The following photo really caught my attention. It's got the wow factor big time. It's doing the rounds on Facebook at the moment. And it really shows the damage sun can do to your skin. It prompted me to do a post on sun safety.
I've used an array of sunscreens on myself, I suffer from prickly heat when I'm abroad so I need to ensure I choose a sunscreen that's not going to affect that. I've written a post on my favourite sunscreen for prickly heat suffers I'll link it here. Natural tone sun screen is a brand I 100% love. Its a bit more expensive than other brands but if you are like me and prickly heat has ruined many a holiday then you need to give this a go. You can purchase from their website here. At home I can use anything as we don't get a long enough run in the sun for the prickly heat to take hold. I use the Aldi one on myself for days in Ireland and I haven't had any issues with it. I chose spf 30, I just feel there is absolutely no point in getting burned or trying to tan in Ireland as there is zero chance of maintaining a tan here so I'm not going to risk it. And mama's and dada's please remember to also apply sunscreen to yourself too. This is a mistake plenty of parents make. We apply sunscreen to the kids but forget ourselves. And lets be honest, being burnt to a crisp with kids who are cranky from the heat ain't no ones idea of fun.
Did you know that skin cancer is the mist commonly diagnosed cancer in Ireland. In 2013 there was 10'785 of skin cancer diagnosed. So skin cancer is something we really need to take seriously in Ireland. We need to remember that the sun here in Ireland is the same sun that's abroad so is more than capable of causing damage to the skin.
Most of the skin damage occurs in childhood, and although those cute little bodies look adorable with a little tan, tanned skin is in fact damaged skin. Skin cancer takes 10-15 years to develop and is the most common cancer in people aged 15-44. The Irish cancer society website have some great tips on keeping little ones safe in the sun you can visit their website here.
Here are the things I do to keep my littlies sun safe:
- Sunscreen: A factor of at least 30 and with the highest UVA and UVB you can find. (La Roche-Posay ticks all these boxes). Apply 20mins before going out in the sun and at least every 2 hours during the day or after swimming/ pool fun.
- Hats: My eldest is very fair so I "try" my best to get her to wear a hat as much as possible when out in the sun. She's now 3 going on 30 so its hard to get her to wear anything she hasn't picked out herself so I try and pick hats that are character based or sparkly to get her attention. Shes goof most of the time. My baby is as bald lol get that's from me poor child lol so her head is really in danger. She will keep most hats on her head. But I always ensure I spray her head with factor too.
- Sunglasses: Really really important and really really hard to keep on the little shits. We bought my eldest a pair when we were in Portugal a few years ago they are the wrap around type and as babies they aren't too bothered with trying to take them off. In fact they are happy to wear them to take the glare off their eyes. They were expensive enough roughly €30 but worth the money. The older kid is harder to get to wear them. But throw aul Elsa on them and she will wear them 90% of the time. It is important that they are up to European standard en1836 and have UV protection.
- Shade: Where kids are concerned shade is really important so when you are looking for the best spot by the pool or at the beach make sure you have a parasol or there is somewhere you and the kiddos can escape to especially between the hours of 11am and 3pm when the sun is at its strongest and remember this applies to Ireland too.
- UV Index: You really need to be aware of the UV index this can range from zero to +11. the UV rays are what do the damage. I noticed yesterday in Hickey Pharmacy they are giving a free UV index patch when you purchase 2 or more La Roche- Posay products. You can also enter your details on their website where they will be randomly selecting 1500 people to send these patches to. You can visit their site here to join their waiting list to be sent a patch.
I know that the Aldi sun creams got great reviews online and my family and friends rave about them. So I tried them out, they are what I am currently using here at home. I am using the spf 50 spray bottle on the kids its one for sensitive skin, it's really important to use a sunscreen that's made for kids on their skin, they offer a protection with ingredients suitable for their delicate skin. However after a friend used the Aldi one abroad she found that it wasn't great with wet skin, so I have decided to revert back to La Roche-Posay kids sunscreen for holidays instead. They have one that is targeted at kids with wet skin, which will be ideal for us in Portugal as my eldest daughter loves the water. This is available from most pharmacies and retails for around €19.95. I've used it before and loved it. But it is pricey, but in my opinion its worth every cent to ensure my kids skin stays safe in the sun.
Last year I was sent a bottle of Kiehl's Activated Sun Protector with SPF50+ and it was amazing on the kids skin. Especially on my daughter who was only a few months old at the time. She wasn't in the sun at all but for those moments in the buggy where the sun caught her skin I felt 100% assured she was protected. I used it on myself too and it left my skin feeling amazing after it. The bottle itself isn't very big so doesn't go a long way. But if you have sensitive skin I'd highly recommend it. They have a face one too, I used the body one.
I hope you find the above helpful and if it reaches out to just one person / family, I'll be happy.
Lots of Love
Donna
XXX
