Sunburns are a common occurrence throughout the year, even in the winter as the sun reflects off the snow. Children are at risk for sunburn and depend on you as a parent or guardian to protect them. This is especially true of toddlers who are not old enough to understand the dangers of the sun. Knowing how to protect your toddler from sunburn, as well as what to do when your child develops a sunburn, is essential for long-term health of the child's skin.
Cause of Sunburn
Sunburns develop when your toddler spends too much time in the sun with unprotected skin. The sun emits a special kind of light called ultraviolet, or UV, radiation. This invisible wavelength of light hits and penetrates the skin, causing an increase in melanin production. Melanin is the pigment that gives skin its color, which is why time in the sun can cause skin to darken. The increase in melanin is meant to help protect your toddler's skin against the UV radiation. Unfortunately, with excess exposure -- which varies depending on the type of skin your toddler has -- the skin no longer can protect itself and is damaged, or "burned," by the radiation.
Risks
Sunburns can produce a variety of effects. The most common is a burning pain that both children and adults experience. The more severe the sunburn, the more pain your child feels. Severe sunburns even can cause blisters to form on the skin, which can get infected if your toddler scratches or pops them. The more times your toddler gets a sunburn, the more chance the sun can damage the DNA of the skin cells. This can increase your child's chances of developing deadly skin cancer later on in life, especially if the child goes through her teen and adult years without wearing sun protection, as well.
Prevention
Preventing a sunburn on your toddler's skin actually is quite easy, as long as you take the time to do it. Any children over 6 months always should have sunscreen applied to their skin before going out in the sun. Every area of exposed skin should be covered including the face, neck, arms, legs, hands, feet and often-forgotten areas such as the ears. Your child's sunscreen should have a sun-protection-factor, or SPF, of at least 15, or 30 for children with fair skin, such as those with blond or red hair, suggests the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University. Have your child wear a hat when possible to protect the scalp from getting burned and help shade the face. Sunglasses with UV protection also are important to prevent your child's eyes from getting burned.
Treatment
If your child develops a sunburn, there are several treatment methods you can try, depending on how severe the sunburn is. Your toddler should be given a proper dose of children's ibuprofen within the first six hours of the sunburn occurring, suggests Seattle Children's Hospital. Ibuprofen reduces the swelling of the sunburn and also can help reduce any discomfort felt by your child. Talk to your doctor first to ensure ibuprofen is appropriate and safe for your child. A cool bath -- not a shower, as the rushing water against the skin can be painful -- can help cool down the skin and reduce pain for your toddler. Make sure that your child is drinking plenty of water to replace fluids lost by the burn. If the burn looks severe, has developed blisters or has become infected, see your doctor immediately for a wider range of appropriate treatment options.
