Sun Protection for Our Child’s Sensitive Skin

If you’ve a child with sensitive skin and eczema, heading to the outdoors can be a dread.

Vera’s first bout of eczema started when she was 3 months old, and it was quite a horrid one. Whenever her skin was sticky with perspiration, it would itch and she would be clawing away at her skin. We had to keep her indoors, with the air-conditioned turned on to keep her comfortable.

Over time, the condition improved, but until recently, the scratchy episode restarted. This time, at the back of her shin.

As parents, we’ve learnt to be extra cautious with the products and food she’s exposed to. Her daily skincare routine helps to keep her skin clean and moisturised after every bath.

If you’ve been following us on Instagram, you’ll notice that we’ve been taking her outdoors more often these days.

View this post on Instagram

That face says EVERYTHING. . It was pretty much a MISSION to take both kids for outdoor play on our own, but it's really a much needed time to GET OUT, if you know what I mean. BIG thank you dear daddy @h_shang for taking time out of work to spend a day-out with our bubs😘 . Thankful for a haze-free day and good beach-worthy weather. Most importantly, awesome company. That made those mozzie bites, sandy toes, sticky bodies and thirsty mouths ALL WORTH IT 😝

A post shared by 🦉d.e.e.d.e.e. 🐨 (@deedeedee13) on Aug 29, 2016 at 7:31am PDT

Sun safety should not be neglected especially when we’re in sunny Singapore. Children’s delicate skin should be protected from the harmful effects of the sun, and this guide can help parents understand more on sun protection.

Vera’s sensitive skin made it more complicated every time we headed out, so we prefer sunscreens that are specifically developed for sensitive skin. We are very particular to find a product that does not aggravate her skin condition, or trigger irritation. It should also be suitable for children since their epidermis is thinner compared to adults, making it more susceptible to irritation.

Recently, we had the chance to try out a dermatologist-tested sunscreen that was specially created for children with sensitive skin – Daylong Kids SPF 50+ Lotion (S$39.90). We were ready to see how this sunscreen would weather the environmental elements and my daughter’s sensitive skin!

Tip: If your child has sensitive skin, or reacts to new products, it is recommended to do a patch test. Dispense a pea size of sunscreen (or the new product that you’re trying out) and apply at the back of your child’s ear or on his/her wrist. Observe over several hours and look out for any redness, rashes or itch, which may point to signs of an allergy.

Here’s what we discovered after using the Daylong Kids SPF 50+ Lotion:

Texture:

The lotion is pretty fluid, which makes the runny liquid easy to spread on an impatiently excited child. One can’t spend too much time trying to spread sunscreen on active kids! There’s no greasy feel either. Upon application, wait for about 10-20 minutes before heading out into the sun or water. Vera’s skin didn’t feel sticky, and there was no complaints of any icky feeling either even after play!

Smell:

The Daylong Kids SPF 50+ Lotion is fragrance-free, which means there’s no additional fragrance added to “beautify” the product. No strong, weird smell detected too, which is common in sunscreen and beauty products.

Ease of use:

The sunscreen is easy to spread on skin and there was no unsightly white layer on Vera. That was a plus because no one likes walking around with a ghastly white face, legs or arms! Looks terrible on photos too, isn’t it?!

The sunscreen comes in a bottle for convenient dispensing via pump as opposed to tube since the latter risks over-squeezing (kids love doing that!) and wastage. The smart dispenser is able to pump out a controlled amount to apply on kids, so we didn’t have to press repeatedly.

In fact, to make it easy, Daylong has a usage chart for easy reference on how much to apply according to your child’s age and height! Parents need not go over-zealous buttering their children with too much/too little sunscreen. This is certainly thoughtful!

Effectiveness:

Well, there were no tan lines found on Vera after a day out at the beach! And even after coming into contact with water and after a swim! Does that count? :P

Any skin reactions?

We’re happy to say that Vera’s skin took well to the sunscreen! Despite being all sweaty and grimy after a day out, she was not scratching away or feeling yucky about the areas that have been covered with the sunscreen! YAY!!

No guessing what’s in our bag these days when we take Vera out for a swim, or spend a day playing at the beach!

Heading outdoors can be a breeze, knowing that sunscreen is a must-have especially with our weather in Singapore. After all, the great outdoors present a breath of fresh air and a plethora of sensorial exploration for our kids! You can be sure the Daylong Kids SPF 50+ lotion is one of our essential items when we are preparing for outdoor play!

This article is brought to you in collaboration with Galderma Singapore.

Do you use child-friendly sunscreen on your children too? Do share what some of your favourite brands are!

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