Finding the Best Natural Sunscreen for Kids

Getaway Well with Safe, Natural Sunblock for Your Next Trip

When we’re laying out in the sun, enjoying ourselves and the warm weather, it’s easy to lose track of time.

Sure, you’re getting some exercise and having an active rest day, and you’re playing some outdoor fitness games to stay active, but are you protecting yourself and your family from the sun’s harmful rays?

Unfortunately, if you’re not using a good sunblock, an extra hour left unprotected can spell disaster for the rest of your vacation.

This is especially true for kids, who typically don’t have the experience or forethought to remind them to reapply their sunscreen because they’re too busy having fun! Not to mention that certain brands of sunblock contain potentially harmful chemicals that could have negative long-term effects from regular use.

Thankfully, tons of natural sunblock ingredients can be used to help protect our skin, as well as some great brands that only use natural sunblock ingredients.

But what is the best natural sunscreen for kids? We’re going to discuss some factors that you should take into account when you’re trying to find a reliable, natural sunblock, such as what is the best SPF for kids and what natural sunscreen options are readily available to you.

Then, we’ll break down some different situations that could require extra considerations, like finding the best natural sunscreen for kids for swimming, sunscreens for kids with eczema or sensitive skin, and what alternative sunscreens for babies you should consider trying.

Take our advice, and this page will give you all the info you need to Getaway Well on your next trip to the beach or a day outside in the sun.

What’s the Best SPF for Kids?

The bare minimum SPF that children 6 months and older should be using is SPF 15. However, when we say bare minimum, we mean that very seriously.

In the ideal world, the best SPF for kids would be between SPF 30-50, which is why so many children’s sunblock brands use that range as their standard strength measurement.

More than just the numbers, you should always check the labels of the sunblock that you’re wearing to ensure that it’s listed as ‘broad-spectrum’. This is because these sunscreens protect kids against both UVA and UVB rays, and give them a much more well-rounded level of protection.

If we’re searching for the best SPF for kids in our lives, we prefer a broad-spectrum SPF 50. This would offer you a maximum level of protection for your child’s skin, as well as give them the freedom to spend slightly more time in the sun, before having to worry about reapplying.

Natural Sunblock Ingredients

Several natural sunblock ingredients are approved for use by the FDA to provide a natural level of SPF. However, the most commonly seen are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.

These are the ingredients you’ll often see in mineral sunscreen spray for kids, which we’ll talk about a little later.

As well, many popular sunscreen brands have begun incorporating these natural sunblock ingredients into their recipes to create healthier, safer natural sunscreen options.

Natural Sunscreen Options

Choosing from your natural sunscreen options doesn’t have to be a headache. Just take the time to think about the conditions that you’ll be exposed to, as well as the specifics of the people who are going to be using the sunblock.

Once you narrow down this information, you’ll have a much easier time finding the best kids’ natural sunscreen for your situation.

To help you in your mission to find the best natural sunscreen for kids, we’ve got some different categories you should consider:

Sunscreen for Kids for Swimming

Days at the beach, gorgeous outdoor hotel pools, swimming at the cottage, or going for a dip on a campsite – these are the childhood memories that last a lifetime.

Of course, if we’re going to be out in the sun when we’re swimming, sunscreen has to be a major concern. The sun’s UV rays can easily pass-through water and affect your children’s skin. Swimmers are more likely to be vulnerable to sunburns.

Why would they be more vulnerable? Not only are they more likely to get burned because the reflection from the water intensifies the sun’s rays, but when we’re swimming, we’re a lot less likely to notice that we’re starting to burn.

This is because the cool water typically prevents us from feeling the effects of a sunburn until it becomes somewhat serious.

For all these reasons, it’s crucial to find effective sunscreen for kids for swimming, so that they can carry on making those lifelong memories, and you won’t have to worry about their health or safety.

Due to all these benefits, we think Play is one of the best natural sunscreens for kids for swimming.

Sunscreen for Kids with Eczema or Sensitive Skin

Kids with eczema or sensitive skin already have a hard time dealing with many of the normal things that we take for granted in our lives.

Certain materials of clothes, scents, or even the changing seasons can wreak havoc on their skin, so the last thing that you want them to have to cope with is a terrible sunburn. Or worse, apply a sunblock that aggravates their condition before they’ve even had a chance to start having fun.

Because of this, extra care has to be given to the use of sunscreen for kids with eczema or sensitive skin. It becomes a fine line to tread between giving them protection and potentially irritating their skin.

The only downfall to using a Substance is that it only has an SPF of 30. This means that in the sun, it needs to be reapplied every 80 minutes. It’s also only water-resistant, rather than waterproof, so you should consider reapplying even sooner if your kids are swimming.

Overall, we still think Substance is one of the best natural sunscreens for kids with eczema or sensitive skin.

Mineral Spray Sunscreen for Kids

Some kids have a really hard time with lotion sunblock. They hate the feeling of it on their skin, or worse, they put up a fight every time you need to reapply.

You can save yourself from some of those battles by switching to a mineral spray sunscreen for kids, which makes it quicker and easier to apply. It also tends to leave less residue on the skin after use, which affects kids less who are bothered by the feeling of sunblock on their skin.

Alba Botanica’s Very Emollient Kids Continuous Spray Sunscreen might be a mouthful to say, but it’s wonderful for protecting your kids.

This aerosol-free, SPF 50, water-resistant mineral spray sunscreen for kids protects for 80-minute intervals before needing to be reapplied. Plus, it’s hypoallergenic, so it’s less likely to cause a reaction in kids with sensitive skin.

For all these reasons combined, we think this is one of the greatest mineral spray sunscreens for kids on the market today.

Regular Sunscreen Alternatives for Babies

Of course, we can’t forget about our littlest loved ones!

Babies have the most sensitive skin of us all, and it’s important that when we’re spending extended time outdoors with them that we’re taking the time to properly protect them from the sun.

If you think your baby is keeping you up at night now, you just wait until they get a sunburn. Trust us, it’s bad for everyone involved.

That’s why we love Thinkbaby Sunscreen as a regular sunscreen alternative for babies.

Removing all the chemicals that make some normal sunscreen brands dangerous for babies to use, Thinkbaby uses a safe, natural formula that offers SPF 50 protection and is water-resistant.

This means your littlest playmates can join you in the water for some wet, splashy fun, without you having to worry about whether they’re protected against the elements.

There are some other sunscreen alternatives for babies that you can make yourself at home, but BE CAREFUL.

If you’re going to test out any of these natural oils to protect your baby, do your research first to learn more about them. Branded natural sunscreens have to go through a quality assurance process that guarantees that they’re safe to use and will effectively protect your children.

These sunscreen alternatives for babies could be effective, but the science on them isn’t entirely clear. You may be best off spending the money to buy one of the best natural sunscreens for kids that we suggested, rather than take a chance on alternatives that may have mixed or unreliable results.

Don’t Let the Sun Cast a Shadow Over Your Trip

You Can’t Getaway Well with Sunburns

As you can see, things have evolved in the sunscreen world over the last several years.

There are a lot more options out there to choose from, rather than simply choosing a generic sunblock based on its SPF and ability to protect against water.

We love our kids, just like you love yours. Nothing is more important to us than making great memories together and protecting them from as many of the negative parts of life as we can. Sunburns may not be dangerous most of the time, but they’re unpleasant and have a great way of ruining an otherwise good time.

So, when you’re planning your next family trip, take some of the best natural sunscreens for kids that we suggested with you, and your whole family is sure to Getaway Well.