Are you looking for a good eco-friendly sunscreen that is safe for your family and kids?
Since we live in Florida we spend a lot of time outdoors, especially during the summer months. We spend the weekends splashing away in the pool or playing in the sand at the beach. It’s important for me to know how to keep myself and my kids protected from the suns damaging rays.
Smart Sun Safety Tips
- Limit your sun exposure between the hours of 10am and 4pm (if possible) when the sun is the strongest and most damaging.
- Cover up! Even in the heat of the summer the safest way to protect yourself from the sun is to cover up. Wear light colored clothing (reflects the sun light), hats, and sunglasses when you have to be out in the sun. Invest in a few rash guards for your children when they are swimming to keep their sun exposure to a minimum.
- Enjoy the shade. We have an amazing pop up style beach tent that we bought when Lil’ B was a baby. I would highly recommend something similar or even a simple beach umbrella if you are spending the day outdoors. Even mommy can escape into the shade to cool down.
- Find a safe sunscreen and apply regularly. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) just updated their recommendations for safe sunscreens in their 2012 Sunscreen Guide. Remember that you want a product that scores low (1-2 is best) by EWG. Over the past few weeks we’ve been trying the Beyond Coastal line of sunscreens.
I am always looking for sunscreens that are safe for my kids. I have tried to limit our use of spray or spritz on sunscreens because they are so expensive and you end up spraying most of the sunscreen into the air. At the ridiculous prices I pay for sunscreen I don’t want to waste it by spraying the air. I feel like you get a better cover (and better protection) with lotions. I know they take longer to put on and you get your hands all messy but they really do work better. The next obstacle is finding one that is free of all those nasty chemicals (parabens, oxybenzone, PABA, petroleum, Vitamin A, and artificial fragrances) that won’t pose a potential risk to my children’s health as they get older. Have you ever looked at the ingredients in sunscreens? S-C-A-R-Y!
Beyond Coastal line of sun care products all score between 1-3 on the EWG scale (out of 10) making them one of the safest sunscreens you can find. The line consists of their Active (non-mineral) sunscreen line and their Natural (mineral) sunscreen line. All of their products range from 15-30 SPF and they even have a line specifically formulate for our kids.
The Natural Kids SPF 30 (2 on EWG) is a mineral based sunscreen that contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to protect against UVA/UVB rays. It takes a little more effort to rub it in since it’s the white, mineral based sunscreen but it rubbed in better than some of the brands I used last summer. I also loved the Active Face Stick for their noses and little faces. I like the stick for faces because it applies easier and my kids don’t scream if I get close to their eyes (it doesn’t burn). Overall we were very happy with the entire line and I’ve even found myself applying the lip balm before I head out each day.
Would you like to try the Beyond Coastal brand? When you sign up for their newsletter they will email you a 25% off coupon (which I’ll be using myself to stock up on more for the summer) for your next purchase. You can also win a Beyond Coastal prize package here!
To win the prize package you see above you’ll need to leave a comment below answering the following question.
What is your family’s favorite fun in the sun activity?
I will close comments on Monday, May 28th at midnight ET and select a winner at random on Tuesday, May 29th. The winner will be selected at random. Open to U.S. residents over the age of 18.
Disclosure: Samples of the sunscreen line were provided by Beyond Coastal for the review and giveaway. All opinions shared in this post are my own.
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We like to hang out at the pool or the park.
Krystyn recently posted..Happy 3 Months, Sweet E. Claire
We love our family vacation a week at the best completely care free!
I meant to say beach 🙂
My daughter is still pretty young so there isn’t a lot of outdoor activity for to do but we do enjoy stroller rides and trips to the park. We throw out a blanket in the shade and let her crawl around. It’s only been warm enough the past 3 weeks or do to take her out, we live in Washington, and to my surprise the other day we came home and her cheeks got a little sun even with her little sun hat on. It was only 70 degrees out. Broke my heart. Now I’m a little scared to take her back out.
We enjoy camping and hiking, but now that we have a babe in tow, I’m much more cautious about being in the sun … learning more about skincare now, and should have known sooner.
Just being outside is fun, no matter what we are doing! Hopefully we will spend a lot of time at the pool and splash pad this summer and that will become our family favorite 🙂
We are huge fans of the beach! Anything with water, and spend most of the summer in the pool!
These indeed are very smart sun protection tips. I hit new places every now and then, and need to take such protections every time.
-Roselyn
Roselyn Stephens recently posted..360hdmi
Our favorite activity by far is hiking in the beautiful mountains near where we live. There is nothing better than spending time with family while taking in amazing scenery.
Swimming!
We love hiking!
laurel recently posted..Children’s Classic Literature- Kalia’s Library
Swimming!! Who doesn’t love water when it is hot out. 🙂
Kimberly recently posted..What’s in a name??
We love going for family walks.
Danielle recently posted..Top Tips for Traveling with Cloth
Our favorite fun in the sun is the beach and splashing around. I can’t wait to take our new little one swimming.