The Sunscreens We Currently Use:
For young children, in Disease-Proof Your Child, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D. writes that he recommends non- chemical sunscreens that are made only with titanium and zinc oxide. (Disclaimer: These low-toxic sunscreens tend to leave a white film and are harder to apply, but I rather have low-toxic sunscreens on my children than have more “user-friendly” sunscreens with potentially harmful chemicals.) Since Badger Balm is less toxic, it is our first choice but is harder to find in stores. California Baby is our second choice, which is also easier to find (sold at Whole Foods).
Badger Baby SPF 30. I was recently introduced to this by an informed, experienced retail owner. He said that Badger generally makes good, non-toxic products. The Environmental Working Group gave it a hazard rating of 1 out of 10. You can click on the EWG Sunscreen list to find its ranking of top sunscreen options. You have to carefully spread the sunscreen to eliminate the white streaks but the low toxicity levels make this worthwhile for us. On my face, I use California Baby SPF 30 (below).
California Baby SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion. This works great and gives my daughter a really nice sheen (her skin looks like that of a doll with this sunscreen). More importantly, it has a hazard rating of 2 out of 10. I also use it on my face every morning.
Please note: The American Academy of Dermatology recommends that, regardless of skin type, a broad-spectrum (protects against UVA and UVB rays), water-resistant sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30 should be used year-round. Babies under 6 months shouldn’t get any direct sunlight, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Some additional perspectives from other moms:
hi all,
in the summer i used california babies but it leaves that ghostly white film that gets everywhere and is hard to clean. has anyone used sunscreen wipes?
my best,
sara (dorothy 10 months)
Hi Sara,
We used nuetragena spray for babies both on our honeymoon and in Barbados, it is factor 70 and goes on clear. Because its the spray its so easy to put on, for his face though I put some in my hands and rub it on. We got it at bed bath and beyond.
C&S
We really like the mustela one, smells lovely too!
xo
R
This is an issue we spent a lot of time thinking about! If you check out the WVP website you’ll see conversations about sunscreen, and there’s a mommy named Lexy Zissu who has a website called the Daily Green, and she’s written about it too. The issue is chemicals vs minerals. Some people say it’s bad to use the chemicals in sunscreen, esp for babies, and that you should use zinc or titanium dioxide. So we went out and bought various mineral-based sunscreens at Whole Foods, but they all leave this gross white residue, and they are thick, so we had to rub hard into Nan’s skin, which we didn’t want to do. We ended up using the chemical-based sunscreens, also sold at Whole Foods, and we haven’t been particular about which ones. We just base it on whether they smell nice. We thought we’d all switch over to the healthier mineral ones but we just can’t make it work!
Z
We used the baby silk wipes. I think that’s the name, blue package. I actually grabbed them at Eve, where I go for waxing, but I think kids Rx carries them too. They leave more of a white glow than film
. I liked them better than the cal baby, but might have some of the same issues.
Xx
T
we also use the baby silk wipes. i love them because they work instantly so you don’t have to worry about the 15-20 minutes it takes other sunblock to be absorbed by the skin.
- M
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