The 10 Best Sunscreen for Babies
Special Honors
Sun-Safe Babies Extra precaution must be taken when exposing a baby to the sun's harsh rays, and it includes more than simply slathering them up with some sunscreen. This invaluable resource from the Skin Cancer Foundation contains plenty of useful information on how to properly apply sunscreen, where and when children are most in need of protection, and more. skincancer.org
Editor's Notes
May 22, 2020:
While all of the lotions on this list offer excellent protection, parents must still be aware of what age it is safe to bring their little ones into the sun, and how much is too much exposure, even when coated in a thick layer of sunblock. We always recommend discussing these topics with your pediatrician before taking your child out for a day at the beach.
When identifying the best sunscreen for babies, we examined all of the ingredients in the potential candidates to ensure we were recommending products that are generally considered safe for young, developing bodies. We also took into account reef and ocean safety, since there is no reason you can be environmentally conscious while also protecting your little one from the sun. With these thoughts in mind, we had to remove Babyganics SPF 50 and Coppertone WaterBabies, since they both contained octisalate. The latter also contained avobenzone, homosalate, and a host of other potential unsafe compounds. We also removed CeraVe Lotion, not because of the ingredients, but rather because it had a very grainy texture and was very difficult to spread.
Since we understand than babies can be squirmy, especially when you are trying to spread a cream or lotion on them, we think parents will appreciate Thinkbaby Broad Spectrum, All Good Baby & Kids, Banana Boat Natural Reflect, and Aveeno Continuous, all of which are water resistant for up to 80 minutes, so you won't have to apply them as often. That being said, we do recommend being on the safe side and applying them, or any sunscreen for that matter, well before the time limits stated on the bottle.
Aveeno Continuous and Miami Cool Kids LaPlaya can both make the process of applying lotion to a bit easier, too. These come in a stick form, making it less likely you will accidentally wipe some into the child's eye, which can sometimes happen when using your large hands to rub sunscreen into the small spaces of a young kid's face. Plus, they are convenient to travel with since there is no change of them leaking into beach bag.
In addition to being free of potentially harmful chemicals, we also looked for formulas that contain ingredients beneficial for the skin. For example, Badger Cream Active is made with chamomile and calendula, All Good Baby & Kids has vitamin E-rich sunflower oil, and Banana Boat Natural Reflect has aloe vera.
Now that you have your child's sun protection taken care, don't neglect yours and make sure to pick up a good biodegradable sunscreen for yourself, since it isn't just young skin that can be harmed by UV rays.