How to keep sunscreen out of my 2 year old's eyes

[Personal Chef]

My poor little boy has had a terrible experience with sunscreen. It resulted in an emergency visit to the pediatrician who flushed both his eyes out. At that time I was using sunscreen lotion for children. I think that day it was Water Babies.

I read that a stick is better for the face because it is thicker. So I have been using a stick (Water Babies) for about a month with some success. But yesterday he just did not want sunscreen on and rubbed and rubbed and rubbed and was crying for 30 minutes. He uses his hands and arms to rub his eyes. I do not put sunscreen on his hands but yesterday there was lotion sunscreen on his arms.

I cannot get him to NOT rub his eyes when I put sunscreen on his face. Is there any product out there that will not irritate his eyes? I do not rub the stick to closely to his eyes but with all the rubbing he does on his face sunscreen does get rubbed into his eyes.

I avoid midday outings because I dread putting sunscreen on him. Any experience or advice you can share with me will be so appreciated. Thanks.

[LaraW]

I try to avoid putting sunscreen on my kids' faces and they wear a hat instead. My 2yo is very fair and does not have very much hair, and so he always wears a hat outside. I have a nice one for him that has a wide brim all the way around and a string to attach it under his chin. He is pretty good about wearing it, but we do stay inside during the hottest part of the day.

[lbd]

Is what you're using now stinging or irritating him, or is the rubbing a carryover from getting it in his eyes?

We use the target version of Water Babies and haven't had much problem. I got a stick but never felt comfortable using it because it seemed harder to smear around and I never felt like I was really getting him covered. Hats are great and necessary, but unless you get the really big ones, I think you still need to screen his face and neck.

[TKay]

This is one of those issues you just have to somehow get through. At least it was for me. I never found any miracle answer. I just kept the sunscreen to my ds's arms and then far away from his eyes. Like only on the perimeter of his face. The problem sort of passed. Ds #2 never had a single problem. He either didn't rub his eyes or just never got the screen in there to irritate them.

One thing my SIL did tell me was to really rub in the lotion/stick. Don't leave it to sort of sit on the skin.

Good luck. I wish I had a better answer for you.

[KathrynY]

We switched brands after our 2-year-old got irritated eyes with Aveeno Baby sunblock. We've been using Banana Boat Baby this summer without problems:

http://a1468.g.akamai.net/f/1468/580/1d/pics.Drugstore.com/prodimg/169563/200.jpg

Of course what works for one child may not work for another. We do also take great care to keep the sunscreen far away from his eyes when applying it. Good luck!

[Personal Chef]

Thanks for the thoughtful responses.

It's nice to know I am not the only one with these problems. I guess I will just do the best I can. I was thinking of putting sunscreen on his arms at the last minutes since he uses his arms to rub his eyes and I was also thinking of giving him a treat while I am applying the sunscreen to his face to distract him from what I am doing.

I have also been giving him the stick sunscreen and having him pretend to put sunscreen on family members and himself. He got a big kick out of that and he's also been putting the sunscreen on himself.

Wish me luck. We are going to the pool today:o

[cchhbb]

I often put sunscreen on my boys' faces when they are strapped in their carseats. I use a stick type and then rub it in.

[Personal Chef]

Thanks for the tip. I thought of that too. Just a short update--I tried preoccupying my 2 year old by giving him gummies while I am applying the sunscreen and it worked like a charm:D

He has not complained once about sunscreen in his eyes:D:D:D

[TLee4]

Thanks for the tip. I thought of that too. Just a short update--I tried preoccupying my 2 year old by giving him gummies while I am applying the sunscreen and it worked like a charm:D

He has not complained once about sunscreen in his eyes:D:D:D

Good strategy. It also works for haircuts, picture taking sessions, going through the grocery store....:D

Terri

[BeachBum]

I avoid midday outings because I dread putting sunscreen on him. Any experience or advice you can share with me will be so appreciated. Thanks.

I don't know if by outings you mean general out and about or stuff like the pool or beach. But I'm in FL where of course we get a lot of sun and many parents have been lubing up their kiddos as an everyday precaution.
My Ped recommends not using sunscreen for everyday type applications b/c of the need of Vitamin D which is easiest to get through sunshine. You may want to talk to your Ped, and or google for more info.

While I'm here, I thought I'd recommend my favorite sunscreen California Babies. It is a physical sunscreen, not a chemical one. It is made for sensitive kids and adults and we've had great luck with all their products. I have two of their kinds one is in a tube, and the other in a stick. Drugstore.com typically has the best prices.

[katygirl]

I feel your pain! Ditto on the Banana Boat Baby. No more Water Babies for us, however I do use the WaterBaby stick that I use at times. I almost bought the Airbonne (SP!) brand, it's $ but I hear it's really gentle, but thankfully I didn't need to.

[___Rhianna___]

I use a makeup application sponge to apply sunscreen to DD's face to prevent getting it into her eyes. Of course, it doesn't prevent her from rubbing it into her eyes, which I know you said was your DS's situation. But maybe it could help somewhat.

[Gecko]

When my daughters were little we always put suntops on them which really stopped any sunburn. Usually they were the long sleeve ones so we only had to worry about sunscreen on their legs and face. Hats were great but then they started poulling them off as soon as they were on. They didn't like sunscreen in their eyes so I used zinc around this area. It is waterproof and you can get really cool colors, and it doesn't sting. My girls loved getting to choose a color and never complained about it being put on.

Zinc (http://www.barnaclekove.com/barnaclekove/promo.htm)

[TKay]

My Ped recommends not using sunscreen for everyday type applications b/c of the need of Vitamin D which is easiest to get through sunshine. You may want to talk to your Ped, and or google for more info.

Interesting. I hadn't thought about that. We put sunscreen on just about every day, so I'll have to ask the ped about this. I wonder if the D penetrates the block at all?

In any case, I came back to post that I found the Banana Boat sunscreen for kids while we were on vacation this past week. My boys were complaining about the sunscreen (Water Babies) in their eyes while swimming with goggles on. Alas, I didn't use the sunscreen yet. I was happy to have the option though.

[Personal Chef]

Wow some really great tips!!! I like the idea of using a sponge applicator for lotion sunscreen.

When I made my emergency trip to the pediatrician because my youngest was wailing in agony over something in his eyes, he stated he had never heard of sunscreen causing this much discomfort and did not believe the sunscreen was the culprit. I still disagree. Since I stopped using lotion sunscreen (on both kids), neither of them have complained about sunscreen stinging their eyes.

I think I now have every brand of stick sunscreen (about 6 six far.) I purchased California Babies stick sunscreen but have not used it yet. We now have a lifetime supply of sunscreen:D. I overbought on the sunscreen just in case there were complaints.

My mom told me when I was little she used zinc oxide on my nose and cheeks.