Kids at Camp? 5 Sunscreen Tips Every Parent Should Know About

This week, my oldest son went away to summer camp for 5 days.  I cried, but I got over it.  I made sure, however, to also pack sunscreen, because I knew that he would be outdoors for much of the time.

If you're like me, you probably think you have everything figured out when it comes to applying sunscreen.  I was surprised, however, to learn that there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.  I made sure to educate myself with these tips so that I could teach my son before sending him off to camp!

1.  You need one ounce of sunscreen every two hours. As a visual, that is enough to fill a shot glass.

2.  Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours, or immediately after swimming, toweling off or sweating.

3.  Sunscreens should be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure to allow the ingredients to fully bind to the skin.

4.  Choose an application method that works for you:

• When applying lotion, make sure to rub completely into the skin for full protection. 
• Liquid lotion is also best for drier skin types. 
• Spray sunscreens are very easy to use and offer equal sun protection.

5.  Make it easy (and not embarrassing) for your kids to follow through!  Because my son has very sensitive skin, he does best with the ingredients in infant sunscreen, so I made my son pack it in him camp luggage. (NEUTROGENA® Pure  &Free® Baby Sunscreen Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 60+ is free of fragrances, dyes, oils and irritating chemical ingredients.) To avoid having his friends see, I put the sunscreen in a clearly marked, travel-sized clear container without any "baby" branding and instructions pasted on the side.

From sensitive to acne-prone, NEUTROGENA provides an option for everyone. Everyone over the age of six months should use a sunscreen daily to protect from sun exposure.  Learn what sunscreen options are right for your skin type at the Neutrogena website!