Sunburns in children: everything you need to know 2026

With caution, the sun has health benefits for adults and children. But, if we expose ourselves excessively and without adequate protection, it can be very harmful to the skin.

Although we think that applying sunscreen cream with factor 50+ once is enough, it is not enough for adults, much less for children. Everyone should renew the protection every half hour (and more so if we are going to spend a whole day exposed to the sun) but, this recommendation becomes almost mandatory when we talk about the skin of the little ones.

Amazon Essentials by Sofia Grainge - Summer 2026 Promotion

First of all, it should be clear that it is inadvisable to expose babies under six months to the sun. His skin is still very sensitive and continues to form. Furthermore, it is not advisable to apply sunscreen to them when they are so small. Therefore, in this case, the baby should remain covered, under an umbrella and preferably dressed in light clothing made of natural fabrics such as cotton.

After six months of life, you can start exposing your baby to the sun. Of course, always outside the central hours of the day and for as little time as possible. Of course, it goes without saying that you will have to apply a sunscreen specially designed for babies' skin and that has a very high protection filter.

How to avoid sunburn?

First of all, you must remember that children should not be exposed to the sun in the middle of the day. Plus, doing it without protection is an even bigger risk. If you decide to spend the day at the beach or pool, it will be very necessary to renew your sun protection at least every half hour while you are exposed.

It is highly recommended that children wear sunglasses with UV protection factor to avoid eye burns. If we put a hat or cap on it, it would also be great.

How to recognize a sunburn?

The biggest sign that our child has been sunburned is the redness of the skin or part of it. If we touch that reddened part and it is hotter than the rest of the body, it could perfectly be a sunburn. It may be accompanied by burning and/or itching or even vomiting, nausea, headache, fever, chills, drowsiness or dizziness if the burn is more severe.

If the burn is quite large, that is, it occupies a large part of your body, it will be very important to go to the doctor so that he can provide us with treatment. If, on the other hand, it is in a specific area, all you have to do is apply some products at home, follow some advice and wait for it to pass.

Of course: keep in mind that after a few days, the skin may begin to peel, so it will be almost mandatory to apply plenty of moisturizing cream to the affected area.

If it has already burned, what can I do?

If you have noticed it while at the pool, the beach or the place where the burn occurred, you should go home to prevent it from becoming something more serious. Once the burn has occurred, there is no point in applying sunscreen.

Once at home, it will be good to apply a warm water bath (it will help reduce inflammation, the stinging of the burn and body temperature). Of course, always keep in mind that burns can hurt a lot, so when drying, do not rub: do it with small taps.

Just after the burn occurs, it is not advisable to apply any cream that contains alcohol because this could accelerate or increase the itching.

If the burn has occurred in a child under one year old, the only solution is to take him to the doctor so that he can receive the appropriate treatment. If the burn has been suffered by a child older than this age, you will have to go if the body temperature is higher than 38 degrees or if it is very stinging.

Sunburn often causes dehydration. This means that you should give the child water and natural juices to maintain hydration.

Once the heat and redness of the skin begin to disappear, you can start applying a moisturizing and soothing lotion (if it is totally natural, much better). A good remedy is to directly apply the juice released by the aloe vera leaf.

Calamine is a mineral present in products intended to care for dermatological disorders, such as sunburn. Therefore, it is perfect to apply to the child's skin when healing burns.

What to do the following days?

It is very important that the skin is not exposed to the sun again until it has completely regenerated.