Baby Slings & Clothing Sunscreen Protection

The advice has always been that babies and young children should stay out of the sun as much as possible.  Of

Our son with sun protective swim shirt

course, it’s impossible to completely avoid the sun, especially when your child becomes more and more active.  Recently, certain types of baby clothes and baby gear have been manufactured to offer UV protection.  But, as indicated by a comment on a recent Consumer Reports Baby blog post called Sunscreen tips for babies and young children it is very unclear what level of UV protection we are getting from these clothes. I found out that we need to look for the UPF.

Baby Clothes Sun Protection Standards – Look For UPF

The American Melanoma Foundation’s site on sun protective clothing says that new standards were released in the US in 2001.  Now, the US has the “most stringent UV-protective clothing standards in the world!”  The unit for these standards is measured in UPF (UV Protection Factor).

What does the UPF rating mean? UPF goes beyond SPF by measuring…

1. how well clothing endures laundry cycles
2. exposure to 2 years of light exposure (fading), and
3. if for swim wear, exposure to chlorinated water.

Clothing UPF Classification Categories and Ratings

• Very Good UV Protection – UPF 25, 30, 35 means 96% to 97.4% UV Blocked
• Excellent UV Protection – UPF 40, 45, 50+ means 97.5% to 98% UV Blocked

The AMF site says that the UPF standards are voluntary, but may be mandatory someday.  Therefore, I would probably take the SPF rating on baby clothes as a good indication of their UV protection when in new and ver good condition, but rely less on such cloths the more they are exposed to sun and washed.

What’s the SPF for Baby Slings and Clothes?

In an earlier post, we described the Moby Wrap sling with SPF 50 UV protection.  But what about other popular clothing, like swim shirts?  Is there a standard?

SPF cotton shirts can block 97% of the suns UV rays, according to my research on various sites, including the American Cancer Society.  There is a nice article by an eHow contributing writer describing How To Buy SPF Clothing.  In it, they suggest rompers to cover the child to their hands and ankles.  I had to look up what rompers were and discovered they are those outfits that combine a shirt and pants into one article of clothing, usually with a hood.  I found that if you look up “Sun Rompers” then you will see some products you can buy.  They look cute and I think I might get some for my toddler.

Other Sunscreen Solutions

While researching sunscreen for clothes, I came across some other interesting sunscreen products.

• Sunscreen Wipes – Heather Corley, from About.com, has a great blog about many baby products and useful parenting tips.  Click here for her review of MD Mom Sunscreen Wipes.
• Sun Rompers – I found these on a site called Coolibar.com.  In their blog article, called “Toddlers & Sun Protective Clothing,” Mary Mills Barrow provides some good advice on keeping your children safe in the sun.
• Hats – An obvious mention, but the American Cancer Society recommends having a 3 inch brim and using a sun protective fabric.  This is the best way to protect your child’s head and ears.