okay, so your child’s skin got burned after a day out in the Sun? Don’t worry! If you’re looking at How to Reduce Sunburn, you’ve come to the right place! Presenting the most effective ways to treat the symptoms of Sunburn in Babies.
- Get them out of the Sun with Immediate Effect!
- Soothe that Baby Burn
- A cold, damp towel. Note: you want to apply this, as and when you need it.
- Gentle Soaps. If you’re going to be using harsh soaps, that will only serve to cause greater irritation to their skin.
- Keep their skin Moisturized
- Keep those Sunburned Areas covered, when going outside
If they are already in the Sun when those first symptoms of Sunburn start to appear, you want to take them out of the Sun at once! The last thing you want to do is to increase the severity of those burns.
The very first thing you need to do, is to get them to ‘cool off’!
To do: There are some things that you might want to apply to your baby’s burnt skin, to help soothe them in this time of discomfort.
Did you know, the damage from that Sunburn occurs even later, when the skin dries out?
To do: After they have sufficiently cooled off, you want to apply a ‘mild’ moisturizing lotion to their burnt skin. Note: While Aloe Vera is also a good option here, you do not want to apply it to your baby’s skin, if they are allergic to it. Yet another rash setting in, will only compound the problem at hand!
The best thing to do is to keep Baby home, until they are fully healed from Sunburn. To do: If they do go out, at least ensure that all the sunburned areas are ‘covered’.
Preventing Sunburn in Babies
Contrary to popular belief, giving your baby a virtual ‘bath’ in Sunscreen Lotion, is not the one and only way to prevent Sunburn. Luckily, there are some things parents can do, to prevent their babies’ skin from being burned. Like, the following.
- Taking a Break from the Sun
- Use the right clothing to keep your baby’s skin well-protected
- You want to dress them up more in Dark clothes. The reason being, dark-coloured clothes have the capacity to block more UV rays, than their light-coloured counterparts.
- You might want to keep an eye out for those clothes ‘labels.’ If they are marked ‘UPF’, it means that they have been designed to block those UV rays.
- Applying Sunscreen
This is the most obvious choice. The next time you’re out on the beach with your child, you might want to make use of an Umbrella!
Tip: If you really do have to be in the sun with Baby, ensure that you take frequent breaks in between. Usually, there is no dearth of shady spots, where your baby’s skin can recuperate from those harsh sun rays.
Note: It is best you avoid exposing your baby to the Sun’s rays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the potential damage can be a lot worse.
When babies are out in the Sun, you want to ensure that whatever they wear is made of a ‘lightweight’ cotton fabric. Besides this, you want to keep the following considerations in mind.
Tip: You also want to choose more clothes with long sleeves, and even make use of long pants. Also, don’t forget to have Baby don a Sun Hat equipped with a wide brim. Last but not the least, you want to get them a pair of Sunglasses too, when they venture outside. Needless to say, they need to provide 100 percent UV protection!
While this might have been your first choice to begin with, there are some considerations that you need to keep in mind, when applying Sunscreen on Baby. Firstly, the use of sunscreen is recommended only for children that are more than 6 months of age. Secondly, that sunscreen needs to be applied at least every couple of hours, during Baby’s Day Out.
Tip: If a baby is going into the water, it becomes necessary to apply sunscreen on their skin after they have come out of the water. That being said, the preferred choice of sunscreen here, would be a formula that is ‘water-resistant.’
Note: The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of that Sunscreen Lotion needs to be at least 30.
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