Sun safety for babies: the Irish guide

Irish parents tend to underrate the sun, because the sun here spends most of the year being a rumour. But on a clear day from April to September, the UV is strong enough to burn, and a baby's skin burns faster and more easily than yours. You do not get a second go at a small child's skin, so this is one worth getting right.

The good news is the Irish guidance is simple and consistent. It splits neatly by age, so here it is, plain.

Under 6 months: out of the sun, full stop

The HSE is unambiguous here. Babies under 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight. At this age you protect them with shade and clothing rather than sunscreen, because their skin is too thin and delicate to be relying on cream.

In practice that means: stay in the shade, sit under trees rather than in open sun, keep the sunshade up on the buggy or pram, and dress them in light clothing that covers their arms and legs. If you genuinely cannot avoid a patch of sun, you can use a small amount of a sunscreen made for babies on the bits you cannot cover, but shade and clothes do the real work.

6 to 12 months: shade first, then sunscreen

From 6 months you have a bit more room, but the order of priority is the same. Keep them in the shade where you can, cover their skin with light clothing, put a wide-brimmed hat on them, and now you bring sunscreen in properly for the skin you cannot cover.

The HSE advice on the cream itself:

• Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen, SPF 50+, for children (broad-spectrum means it protects against both UVA and UVB)
• Put it on about 20 minutes before going out
• Apply it generously, a thin smear does not give you the protection on the label
• Reapply every 2 hours, and always after swimming, towel drying or running around

One thing people forget: about 90% of UV passes straight through light cloud, so a grey Irish day is not a day off. Babies can burn when it is overcast.

The SunSmart routine, the way it is taught here

Ireland's national sun-safety message is the Healthy Ireland SunSmart code, the five S's. It is worth knowing because it is the same wording you will hear from the HSE, the Irish Cancer Society and at the crèche.

For sunglasses for children, look for the I.S. EN 1836 standard and as close to 100% UV protection as you can get. For swimming, choose swimwear that covers the shoulders and back, which is far more reliable than reapplying cream on a wriggling baby.

When to actually bother: the UV index

You do not need the full routine on a dim January afternoon. The trigger is the UV index. When it is 3 or above, skin needs protecting. In Ireland that is usually the case from April to September, even when it is cloudy, and the UV is strongest in the middle of the day, roughly 11am to 3pm.

Met Éireann publishes a UV index forecast for Ireland, so on a sunny day you can check it the same way you check the rain. It is at Met Éireann's UV index page.

Staying out of the sun does not replace vitamin D

This trips people up. You might assume that if your baby is getting some sun, they are getting their vitamin D, so the drops are less important in summer. Not so. The HSE is clear that babies cannot safely get the vitamin D they need from the sun, which is exactly why keeping them out of it is fine.

Every breastfed baby, and any baby taking less than 300ml of formula a day, should get 5 micrograms of vitamin D3 every day from birth to 12 months, all year round, summer included. We cover the whole thing in vitamin D for babies: the HSE recommendation.

Going somewhere hotter?

If the first trip abroad is on the cards, remember the Mediterranean sun is in a different league to ours, and the same rules just matter more: under 6 months out of direct sun, shade and cover for older babies, SPF 50+, and avoid the middle of the day. It pairs with keeping them cool, which we go through in keeping your baby cool and safe in hot weather and in the first holiday abroad checklist.

The short version

• Under 6 months: out of direct sun, shade and clothing, not sunscreen
• 6 to 12 months: shade and cover first, then SPF 50+ broad-spectrum, reapplied every 2 hours
• Wide-brimmed hat, light clothing, UV sunglasses (I.S. EN 1836)
• Protect skin when the UV index is 3 or above, April to September, worst 11am to 3pm
• Keep up the daily vitamin D drops regardless of the weather

The full HSE guidance is at preventing sunburn in children, with the wider sun-safety advice on the HSE SunSmart page.