Do you have a must-have travel accessory? Is it your briefcase? Your laptop? Perhaps, it’s your child’s carseat or your diaper bag. I have written about travel accessories in the previous blogs, but with most of the nation in the midst of a heat wave coupled with a report I recently read about a pill you can take to protect your skin from sun damage I feel it is appropriate to blog about the one accessory I do not leave home without regardless of where I travel: sunscreen.
I grew up in Hawaii and know many people who have been affected by the ill effects of excessive sun exposure. Consequently, I have become the queen of sunscreen. I carry it in my diaper bag. I have a container in my beach bag. I even have a mini tube on my key chain in the event that we were to make a spontaneous stop at a park; my daughter would get a quick slathering before heading down the slide. (For maximum protection, ideally you would lather sunscreen on 30 minutes before sun exposure, but in the aforementioned case my daughter always wears a hat and I depend on her clothes to protect most of her skin during a trip to the playground.)
Why am I so rigid about my family’s exposure to the sun? Leading dermatologists say skin cancer cases are on the rise. In fact, a new report out says: “In the future, skin cancer will be the number one health risk to the public, exceeding that of breast and lung cancer and prostate cancer.”
But you can prevent it… with the help of new products, most of which are aimed at protecting children.
Many baby boutiques across the nation have summer displays featuring SPF baby blankets, sunglasses that wrap around to better protect tender eyes, and tents and shades designed to block rays. There are even detergents that add sun protection to clothes while they are in the washing machine. In addition, some products allow you to monitor how much sun your children are getting. Patches (you can get them free in select packages of Huggies Little Swimmers), beads, and bracelets that change color in the sun can be used to monitor sun exposure. And new this season are sun watches that sound an alarm when your child has had enough sun.
I have tried some of these products, but find that nothing protects my child as well as diligence and a good slathering of sunscreen. (Remember: doctors say it takes an ounce of lotion to thoroughly cover a child. Also, sunscreen is only good for about a year so you need to buy new lotion annually.) In some areas of the country (and the world) sunscreen is not only an important summer travel accessory, but also one that should travel with you year round.
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