Babies & Kids Blog

You already know that you need to wear sunscreen, but you need to be extremely careful with the sun and your kids. Sunscreen is mandatory at my house as me and my daughter are both fair skinned and burn easily. Here are Dr. Sears tips for treating babies who have had too much sun:

Thin baby skin and summer sun do not mix. If baby’s skin is pink or lightly red and baby doesn’t seem to be uncomfortable, treatment isn’t usually warranted. Using aloe or a non petroleum-based moisturizer is always a good idea after sun exposure. In more serious sunburns, try the following treatments:

• If baby’s skin is very red and baby is crying and seems uncomfortable, immerse sunburned area in cool water, or use a cool compress for fifteen minutes, at least four times a day.
• Apply aloe or a non-petroleum-based moisturizer multiple times a day.
• Click here to read our burns article and learn how tell the different degrees of burns as well as more suggestions on burn treatments. If you think baby has a second-degree burn, and baby’s skin is blistering, call your doctor for a prescription cream and/or appointment.
• Give baby Ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and ease pain.

Burned skin is extremely sensitive to becoming permanently discolored by the sun. Once the burn is healed, you should apply sunscreen or cover the area with clothing or a hat. Continue this extra sun protection for 6 months.

Toddlers or older children sunburned? Here’s what to do:

• Remove your child from the sun at the first sign of over-exposure. Cover his skin with loose-fitting layers of cotton clothing if you are unable to find shade, or when he must return to the sun.

• Run a cool bath for your child to ease the pain and draw some heat out of the skin. While a shower may be the most practical solution, the spray of the water can be painful on the raw, tight skin of a sunburn. Soaking in a cool bath with colloidal oatmeal or baking soda added to it can be very soothing.

• Apply wet cloths or wrap your child in a wet towel, sheet or shirt, if you don’t have ready access to a bathtub. When you are at the beach it may be hard to find a tub, but water and towels are in abundance.

• Keep children hydrated. A sunburn is often accompanied by nausea and a headache, both of which are caused by the dehydrating nature of a sunburn. Make sure that children are drinking enough fluids or indulging in ice pops to replace fluids. Providing a cool and quiet place to rest can also help alleviate headaches and queasiness.

• Put calamine lotion or talcum powder on the affected area to help absorb some of the heat.

• Use a lotion or moisturizer that contains aloe vera after the sunburn cools down a little. The lotion will not only soften the sunburned skin, but aloe is also a natural healing product that reduces swelling and pain. For extremely painful sunburns, purchase and use a lotion that also contains a topical anesthetic.

• Give your child a children’s over-the-counter pain reliever, using the dosing instructions on the package, to help with the worst of the pain.

• Cover small blisters only if they will be compressed or rubbed by the child’s clothing. Use a loose gauze bandage but don’t apply ointment or cream underneath.

• Report your child’s sunburn at his next visit with the pediatrician. Even if it wasn’t severe enough to treat, it’s important that the doctor has a record of sun exposure significant enough to cause cell damage. It will give the pediatrician a head’s up to keep an eye out for any new and unusual skin lesions.

Sources: webmd, sunburn info: Dr Sears, eHow