Talk amongst yourselves: favorite sunscreen?

What's your favorite sunscreen for kids? Do you use lotion, spray, pump, cream, stick, what? Do you have a favorite brand?

Comments

[Amie]

I used to use a stick version (no greasy hands) but haven't been able to find any this summer. It was convenient to carry a small one in my diaper bag for just in case.

[picklemommy]

Love the spray versions, and the kids seem to find it the least annoying to have applied and reappled. Also great to do my own back when I am at the pool. I like the stick for face. I use the Coppertone Kids/Baby version of both these products. One caveat: the spray gets used up quickly, so be prepared to ante up for more suntan lotion regularly.

[Kim]

We like Blue Lizard best. It's a liquid. (Does anyone know if they make a spray? I've looked but not found one.) We' also use the little Mustela stick for touch up on my son's face and ears. I like it because it is small and can't spill in the diaper bag or my purse.

[Anne]

When our kiddo was little, we used Avon's sunscreen for kids...it went on blue (!) so you could see where you missed and it smelled fruity instead of sunscreen-y and it also repelled insects. Awesome!

[momma2mingbu]

Love the spray versions out now but hate how quickly they seem to diappear!

[kaz]

Because the skin is the largest organ in your body and toxins get absorbed straight into the bloodstream, we favor a natural sunscreen for our little one. California Baby makes a great one that's SPF 30 (can't get too much higher than that with natural sunscreen, which uses titanium dioxide instead) and comes in lotion and stick. They also make a version that's a natural bug repellent as well and uses citronella essential oils. We highly recommend all their bath products and essential oil blends. Our favorite- "Tired and Cranky" spritzer.

[Karen Rani]

I love President's Choice (Canadian), and NO-AD - both are cheaper than the insanely priced name brands and do a great job.

[caitlin]

FYI, I just had a massive reaction to "Baby Magic" ("AS MILD AS WATER!" the packaging proclaims) with Titalnium Dioxide (I had the same reaction 8 years ago to the No Ad product), as did one of my kids. The other kid didn't have a problem with it. As I write this, I sit on my beach vacation unable to go in the sun (cortisone doesn't mix with sun and really, the bumpy rash is Elephant Man-esque so there are aesthetic reasons as well). I don't have sensitive skin. This was truly freakish. Recommended reading for this topic -- "The Rub on Sunscreen" on the NYTimes.com web site. A friend of mine has a daughter who is albino and insists upon the Neutrogena product and this article backs that up.

[Lauren Snell]

I love the new Banana Boat Tear Free formula. It really doesn't irritate my kids' eyes, which was the biggest impediment to them sitting still to wear it at all.

[AmyS]

The urbanMamas blog has several suggestions for chemical-free (ie with mechanical blocking only) sunscreens: http://tinyurl.com/hcwmj

[Elizabeth]

My husband has sensitive skin and so he swore our son would too and even though I think our boy skipped out on his dads skin issues, I still use the baby aveeno line and the sunscreen is fabulous for both dad and his boy.

[Serrina]

Baby Aveeno is supposed to be one of the least allergenic types. I just used it for a week on our 5 mo. old and on my face while vacationing in Mexico - Baby is still looking white and my face would still be white but I gave it 15 minutes of sun without screen just for some color! Baby Aveeno is powerfully protective!!!

[kitenpie]

I'm using Aveeno this year too - it's SPF 45 and it's all physical blockers, not chemical, which I like.

[Ted]

I tried some Kinesys SPF 30+ spray; it's absolutely fantastic for our kid with exczema, you don't even feel its "micro-droplets", spraying it on!.

[cathy]

Just returned from vacation in VT. Used Aveeno SPF45 on my face..not a good thing.I had the same reaction that above poster Caitln had. Elephant man-esque rang a bell for me. Aveeno has Titalnium Dioxide in it also. I am now taking a steroid for 6 days. I only used it on my face and only one time.

[DomsMom]

I ditto the kaz! I can not believe people are still putting titanium dioxide on skin!!! Do you let your children drink out of bpa containers, too? Check out the buzz at www.ewg.org and see for yourself.

[Marly]

I use Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 85 on my fair-skinned two-year-old daily. He spends a lot of time outside and in the pool, and it has done a wonderful job of protecting his sensitive skin.

[Liona]

i love ombrelle spf 30, i am only 14 so i am outside a lot. I am extremely sensitive to sun, but i stay fairly not burnt with ombrelle. I have had a reaction to the coppertone spray and play so i avoid it. I'm still not sure what i was allergic to. I have heard from my doctor however that anything past 30 spf works the same as 30 and is not necessary.

[ma'x mom]

we use Blue Lizard sensitive (tube) for body and the California Baby Stick for face, nose, ears, etc. No problems. Baby Aveeno made my son's skin get hives after he turned 2 (no problems last year), so we switched to just-physical sunblock. (Aveeno has Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate, Octocrylene, and Oxybenzone, and is *not* just a physical blocker)