My Toddler Has Eczema – What’s the Best Sunscreen for Baby?

TL;DR: If your baby has eczema, mineral based sunscreens are gentler and safer than the chemical products you’ll find on the market. It allowed a toddler with eczema to enjoy the sun just like his newly acquired friends.

My son is your typical boisterous toddler. He loves roaring around the house, and playing outside, of course. The problem is that he has eczema and that means that days out on sunny days would end up being more stressful than fun. Until I found the best sunscreen for baby, it usually involved dealing with angry skin and an unhappy boy later that night.

It used to be heartbreaking to see my little boy standing at the window watching the other kids playing outside. I’d want to say he could, but I knew that the sunscreen I used to use would just mean tears later, so I went searching for something better. 

Finding the Best Sunscreen for Baby Took a Bit of Time

While I did end up finding the best baby sunscreen eventually, it did take a bit of time. I tried several different products with ‘sensitive’ and ‘baby-friendly’ on the bottle, but I’d get the same evening reaction as the other sunscreens I’d tried on him. Some would be greasy and quite uncomfortable, particularly around his usual flareup places.

In fact, it was pretty much the same story whenever I tried anything that you might call a ‘traditional’ or ‘chemical’ sunscreen. I didn’t even know other things existed, until I came across mineral sunscreen. It looks like pretty much any other sunscreen from the outside, but inside, that’s a different story.

This new sunscreen impressed me by:

• Not making my son’s skin sting when I put it on
• Being visible enough (at the start) for me to see if I’d missed a spot
• Letting my son go out and enjoy the sun without nighttime tears
• He’s made new friends because of it

I also found out while looking online that the chemical brands I’d been using before this were actively hurting the planet – making those lovely coral reefs turn white and die. I want these things to be around when he has kids, so the fact that mineral sunscreen doesn’t do this means it gets my vote.

There Were a Couple of Things I Noticed That Might Help You

When putting this new sunscreen on my toddler, I did notice a couple of differences and knowing them beforehand might help anyone who tries the same route as I did. Firstly, mineral sunscreen is a little thicker than the chemical ones I’d tried before, so it means you don’t use as much or things can get messy fast.

What I do is put small ‘dots’ all over the area before making circular movements with my fingers. That usually means that every part of his skin gets enough of the product. Also, the same rules count for reapplication as chemical products – it’s every 2 hours or more often if they get wet.

The other cool thing I noticed about the product I bought is that the cap turns blue when it’s in the sun. It’s great for reminding me to put it on him (and some of mine on myself), as well as teaching him a thing or two about sun protection.

Got a Little One With Eczema? The Best Sunscreen for Baby is Mineral – End of Story

In my opinion, my little one is happier and better able to enjoy playing in the sun, like he should. Of course, you don’t have to listen to me, but from what I’ve seen, mineral sunscreen is now the only thing I’ll buy for my little boy. He might still have eczema, but at least he can now play safely in the sun again. That’s all that really matters to me.