This guide is about cosmetic products and shade habits. A child's skin behaves differently from an adult's, so first things first: under six months, and with any skin reaction at all, the person to ask is a paediatrician, not a shop.
- Under six months, or any skin reaction at all: that's a paediatrician, not a shop.
- A mineral filter: fewer ingredients that can irritate, and it protects from the moment it goes on.
- The amount is where everyone gets it wrong: around two tablespoons for the body of a five-year-old, half a teaspoon for the face.
- Twenty minutes before going out, on dry skin. Every two hours, and always after swimming or towelling off, water-resistant or not.
- The five spots everyone misses: ears, tops of the feet, back of the neck, the parting, and behind the knees.
Why mineral is the one people use on children
Mineral filters — zinc oxide, titanium dioxide — sit on top of the skin and reflect light instead of absorbing it. On a child that means fewer ingredients that could irritate, and protection from the moment it goes on, with no waiting.
The price is the white cast. On a child at the beach that's an advantage in disguise: you can see where you missed.
Mineral body sunscreen, in the size that survives a whole holiday.
See mineral sunscreensHow much you actually need
The mistake everyone makes isn't the product, it's the amount. A five-year-old's body takes roughly two tablespoons. The face takes half a teaspoon. Most people apply a third of that and then decide the sunscreen failed.
- Twenty minutes before going out, on dry skin.
- Every two hours, no exceptions.
- And always after swimming or towelling off, even if it says water resistant.
The bits everyone misses
Ears, tops of the feet, back of the neck, the parting in the hair and the backs of the knees. Those five are where the skin goes red by evening even when everywhere else is fine.
What protects more than any cream
The clock. Between eleven and three, this close to the equator, the sun comes straight down and the sand and water bounce it back up, so the shade of a palapa protects about half as much as it looks like it does. Beach early, lunch and a nap indoors, back out at four.
A long-sleeved rash guard does more for a child than any product: it doesn't rub off on a towel and there's no negotiation every two hours about reapplying it.
End of the day
A lukewarm shower — not cold, not hot — get the salt off, then something that calms and hydrates hot skin. If there's redness that won't settle, blistering, fever or vomiting, that's no longer cosmetics: that's a doctor, the same day.
What parents ask
What age can a child start wearing sunscreen?
The general advice is from six months. Before that it's shade, clothing and timing — and anything you're unsure about goes to the paediatrician.
Does the white cast go away?
It fades a lot if you work in thin layers and give it a minute, but it doesn't disappear. On a child at the beach that's an advantage: you can see exactly where you've missed.
Does "water resistant" mean I don't have to reapply?
No. It means it survives a set amount of time in the water, not the whole afternoon. After swimming or drying off with a towel it goes back on, no exceptions.
Spray or cream for a child?
Cream. Almost nobody applies enough with a spray, a good part of it blows away on a beach, and it isn't something you want them breathing in. If you use a spray, use it to top up what's already on — not for the first layer.
See mineral protection · If they already burned