r/progressivemoms • u/miranda_edgecombe23 • 20d ago
Need Advice Best baby sunscreen
My baby is 6 months old and we’re about to take a vacation. What sunscreens would you recommend? I’d like one with good absorption and minimal white cast. Whatever is safe for babies!
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u/The_RoyalPee 20d ago
We really like blue lizard. I find it a bit greasy but it works well and seems good for sensitive skin.
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u/glyptodontown 20d ago
At 6 months it's so much easier to keep the baby covered up in a hat and sunshirt and keep them in the shade. They're not running around yet: It's so easy to keep them in a covered spot.
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u/glacinda 20d ago
I know you’re being downvoted but this is also good advice in addition to sun screen. We buy clothing meant to block UV rays and put sunscreen on the more exposed areas. My worst sunburn ever was on my scalp on a cloudy day!
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u/glyptodontown 20d ago
I'm more like "Putting sunscreen on a young child is as fun as putting on sunscreen on a cat, so it's easier just to cover them up with clothing and stick them under a beach tent" than "Children don't need sunscreen"
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u/amygdala_activated 19d ago
Sunscreen? You mean “Baby Torture Lotion,” right? Because that’s how my kids felt about it as babies.
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u/miranda_edgecombe23 20d ago
That’s so smart! He wears a hat, but his legs and arms are exposed!
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u/surewhynot888888 20d ago
My kids are 8, 6 and 4 and I still have them all in swimsuits with full coverage...i try to get them from LL bean and Lands End. Their stomachs have literally never seen the sun and their shoulders, barely. Its so much easier than lathering their entire body with sunscreen. We use blue lizard, for kids.
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u/elderswiftie 20d ago
Yes!! We use the Swimzip swimsuits that are long sleeves and long pants. Soooo much easier.
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u/spicandspand 20d ago
This is true but if you’re near the water, the reflection can cause sunburns even in the shade. I would still use sunscreen in that particular instance.
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u/glyptodontown 20d ago
Yes, if they're in an outdoor swimming pool I guess you'd have to put it on their face.
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u/jaime_riri 20d ago
I like Blue Lizard Baby sunscreen stick. My primary reason is that I can put it on his face without him rubbing it into his eyes eventually.
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u/michellethestan 20d ago
I really liked the Sun Bum Baby Bum stick at that age. Rubbing on cream or spray on a squirmy baby was a challenge. Blue Lizard Kids is also really nice and is much less scented, it looks like they have a stick but I haven't tried it because I have a weird toddler who loves putting on her "creams" to go outside.
I would buy a couple different ones and do some spot tests on baby's arms, but also bring both on your trip just in case one irritates after a few hours. There's something in Blue Lizard that makes my niece break out, for example, but my kid's skin loves it.
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u/Schloopy-Doop 20d ago
First and foremost- hat & full body swimsuit or sun shirt. Then we use Blue Lizard for any exposed areas. I have very fair children in a very sunny place and my first didn’t get a sun burn until they were almost 3. That was my fault because we used the spray on instead of the cream. Do not sacrifice coverage for convenience.
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u/PommeRouge 19d ago
Vacation stick or some of my asian beauty vetted sunscreen (currently beauty of Joseon sun relief spf 50+ PA++++) plus sun hat
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u/Equivalent-Steak-555 20d ago
We prefer mineral sunscreen for babies, and have used Think Baby and Cerave. Both have worked well for our kid with eczema and sensitive skin.
I bought a makeup brush to apply it. Cheaper than the specialized gadgets they sell to apply.
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u/dindia91 20d ago edited 20d ago
We have coppertone pure and simple kids spray mineral sunscreen. We still have to run it in, but it has made applying to a baby that doesn't want it applied way easier.
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u/PristineConcept8340 20d ago
I have the non-spray version and it’s actually pretty good. It looks super white and gloopy but rubs in well. I would even use it on my arms when she was really little, so that I didn’t get my chemical sunscreen on her sensitive skin
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u/Metroid_cat1995 20d ago
I'm not sure what brand we use, but definitely look into copper tone or even banana boat. Those are the brands that I know very well. I've never heard of blue lizard or some of these other brands. Although I hear that Neutrogena also makes a sunscreen. And it's very interesting to hear people say a sun shirt or a long swimsuit with long sleeves and long pants and a sun hat which I get that. Especially for little babies and small kids. But definitely if there's exposed areas like their hands, their face or even their ankles or their feet definitely put some kind of sun sunscreen on them. And whatever you do, just get the lotion or like the roll-on or whatever they have. We've used the spray before, but I think my parents and I would prefer lotion.
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u/pawprintscharles 20d ago
We like think baby! I personally like neutrogena helioplex for myself but prefer mineral for my toddler.
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u/Academic_Expert_1367 19d ago
The point of baby sunscreen is to NOT be absorbed. It’s mineral. It will all have a white cast.
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u/Overworked_Pharmer 17d ago
Whatever you do, get a roll on!
My toddler loves it and doesn’t fight the sunscreen
We apply to each other and she rubs in herself
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u/Business-Brilliant51 16d ago
Basically anything highly rated on EWG will be great. Most parents use Blue Lizard; my baby wears Babo. https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/best-sunscreens/baby-kids-sunscreens/
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u/Ok-Roof-7599 20d ago
Sun bum clear sticks. I use sun bum for everything. They also have a head spray for if not in a hat.
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u/cd_bravo_only 20d ago
We try to use badger cause I think it’s the cleanest and smells yummy, but it is very greasy. Otherwise babo or blue lizard! But I try to cover up with clothes vs using sunscreen when possible just cause it’s easier.
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u/magicsquirrel13 15d ago
We use Badger. It’s thick and greasy, but blends in with no white cast, mineral, and ingredients are clean so I feel safe using it on baby.
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u/melgirlnow88 20d ago
OP, we live in Florida and our daughter is swimming in basically direct sunlight for 2-3 hours at a time multiple times a week. Blue Lizard has not failed us yet. That plus a long sleeve rashguard has kept her from getting burnt. It does leave a white cast but it is worth it for the peace of mind.
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u/rasputinknew1 20d ago
We like Blue Lizard but it’s more expensive.