Sun Safety Saturdays

I decided to start Sun Safety Saturdays through my efforts to educate myself about sun protection.  I’m olive-complected, and have never really had to think much about sun protection (although I should).  When Declan was born last July, I was shocked to see a blond-haired, blue-eyed baby with near translucent skin.  How on earth could I have created a child so fair?  Right away, my pediatrician started talking to me about adequate sun protection for D.

My experience with the sun has mostly been a good one, tanning quickly and rarely burning.  In fact, I didn’t experience my first major burn until I was in my mid-20s and living in Florida.  The northerner I am, I decided that it was a brilliant idea to spend the entire 4th of July on the beach in St. Petersburg, with no shade, using SPF 4 suntan lotion.  Yes.  Brilliant.  Needless to say, I got the burn of a lifetime that day, and received 2nd degree burns on my face.  I thought that I would have scars for the rest of my life, my face peeling several times over the course of two months.  I learned about sunscreen really fast after that.

Throughout this series, I’ll be sharing sun protection tips & products.  Babies, with a minute amount of melanin in their skin, are more susceptible to harmful UV rays.  One burn early on is enough to cause melanoma later in life (scary, I know).  One of the easiest ways to protect yourself from sun is to cover up (it’s a no-brainer, I know).  Paired with a natural sunscreen (reviews to come), this is how I practiced sun safety with Declan this spring:

It’s never to early to teach your little one’s about sun safety, and I plan to do it by modeling good sun habits myself.  I hope you’ll check back for more sun safety tips and products!