Sustainable and Safe Summer Fun!
Living in a state with 4 seasons, summer is definitely the biggest hit! Especially in a house with 3 boys. My little guy who is not quite 1 already screams and thrashes around when I pick him up to go inside. My neighbor's probably think he is hurt... nope, just time to go in! All 3 of my boys love being outside.
As a mom it makes me a little more anxious. I mostly worry about the sun and bugs. My boys aren't the only creatures who love it outside, mosquitos, gnats, ticks and bees love it too! Another worry is being dye-conscious and all the cold treats we come across, I will cover that in a post soon!
I don't totally shelter my kids from the sun but I really encourage them to stay in the shade and we wear sun shirts and hats pretty much every time we go outside. We often come inside for lunch and a little 'quiet time' between the hours of 11:30-3 when the sun is the strongest.
Sun Shirts
I look for SPF 50+ along with bright/fun colors and patterns so my kids want to wear them. I buy a few of these in each size so we always have a clean one on hand for when we are going outside. I size up, swim shirts can run small and it never hurts to wear them for two years instead of just one!
Sizes 1-8 sun shirts with some seriously cute patterns and at a great price.
These shirts are rated SPF 50+ and have 4.7 star ratings. Highly recommend for keeping your little ones safe in the sun.
This brand, Willit, looks like another great and similar option but with solid colors, over 1,000 ratings currently at 4.7 stars as well. The sizes go up higher from 2T- XS-XL (size 14 kids) which is awesome!
Both of the above options say 'boys' although I think it'd be just fine to use them for girls and there are some traditional 'girl' colors. I had a harder time finding as many options for girls but this one has a lot of good reviews and more color options as well.
I also opt for brighter colors and patterns for water safety (it's easier to see kids in the pool to prevent drowning) and to find them easier at a busy park or splash pad. Sun shirts are a must have at my house!
Sun Hats
This one is so important! I put hats on my babies as soon as I start taking them outside so they get used to it. I like to have a few options for my boys so they feel like they have a choice in the matter. My 7 year old now gets to choose if he wears his bucket hat or a ball cap. Even though I prefer the bucket hat and make him wear it on longer outings, I recognize that he probably doesn't want to wear one as he gets older. Sometimes I offer my kids a choice if they argue with me, the sun hat and sun shirt OR sunscreen. They almost always choose the hat and shirt.
I always look for a tie at the chin, lightweight options with several color choices. Here are my favorites that we use:
Full protection sun hat, newborn-4T
The cutest bucket hats from Hatiis, newborn-5t, almost 2,000 4.8 star reviews!
These are the hats I ordered when my older boys outgrew the other two, sizes go from newborn- 7 years. They've used them for two summers now and were so excited when I pulled them out the other day! They are cute and functional.
Sunscreen
This first reason I try to skip sunscreen is I don't love all the ingredients. The FDA studied the main ingredients in sunscreen in 2019 and concluded all of them enter the bloodstream in measurable levels but could only conclusively identify two of them as safe, Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide. Below is a snippet from an article posted in 2024- 5 years later, where the FDA is still considering these ingredients and has made no movement on regulating them.
You can read more about the safety concerns over sun screen on the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) website. I talk more about the EWG in my Natural Deodorant post.
Moral of the story? It's up to us as consumers to make sure what we were are putting on ourselves and our kids is safe.
The second reason is when I was traveling abroad in Australia I learned sunscreen ingredients, mainly Oxybenzone and Octinoxate, have been scientifically proven to harm coral reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef, even at very low doses. Since then Hawaii has banned sunscreen with those ingredients but no other state (or Australia) has. I feel we all have a responsibility to keep our environment safe. Any products we use goes back in to our planet one way or another. Plus, if it isn't safe for the environment it probably isn't safe for us.
On days where we hit the beach or I know we will be outside for a long time with no shade in sight I put sunscreen on my kids. I choose mineral sunscreens which are more of a physical barrier against the sun. These are my favorites that are all EWG certified meaning they meet the strictest standards for health and safety. They are safe for everyone 6 months and above:
Thinkbaby, Thinkkid, Thinksports- They also have a sun stick but I have not tried that one.
Babo Sensitive Sunscreen Stick is a great choice for your children's faces. This option looks perfect for mom and dad as a face sunscreen! I have only ever bought the stick but they have a whole line of sunscreens I would use if I didn't already choose the Think line. The face sunscreen is already in my cart to buy as soon as my current face sunscreen runs out.
Practicing sun safety is important for the whole family. Planning activities around low UV times, staying in the shade whenever possible, wearing sun shirts and hats can all help keep you from getting too much sun. Sunscreen isn't all bad but it's important to follow the above steps first if possible and then choose a safe and environmental sunscreen from there.
This post got really long and I didn't even touch on bugs yet! I'm adding it to my to-do list because I have a lot to say on that as well. Subscribe for my e-mail updates I send every few weeks or check back soon for my post on easy and safe bug protection!