Sunscreen v. Sunblock

Since summer is in full swing I figure I should post about sunblock and sunscreen. Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I NEED sunblock. I burn to a crisp in a matter of minutes. As a kid I got several sunburns that caused blisters. Ouch! I think it's safe to assume that Baby T inherited at least some of my skin type. He needs sun protection even more than I do. So I did some research.

Sunscreen is NOT safe for infants. It's a mix of chemicals that are absorbed into the skin. Those chemicals prevent the sun from penetrating the skin. Do you really want to cover your baby in harsh chemicals? Because I sure don't. Pretty much everyone will tell you not to use sunscreen on your baby.

But what about sunblock? I bet you didn't even know there was a difference (I didn't). Sunblock is a barrier to the sun. It essentially does the same thing as a tee shirt does and blocks the sun from burning your skin. This is safe for basically everyone - even newborns.

As someone who recently bought sunblock I noticed that companies don't seem to understand the difference between sunblock and sunscreen. You'd think someone would force them to correctly label their products but apparently not. So check the ingredients before you buy. If it has titanium dioxide or zinc oxide it is sunblock. Anything else is sunscreen.

I found a fantastic website that rates sunscreens and sunblocks. Check it out before you head to the store to pick something up.