Concerned about the sun and my 2 month old...

DS is just turning 2 months and with the summer approaching we will be out and about with him (walks, parks, bbqs) what is the best way to protect him from the sun? I will definitely keep him in the shade at all times but i'm still afraid of the rays.

Can we put sunblock on a baby that young? Or is there a certain age limit?

He has very fair skin and I'm terrified of him getting any type of sun. When we go for walks I make sure the sun doesn't hit any part of his body by keeping the hood on the carriage open...what else can I do?

Re: Concerned about the sun and my 2 month old...

I think "they say" sunblock after 6 months... though I'm sure you could use it earlier.
I'd just keep him covered. Get a floppy hat & long sleeve cool shirts and pants.

Re: Concerned about the sun and my 2 month old...

I put lotion on DD (she's 3 months) , I say better to be on the safe side, but I also got the OK from her pediatrician. Ask your pediatrician if its OK to apply lotion for sure. Also at BBB they have this adorable SPF 50+ hats that cover their entire face and head, I used it this week (before I dropped it and lost it )but it was GREAT!!!

Re: Concerned about the sun and my 2 month old...

I had bought a SPF baby sun umbrella for his stroller.

Re: Concerned about the sun and my 2 month old...

last year my DS was 2 months old during summer, I made all park trips/stroller walks for my older DS very early. we were in the house between 12 and 4, for naps/lunch , etc and back out after 4. I did not want baby exposed or too hot ( last summer was brutal!) I took older DS to beach twice, then I dropped baby off w/ inlaws. Little guy went to the beach once @ 4 months but stayed under the umbrella the entire time (wasn't too hot that day either)

we only went to bbq if I knew we could stay inside w/ A/C.

I may be a little overly protective though

Re: Concerned about the sun and my 2 month old...

I make sure she is in the shade or covered with the hood of the stroller and/or blanket. You can also buy an extra sunshade for the stroller, I have one for my double by protect-a-bub.

I am going to ask the ped about sunblock at her 3 month appt next week. My twins were 6 months in June, so that's when I started using it on them.

Re: Concerned about the sun and my 2 month old...

I would use in sparingly. They also sell large shades for strollers that you can put on. That's what I used last year for my April baby.

There are two very important reasons for not overusing sunscreen in young babies:

Infants and children have what is called a high body surface to volume ratio. What this means is that proportionately babies have more skin for the size body as compared to an adult. Sunscreens are made of chemicals. On the older child and adult, the chemical exposure is relatively minimal because the body surface ratio is smaller than a baby. Therefore, babies get a higher "dose" of sunscreen than do those older. While this exposure would most likely not cause any problems, the likelihood of an adverse reaction is greater.
Babies have a mildly impaired mechanism to keep cool by sweating. In addition, they have a greater risk of becoming dehydrated due to heat. Sunscreen can somewhat impair effective cooling by perspiration, so placing too much of it on an infant could be detrimental.


Read More http://www.ivillage.com/sunscreen-safe-babies/6-n-136823#ixzz1NtLMUVan
Sign up for iVillage Special Offers

Re: Concerned about the sun and my 2 month old...

Ask your pedi....We took DS to Disney when he was 4 months old. Our pedi said to use sunblock. Just not on the hands, feet, or near the eyes or mouth... We used sun hats and kept socks on his feet...

Re: Concerned about the sun and my 2 month old...

DS is 2 months also, and I just try to keep him in the shade at all times. I also have a few hats for him. I also try to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day (11-3 is the general concensus). I do walks usually after 5 when it is cooler out. I do not want to use sunblock on him at this stage.