Summertime is here, bringing beautiful warm, sunny weather. This beautiful weather draws us all outdoors in the sun’s harmful rays! A particularly important question on many parents’ minds now is: How do I protect my baby from getting sunburnt? And is sunscreen even healthy for us to put on our skin? Sun protective baby UV swimsuits are an easy alternative to keep baby’s skin safe and healthy all summer long.
While you may know, babies under 6 months should not wear sunscreen due to the higher risk of the side effects from sunscreen. Babies can develop a rash if sunscreen is applied to their skin.
To avoid sunscreen all together for babies, toddlers, and even on your own skin, a UV swimsuit is a great alternative. It enables you to remain fully protected and not have to reapply sunscreen every two hours.
My one-year-old has thankfully never been sunburnt. She wears UV swimwear every time we go out to play in the pool (along with a UV sunhat to protect her head and neck).
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The Best Sun Protection for Babies
The best way to protect your child’s skin from harmful UV rays is to:
- Apply sunscreen 45 SPF or higher with broad-spectrum UVA/UVB coverage (if older than 6 months). Find the right sunscreen for your child by using this list of best sunscreens for babies.
- Keep your baby in the shade.
- Dress your baby in a sun-protective UV swimsuit that covers the arms and legs. You can find the best UV swimwear for your baby in the list below.
- Have your baby wear a sunhat to cover their head, ears, neck, and shoulders with shade.
Why Your Baby Needs a UV Swimsuit
Studies have shown that enduring 5 or more bad sunburns in your younger years makes your risk of skin cancer 80% greater. While no parent wants their child to get sunburnt, the thought of cancer is even scarier.
Even on cloudy days, the skin can still burn. Do not underestimate the power of the sun’s rays. Always apply sunscreen to your child’s skin or cover them with proper UPF clothing or swimwear if you plan to be outside for any period of time.
UV clothing and swimsuits are perfect for babies and children, as they love to be outside and we don’t always remember to apply the sunscreen!
Many sunscreen wearers are guilty of not re-applying every two hours to maintain the strength of the sunblock, resulting in burns. I’m guilty of that on my own skin in the past!
Many people are also not a fan of the feeling of sun lotion on their body and hands, especially if playing at the beach where sand loves to stick in all the unwanted places due to sunscreen.
Some chemicals used in sunscreen can also cause allergic reactions. This makes baby UV swimsuits and clothing so much easier, healthier, and more protective than sunscreen for any age.
Do All Swimwear and Clothing Protect From Sunburn?
Not all clothing protects you from UVA and UVB rays. It all depends on the fabric the clothing is made of and how close the weave is.
It can also depend on the color of your clothing. You are more likely to get burnt wearing a white shirt, than you are while wearing a black shirt.
The good thing about UPF fabric is that it is densely woven, so it doesn’t matter what color the fabric is, you are still guaranteed protection.
And while the fabric is more densely woven in comparison to other fabrics, it is still breathable to keep you cool and comfortable on a hot summer day.
Difference Between SPF and UPF
All these different letter abbreviations can get kind of confusing. To simplify it for you:
SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is used to measure the effectiveness of sunscreen.
UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) is used to measure the effectiveness of sun protective fabric and how much UV rays can reach the skin through the fabric.
The highest UPF made today is 50 UPF fabric, which filters out 98 percent of harmful UV rays to keep skin safe from burns.
The Best Sun Protective Baby UV Swimsuits:
All of the following best sun protective baby UV swimsuits mentioned feature 50 UPF fabric, which is the best you could ask for when protecting your child’s sensitive skin in the sun!
Coolibar
Coolibar makes UPF clothing and swimwear for the entire family. The size range they sell is from 0 months baby to 3XL adult. Some items are made with the same patterns so the whole family can match!
Coolibar’s fabric has been rigorously tested and is trusted by dermatologists. They received The Skin Cancer Foundations seal of recommendation! I love their baby UV swimwear , as they are very high quality.
They made their baby swimsuits with snaps in the crotch and around the neck for easy changing. The fabric is thinner than other UPF swimsuits, making it more comfortable and keeps you and baby cooler when out in the heat.
Coolibar is my number one recommendation when looking for the best UV swimsuit for your baby, kids, or yourself!
RuffleButts
RuffleButts caters to girls, with beautiful prints and ruffles on the butts of all their swimwear! They have the most fashion-forward selection of baby UV swimwear including sizes for toddler, and kid sizes for girls.
Their swimwear is superior quality and fits true to size. These swimsuits are made with zippers on the necks and snaps in the crotch for easy diaper changes.
The patterns on the fabric are what draws many to try RuffleButts UV swimsuits. But it doesn’t stop there! There are many different styles of swimsuits to choose from and they are the cutest, by far, out of the whole list of best UV swimwear here!
RuggedButts
RuggedButts is made by the same company as RuffleButts, but geared toward our rugged little boys!
They are both made by the same people, but RuggedButts sells swim trunks and rash-guard UPF shirts for boys.
They come with the same wonderful high quality and fashion-forward patterns that RuffleButts do as well!
SwimZip
SwimZip features adorable matching patterns for the whole family. This company was created by a skin cancer victim and a devoted mom.
She strives to keep everyone who wears her UV swimwear safe from the damaging sun and comfortable while having fun as a family.
SwimZip features a flat zipper running from the bottom to top of their children’s styles, making it easy to get in and out of.
UV Skinz
The creator of UV Skinz lost her husband to melanoma at age 32 and was left to mother her children on her own. She felt the need to keep her family protected by the UV rays of the sun and created UV Skins.
They feature matching patterns for the entire family, from 3 month baby to 4XL adult. UV Skinz has a signature zipper along the back side of their one-piece baby swimsuits making it easy for diaper changes.
This company has also received The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation, which shows us more reason to trust this brand!
