Sun coverage

[suzette]

I've been looking at all the adorable little bathing suits for my 7 month old daughter, but the logical side of me says to go with the T-shirt-diaper-hat combo in the Right Start catalog because I should be worried about coverage, not style ;-)

Thoughts?

[brubeck]

Bathing suits are NOT necessities, no matter how often you take a baby swimming. However like shoes for 6 month olds they are soooo cute! :-)

The reality is that the t-shirt probably won't cover that much more than a one piece girl's swimsuit, and sunscreeen is vital anyhow. I do recommend the hat though.

[stella]

The bathing suits are so cute. Just be diligent about sunscreen - a pediatrician friend says a new study finds that 90% of sun damage occurs by age 2.

That seems kind of extreme, but it's what was reported.

[nicksmom]

My little guy has decided he DOES NOT LIKE hats of any kind.... Anyhow, I too believe sunscreen is so important, especially since we live in sunny CA. My DS is only 10 months old and we are only experiencing our first Spring. I am not sure which brand of sun protection to trust. Do any of you more experienced Moms have any recommendations? Thanks!

[August Mom]

Have you tried a hat with a chin strap? My DS has decided he doesn't like hats either. However, I've won this battle, at least for now, by using a hat with a chin strap with a velcro closure. He tries to take it off, but can't and then stops trying. We got ours at Baby Gap. As for sunscreen, we've just started using Water Babies, but I have very little experience with this. Here's a link to a recent discussion about sunscreen, though: http://www.windsorpeak.com/dcforum/DCForumID3/593.html

[brubeck]

I also saw some hats at The Children's Place last year with snaps on the chin strap. Don't know if they have them this year though.

Both my kids love(d) to chew on the chin strap too. It distracted them from taking off the hat.

[stella]

I believe it needs to contain titanium dioxide for the best protection. I like a spray-on for convenience. Last summer I really liked "personal Expressions 45" for children. It is a store-brand from one of our grocery stores, but I don't know who really makes it.