Baby Summertime Questions

Good advice.
I don't know why they call rash guards what they call them...they should call them sun guards. :)
That's why I put them on my kiddos and they work great. :)
Have fun!

yes to sunscreen, yes to swim shirt, yes to mostly shade and sunglasses (if he'll wear them) and also a nice big hat with a brim all the way around will help keep head/ears from burning and protect his eyes too.

I agree with the posts about keeping little ones covered to avoid too much sun exposure. I wish my parents had done more of that (although my sun damage is largely my own fault). I wish I had pushed the sunglasses more when mine were little because then I think they would accept them more when they were toddlers. However, I solved that by driving around on a sunny day and the kids complaining about the sun and then I just happened to have sunglasses for them (It worked with both and they now wear sunglasses fairly regularly, which is good as they both have very light eyes). However, since I didn't do the sunglasses, I did hats when mine were younger.

At this age swim classes are just about helping little ones feel comfortable in the water--they don't really learn to swim (in fact their heads shouldn't go underwater yet because of the concern about swallowing too much water). At this age, I just played with my son in the pool myself. My sister did swim lessons because she's afraid of the water and wanted positive modeling for her little one. I did swim lessons when my son was older because he didn't want to get in the water but did want to be around kids, so that was his motivator. When I did sign him up for classes I signed him up through our local parks and rec because the use the Red Cross curriculum, which I like (although I'm biased because I used to teach that curriculum). However, he has expressed a desire to switch the The Y because the pool is warmer. =) I'm going with it because I really want him to learn to swim (his little sister and I love the water), but also it is cheaper. I didn't do swim lessons with my younger child because she loves the water already. Hope this helps.

I think you are worrying a bit much. Here is what I do, I use any kid sunscreen you can buy at the store. All four of my kids have super sensitive skin and never have had a problem with sunscreen. I have a hat for all of them (the older two do not wear them as much, too cool I guess). I did swim lessons for my first one when he was 6 months old but did not really see much benefit in the long run. If anything, it seemed he had a little too much confidence in the water and if I wasn't careful, he would just go under, which was fine if I was watching him but he would do it ALWAYS! I also have sunglasses for all of them but they do not keep them on. Some days I might be lucky and they wear them all day, but that is pretty rare.

In short, I do all the things you are supposed to do without freaking out over every little thing. I do not keep them in the shade the whole day, they need the Vitamin D from the sun too, and lets face it, playing in the sun is fun! I am careful not to let them stay in the sun until they are crispy, and for the record, none of my kids have ever been sunburned - knock on wood. Lather them with sunscreen an hour before you go out and then about every half hour to an hour after that (don't forget the scalp) and have fun!

Good luck!

Oops! Forgot, use the swim diaper with swim trunks and maybe a t-shirt if he is fair skinned.

I hated slathering my baby in all those chemicals, but you of course need to be careful about burning that delicate skin. I used rashguard shirts or other SPF clothing. She had a bathing suit that covered to her wrists and ankles and was SPF 50 (due to the weave of fabric, not chemicals), so the skin that required sunscreen was limited.

So no the rash guards are not crazy if you are out on a sunny day. I guess I'd probably get my doc's recommendations on sun exposure if I had a mom that was scoffing about it.

Though I do think they need some sun, for the vitamin D. So we did do some limited time without anything (though certainly not at high noon or at the beach.

I think they also recommend sun glasses these days though keeping them on a baby is another matter altogether. :)

I've read that the AAP and others do not recommend swimming lessons until 4, I think. Google it. Their recommendations are based on brain development. Also I think lessons can give parents a false sense of security with their little ones around water. The fact is that kids, no matter how many lessons, need to be well supervised anywhere near water. So I'd probably just save my money and have fun with the baby in the water myself.

1) rash guards or 'surf shirts' serve to protect a person from sunburn and UV rays.
(they are called 'Rash Guards' because- it was ORIGINALLY used by Surfers. And, this prevented them from getting 'rashes' on their stomachs, from their surfboards).

