How can I protect my child from the sun when swimming?

If your child is going swimming, use a sunscreen that is 4 hours water resistant and offers broad spectrum protection from UVA and UVB rays, like our range of Banana Boat Kids products.

You should also consider other cover ups, such as long sleeved swim shirts and hats, to provide extra protection.

Children should reapply sunscreen immediately after towel drying, to ensure they are properly protected and to help reduce the risk of sunburn and UV exposure.

How should my child cover up in the sun?

In addition to using sunscreen on exposed areas, your child should cover up with:

Sun protective clothing in light colours

Wide brimmed hats Sunglasses Teach them to seek out shade, especially between midday and 3pm when the sun is at its hottest and UV radiation is highest.

Also remind them of the importance of reapplying sunscreen every 2 hours, or immediately after swimming and physical activity.

What does the 50 in SPF50+ mean?

SPF stands for ‘sun protection factor’ and the 50 in SPF50 refers to the amount of protection the sun screen offers compared to unprotected skin.

SPF 50+ sunscreens are formulated to allow less damaging rays to reach your skin’s surface than lower SPF sunscreens. For example, when applied correctly, SPF30+ allows 3.3% of UVB rays to reach your skin while SPF 50+ allows only 2% to reach your skin. This may not sound like much of a difference, but over a lifetime of UV exposure, it all adds up.

How much sunscreen do I need to use?

You should always be generous when applying sunscreen – its better to use a little more, than not enough!

We recommend you use approximately a dollop the size of a 20c coin per limb eg:

Each leg

Each arm

The front of your body

Back of your body

Your face and neck, including your ears.