15 Ways To Celebrate Spring

Sunny days, balmy nights, swimming... ice cream! Who doesn’t love the warmer months? Probably the child with sunburn, or the toddler tormented by itchy bites. Don’t be that parent!

1 BE SUN & SHADE SAVVY

The best way to avoid heat stress or heatstroke in babies and toddlers, according to Dr Peter Vincent, medical adviser to Netcare travel clinics, is to keep little bodies and especially heads covered when exposed to the sun.

Dr Irshad Mohummed Essack, a dermatologist, adds that it’s best to keep out of direct sunlight and move indoors or into shade between 10am and 2pm. “Or follow the shadow rule,” he says. When your shadow is shorter than you, it is time to seek shade.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that your child is fully protected in the shade. It does provide some relief, but Dr Essack explains that UV radiation (UVR) bounces off other surfaces, so the sun’s harmful rays can still reach shaded areas. “For example, you may be under an umbrella poolside, but the UVR will reflect off the pool’s surface, so you still need to cover up.”

2 PICK A GOOD SUNBLOCK

A good child-friendly sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 50 is crucial whenever your child is exposed to sunlight. “Be generous in the application,” Dr Essack stresses.

“The SPF is derived by testing in a laboratory at a concentration of 0.2g/cm2. However, many of us don’t apply at that concentration, and therefore we are often not using enough to gain the protection that the packaging indicates.” Reapply any sunscreen every two to three hours, and at least every hour if your child is playing in water.

3 COVER UP