I am from Hawaii... mostly ALL the kids/babies/adults, wear one to prevent sunburn and skin damage.
Here is a link about it:
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/1066?nav=gnro

If you have him just in a swim diaper, he will get burned.
A sunburned child, is not fun. It is painful.
In some cases, people can also get 'sun poisoning', which means they got too much sun and/or bad sunburns.

2) a 6 month old, should not be in the direct sun for prolong periods. Sunburn can occur even after 15 minutes in the direct sun.
Use baby safe sunblock.
Sunscreen is not recommended for younger babies because it covers their pores and/or can cause irritation.

3) Sunglasses does protect the eyes. It is not gimmicky. Baby sunglasses will have a strap on it.

4) I would also get a sand umbrella or something shady to sit under.
Sitting under direct sun, all day for even for 1 hour... will produce sunburn and it is very hot.
Babies can get dehydrated.

5) Swim classes: you have to check with the swim school. Each on starts kids at different ages.

Sunscreen, floppy hats, and rash guards...I don't want to be responsible for my kids getting skin cancer! I figure I'll do the best I can to protect them now. If they make poor choices when the grow up and end up with skin cancer, it won't be my fault! I like the Neutrogena Baby (or any similar product) because it doesn't have as many chemicals in it. It is a barrier sunscreen, rather than a chemical one. The kids end up with a bit of a ghostly white look to them, but the zinc oxide does a good job and doesn't irritate my kids' sensitive skin. Many spray sunscreens make their exzema flare up and give them rashes.
If you can get your little one to wear sunglasses, go for it (as long as they are 100% UVA/UVB blocking...some of the cute ones really don't do any good if they aren't 100%)! If you can't get him to keep on the sunglasses, don't worry...he'll want to wear them soon enough. Just make sure you keep a sunhat on him that shades his head, face, neck, etc.
Tan babies are cute, but really...is it worth the risk? I figure I'll protect mine from the sun as long as I can.
Oh, and I would definitely start using sunscreen now. Two weeks won't matter, and it will definitely be better than chancing a sunburn!

I have been putting sunscreen on my two toddler boys whenever we go to the park, or are playing outside for 30+ minutes, they're very fair and will burn w/out it.

For swimming they wear a swim diaper along with a bathing suit and short sleeve swim top. Just a swim diaper is fine but I prefer to keep them covered up w/ the swim suit for sun protection. Also, a little bucket hat is great to shade their face, I started having my kids wear them as babies so they are used to having to keep them on. They also wear sunglasses sometimes...not always, mostly if the sun is bothering their eyes they'll ask for them.

Swimming lessons - I'm just going teach them myself until they're around 4 or 5, but I'm very comfortable in the water and w/ teaching them some very basics.

I would test the sunscreen on a spot on babys back first, just to make sure he doesn't have a reaction to it. I used sunscreen on my kids earlier than 6 months and they're fine ;) You'll want a huge sunhat with a strap that goes under babys chin. The more you cover his skin, the better. Swim trunks and a rash guard are great. Make sure the sunscreen you use is a high SPF made for babies. Sunglasses won't stay on at 6 months ;) AND it's never too early for swimming lessons. My kids never took 'real' lessons, because yes they're super pricey, but your childs life is priceless!

Before you just slather on any old sunscreen check out this website http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ They do a great job of checking products ingredients for safety. Some of the stuff in sunscreen is actually pretty toxic. You can skip the sign up now screen when you go on this website and then you can search for safe children's products. Your kids need Vit D from the sun. So a hat (bucket hat is best )and shirt would almost be sufficient unless you are sitting by the pool all day. My kids have never been sunburned and I only use sunscreen when they are swimming or are going to be outside all day. Swim lessons before age 4 are a waste of time IMO. Mine didnt' get anything out of them until they were 4.

