Best children's sunscreen? Sensitive skin

[KyMattDisney]

Anyone with recommendations for a great sunscreen for children?

My DS is 3 1/2 and has sensitive skin...eczema, prone to prickly heat and very fair...POOR KID...

Anyway I normally use the Water Babies, SPF 45 but wanted to hear about any others that worked well..Thanks!

 

[LKS]

We do not have sensitive skin, but we are fair. I hate anything oily feeling, and the best one I have found is Ocean Potion. It dries to a powdery feel, has a pleasant scent and comes in strong SPFs.

 

[Princess Dot]

Waterbabies is really the way to go. I have very sensative skin and have found that even the Coppertone Kids sunblock stings me around the eyes if I use it on my face. The only one I use now is Water babies. I did try the new "Spectra" waterbabies and it has a different smell to it, but I did not have any reaction to it.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

We have not been able to beat water babies either. My "baby " is 11 but tends to burn very easy. I have tried lots of different stuff and always come back to water babies. Why fix what is not broken?


Jordan's mom

 

[Bird-Mom]

We have very sensitive skin here and use the California Baby waterproof sunscreen. It is chemical free and much gentler.

 

[mcnuss]

Water Babies and for that matter, all Coppertone, Banana Boat, etc... products give my DD a rash. The dermatologist receommended Neutragena for Sensitive Skin, it's expensive, but since using it, no more rash.

 

[Kewz1]

I have gone through this with my kids! They are fine with the first application of lotion but then when it comes time to reapply it on their faces it stings. I just started using Bull Frog for Kids (watermelon scented) and it has worked great. I've tried many of the other ones that are specifically for sensitive skin/children/babies and they did not work. I hope ths helps someone else!

Kristen

 

[Trinity721]

DD also has rather sensitive skin, she will break out in a rash for no reason. But we put Coppertone WaterBabies on her SPF 45 and she was fine. Most of the time I kept her in the shade.

I work for a Pediatrician, and she tells all mothers who ask about sunscreen to use it sparingly and not on the hands or around the eyes. She also said to use protective clothing as much as possible instead of exposing them to sunlight. And of course, drink lots of fluids.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

For what its worth, Paula Begoun, also recommends Nuetrogena Sensitive Skin for babies at her cosmeticscop.com website. her site has look of good information about sunscreens and other products for babies (and adults).

NSS contains titanium dioxide, which blocks UVA and UVB rays and is less likely to irritate skin. Another good ingredient to look for is zinc oxide -- you know the white stuff you put on your nose -- which is used extensively to fight diaper rash. Again, sunscfreens with this ingredient provide both UVA and UVB protection.

Water Babies Spectra 3 has zinc oxide as one of the active ingredients and protects agaisnt UVA and UVB rays. The earlier formulation of Water Babies does not have the ingredients needed to protect against the UVA rays that cause skin cancer!

Lets be safe out there and have a great time.-- Suzanne

 

[ZPT1022]

A really important ingredient to be looking for, especially for those who are very fair in coloring is Parsol 1789. This is what my dermatologist told me to be looking for. HTH

 

[cpl100]

MY DS has very sensitive skin. He has used Neutrogena for sensitive skin for years at the suggestion of a physician. Apparently it does not have the chemicals in it that the other brands use which irritate the skin. It used to only go up to SPF 17 but now they make a higher one. Be aware, though, that I was told that all higher SPFs will be more irritating than the SPF 17 one.

Good luck.

 

[bearloch]

my 4 yr old has been using avon skin so soft with the bug guard since 6 mos, she has never had a burn yet and it works great with the bug when she in the grass and in the evening.

 

[Kermit]

Originally posted by cpl100
Be aware, though, that I was told that all higher SPFs will be more irritating than the SPF 17 one.

I have sensitive skin, and I have found that to be true. (I've been reluctant to try sunscreen on my 7 month old DS so far and have just kept him out of the sun since I'm sensitive to so many sunscreens.) I have fair skin, so you'd expect me to use SPF 30 or 45, but I simply can't. They all make my eyes sting and break my skin out in a rash.

However, I can prevent sunburn with an SPF 15 if I apply it correctly. This means applying it at least 30 minutes before I get into the sun, putting it under my clothes (most clothes have an SPF around a 5), and using enough of it. The average adult should use 1 oz of sunscreen. That's enough to fill a shot glass. If you have an 8 oz bottle of sunscreen, that means you get 8 applications from the bottle. It's expensive, but it works. To know if you have enough on, you should apply it until you simply can't get any more on without it appearing white on your skin. And of course, you should reapply sunscreen every few hours and after sweating, swimming, or toweling off.

 

[Claudia2002]

This is an interesting thread. My dd9 is very fair. We have been using Banana Boat 50 with success. My question is what can I use around her eye area? She spent a couple days in the sun/pool at my mom's last week and got sunburned around her eyes? Is there a stick that would work?

Thanks!

Claudia

 

[dijid]

My DS has the super sensitive skin in our household. Our ped recos Eucerin with SPF 15. It's hard to find and doesn't work in the pool, as it will wash off. For that we've found a Banana Boat stick that doesn't irritate him at all. We can't do any Coppertone products and Water Babies is irritating as well. I do find that the lower SPFs are less irritating. We just apply generously and try our best to minimize sun exposure.

 

[llp479]

I have extremely sensative skin, burn through car windows, and have had melanoma. I have had great sucess with either the waterbabies, or the banana boat 50. I also recently tried a stick made by Hawaiian Tropic spf50. The banana boat and Hawaiian Tropic seemed to protect better. Other than the anoying tropical scent, I really liked the Hawaiian Tropic. Because it is a stick, it was very easy to control where I put it. I also then didn't end up with it on my hands, which makes it very easy to use when on the go and not near a sink or wipe to clean your hands. Even better, it is smaller than a stick deodorant so it fits easily in your purse or pocket.

 

[diznefreak]

I second Bullfrog. My sister has a second degree burn on her and when we were young she had to be very careful to not get burned or irritate the skin. She used it all the time and still does to this day. She has never burned or got irritated skin.