The skin of an infant, younger than 3 years, is very sensitive to the sun and chemicals in sunscreen. Adult sunscreen works with chemicals that sink into the skin, where they provide protection. The problem with this is that infants and babies tend to be allergic to the chemicals and when they aren’t these chemicals do not provide sufficient protection for your infant.

When you buy sunscreen you need to check the label, on the back, the active ingredient needs to be zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These are natural ingredients that work by sitting on top of the baby’s skin, creating a layer of protection. Sunscreen made from these ingredients tend to be a bright colour, so you should easily be able to see whether you have missed any parts of the infant’s body.

If you have a toddler you know they tend to rub the sunscreen into their eyes. The type that is made from zinc oxide or titanium dioxide will not irritate the eyes of your toddler, as much as the adult product will.

The sunscreen or sunblock should also be water resistant with an SPF of 15 to 30, that provides broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.

Here is a tip: If you are using a new sunscreen on your toddler, apply some to the under par of their arm, the night before you start using it. If a rash forms, you know that they are allergic to it.

When you buy sunblock, look for the ‘baby blanket’ or ‘blue lizard’ brands. They are the best established ones.