I would put some sunscreen on him; buy a type formulated for babies. Just don’t put any on his hands, he would probably suck it off. When I take my babies in the pool I use a disposable swim diaper with plastic pants (not disposable) over it, and usually a cute swimming suit over that! I have never heard of ISR classes, I have enrolled all my kids in Red Cross certified swimming lessons each summer for two weeks. With my babies I have always done a Mommy and Me type swimming class geared more toward having fun in the water, not trying to teach the baby to swim. Really the point of the class is just to "force" me to have some one on one time in the pool with my baby, because otherwise I would just be distracted by my older kids or be sitting poolside with the baby rather than swimming with him. With my second daughter we were in a baby swim class where the teacher was a little too "gung ho" about forcing the baby's face into the water, I just refused to do that, preferring to play with her instead. By he end of the two week session many of the other babies would scream and cry as soon as their moms carried them into the pool, whereas my daughter was full of smiles and eager to "swim" with me; she even decided on her own to put her face in the water and blow bubbles!

If he's that close to 6 months, I wouldn't see an issue with using sunscreen. I agree with trying it out on one spot though before slathering him up. I use a spray-on sunscreen with my DD... just spray it on her about 10 minutes before letting her play in the sun (it needs time to absorb...) and make sure to reapply it every couple hours. One thing I did that was fun was to sew a lacey material around the brim of a wide-brimmed hat to make a shade 'tent' for her to wear on her head. That helped with the sun situation a lot.

I have a swimsuit I put my DD in when we are in the pool for a little while... but we only have a small wading pool that we keep in a shaded area. If I was going to be in an outdoor pool for long periods of time I would definitely go with a rashguard. Better safe than sorry! Plus, they make really cute ones!

Sunglasses are fun, if you can get him to keep them on. DON'T buy just any pair though... make sure they actually block the UV rays. (they will have a sticker on them saying that they do... if there is no sticker, don't waste your money.) It's important, becuase the dark lense will make the eyes dialate. If there is no UV protection then all the harmful rays go directly into his eyes, the 'darkness' won't make a difference. If they have UV protection, then less rays will get in than not using anything.

I wouldn't worry about swimming classes yet unless you have a pool, and even then I would probably just do a water safety class (just to teach him to float if he happens to fall in.) After all, I'm sure if you are going to be taking him to the pool you will be keeping a pretty close eye on him anyway.
:)

I started my son in parent swim classes at 6 months and I will start my daughter at 9 months (would have at 6 months but it was winter). I dressed him in swim shorts and a swim shirt. On very sunny days, a hat. He wore sunscreen from 6 months on. I kept him out of the sun before that but you could start now, it is close enough. Just keep it off his fingers or hands if he sucks on them. No sunglasses needed, even if you wanted him to wear them he most likely would not keep them on. Good luck!

PLEASE READ-

My son (15 months) is taking ISR lessons. They are pricey indeed, but they are incredible. He can swim already after 3 weeks! My hubby and I saved up the money for him to take them because we feel drowning prevention is worth it! We've known of too many families loosing little ones to take a risk!

***** I'd like to be clear- ISR is not just about kids having a good time in the water (although they do become lovers of the pool!) it's about a child being able to save themselves if they fall into any body of water- pool, retention pond, lake, whatever. Many drownings do not occur in one's own pool, so weather you have one or not does not matter to much (we do not have a pool). It is astonishing how many responsible, watchful, not-to-be-blamed parents lose a child to drowning every year... every day even. I think this is something that needs a lot more awareness drawn to it. Recently ISR has been featured on Good Morning America, the Today Show, CNN, and many other national news stations. It's worth checking out. Many drownings are children under 4 years old, so waiting till they are older is not always a great plan. Though nothing can replace parent supervision, we also cannot watch our child every second, and especially if you will have more than one baby around... I think if one of the parents who lost a child were to post about it we would have a big perspective change.

I hope this is coming across loving, I do mean it to be loving and not rude or casting blame or causing anyone to feel badly, I just know that I am so thankful that my friend (a mother of 6 children) told me that she (a stay at home mom) and her husband (a school teacher) saved up the money to invest in their children learning to swim when each of them was old enough to participate.

VIDEO- here is a video of a child swimming using ISR's swim float swim sequence on his own, as well as a word from the developer of the ISR program.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8EWZuG-2Uk

Blessings!