To Slather or Not to Slather: The Sunscreen Debate

Despite the sun not showing itself for 10 days in NYC (maybe not that long), I’m going to start tackling the topic of sunscreen for baby/kids. If your baby is 6 months old or younger it is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) not to use sunscreen unless “adequate clothing and shade are not available, (then) parents can apply a minimal amount of suncreen with at least 15 SPF (sun protection factor) to small areas, such as the infant’s face and the back of the hands.” This is because their body surface area is smaller so they will be absorbing a larger percentage of the screenscreen/sunblock. See Sunscreen: Safe for babies? for a more detailed explanaition. The article SUNSCREEN FOR BABIES also has some tips. It states that studies show sunscreen doesn’t block the production of vitamin D. Yet, most articles I’ve read state the opposite.

The Vitamin D Debate:

Vitamin D Deficiency Called Major Health Risk – this article is from May 2004, published on WashingtonPost.com. It’s mostly about vitamin D and nutrition but brings up the suncreen/blocks and the absorption of vitamin D debate. Worth a read to understand the bigger picture and why pediatritans say to give vitamin D supplements.

I would list more articles, but they all basically seem to be saying the same thing. To sum it up: Sun block does block ultraviolet radiation which is the stuff that helps you make vitamin D. Casual sun exposure is good as you only need about 10-15 mins a week. Longer periods of 20 mins or more in direct sunlight can be potentially bad for your skin.

Basically, I don’t believe in putting sunscreen on myself or Vivien unless we are going to be in the direct sun for more than 20 minutes at a time without shade. It’s rare that I put it on even if we are out longer as I typically don’t go out during mid-day for hours at a time in the direct sun. (I’m out during these hours but in and out of direct sun.) I do use sunscreen at the beach & during extended playtime at the park during summer when Vivi plays in the water sprinklers for a long time. I believe some sun is not only good for you but is essenital for healthy and happy people. Putting sunscreen on does block the sun’s harmful rays but also blocks the absobsion of vitamin D. Yes, you can give supplements but I’m not a huge fan of these either. ( I did take prenatal vitamins and have taken them from time to time if I feel like I’m not getting enough from food, but haven’t felt that Vivi has needed them yet as she typically is a good eater of nutritious food.) I do think the more natural the sunscreen the better. I don’t like the idea of baking chemicals into your skin. I have also read a lot about people not using sunscreen/block properly (the way the manufacturer recommends, which could also be just as harmful to your skin as not wearing any at all, cited in the Dosing section on Wikipedia.) This is such a big topic I’m going to do another post after further research about sunscreens products and SPFs.