Babywearing with the right sun protection
Sun protection is very important for children’s delicate skin, because our babies' skin is more sensitive than adult skin and therefore has different needs. Even if it’s just spring and the summer heat hasn’t arrived yet, we should have sufficient protection.
Baby skin and sun
The skin of our youngest is much thinner than that of adults and its natural barrier with its protective function is not yet fully developed. As a result, pollutants can penetrate through the skin much more quickly and the skin can dry out more easily. Also melanin, which can protect us from UV radiation for a time, is hardly present in baby's skin. In general, we should keep in mind: The smaller the child, the less protection they have.
UV radiation from the sun can have immediate visible effects on our skin such as sunburn or a sun allergy. Likewise, we should also be aware of the long-term effects such as skin cancer, which usually occurs much later. The better we protect ourselves and our children against radiation from an early age, the lower the risk of this dangerous disease. Sun protection is cancer prevention.
The right protection from the sun in the baby carrier
The easiest protection would be of course to avoid the sun’s rays, but the sun also has a lot of positive effects on us and our mood. After many cold days, it pulls us back out into the warmth and light. It should not be the case that you only stay indoors with your baby when the weather is nice.
But what does the right protection look like and what do I have to consider? First of all, you should avoid direct sunlight and, in summer, the midday heat between 12 and 16 o'clock. Stay in the shade and cover your skin when in the sun.
In a baby carrier or sling, a large part of the skin is already covered and thus partially protected. UV protection is already provided by DIDYMOS fabrics, the darker the colour of the fabric, the better protection it offers.
However, the parts of the body outside of the carrier should also be protected:
- The head with a sun hat with a wide brim and neck protection.
- The arms with a light long-sleeved bodysuit or long-sleeved shirt (e.g. made of wool/silk).
- Legs with light trousers or summer-weight leg warmers in summer
- Feet with light socks
- Places that are not covered with clothing you can apply special sunscreen. Please note that experts advise against sunscreen in the first year of life.
To carry safely, it is also important not to cover your baby's face completely with the headrest or another cloth, to ensure that your baby gets enough oxygen.
The alternative: sun protection with baby carrier cover
A simple alternative to quickly protect your baby from the sun is our BabyDos Sun carry cover. We make it from especially lightweight and quick-drying Supplex and it’s equivalent to a sun protection of UPF 40. The fabric is skin-friendly, breathable, very light and feels like cotton.
After you put the carrier on, you simply pull the cover over it to cover all the parts of your baby's skin that stick out of the carrier. This way you can leave quickly without having to change your baby or take him out of the carrier.
More tips for summer with baby
While our babies need protection from the spring sun, the hottest weather is still a little while away. We have more tips that you can read here for when the temperature goes up, too.
If you are unsure whether everything fits for you and your baby, you can contact us at any time.
We wish you a wonderful spring and summer of babywearing!
This blog post is by Christina Riffi