Dr. Parker at WebMD (who I heart) explains why it's so important to put enough sunscreen on our kids, and to reapply it throughout the day. He even used the word "obsessive," which, coming from him, says a lot. I've been known to "forget" the sunscreen when we'll only be going out for a short time because it's such a pain to get on my squirmers. But I've been duly reminded — there are no exceptions.
Dr. Parker's recommendations go beyond the usual "reapply after swimming and excessive sweating" — be sure to read the article. And note: sunscreen marketed to kids differs mainly in price, not formulation.
In the spirit, I found this nifty UV-protective stroller shade on Amazon — I've never tried it, but looks useful. Back when I used a stroller every day, the sun was always at the perfect angle to blast my baby no matter how much I futzed with the built-in shade, so this looked like a good alternative. (If anyone has one, let us know if it's worth a buy.)
Tags: Parenting, Steven Parker, Sunscreen
I can’t comment on the shade you found on Amazon, but here in the UK (where we do actually get some sun sometimes) I bought a Protect-a-Bub from here http://www.groovystyle.co.uk/productpages/PAB/pab-sunshades.html which was recommended to me by an Australian friend….I figured an Ozzie would know about sun protection. 🙂
We have the same shade. It’s a pain to attach, and not so great to leave on when the stroller is folded but probably worth the effort. Don’t let the velcro touch the fabric.
Here’s a hack: for a homemade sunshade, I used a binder clip to attach a receiving blanket to the shade on his stroller. Every time we faced into the sun, down it went.
I let him see the fun side of the blanket.
I have a stroller shade cover from One Step Ahead that I LOVE! http://www.onestepahead.com/product/86214/1374/117.html
Since it’s always sunny or windy or both here in Texas I have gotten a lot of use out of this cover.
Mom Central is another valuable resource on the topic.
I have been using the receiving blanket as an additional shade for our BOB stroller for most of the summer. Works great when my 8.5 Mo. old is sleeping, however she has discovered that she can now grab it with her feet and pull it off. So instead of investing the small fortune in the sun shade made for the stroller, I went looking for other options. I found the “Rayshade” by Kiddopotamus. I think it’s fantastic and a fraction of the cost. Attaches with velcro straps, so you can attach it at any angle. It is 50 + UPF and light rain protection. The best part is she can still see the world in front of her.