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A Picnic with Baby
Tips for a Perfect Picnic with Little Guests
By Beth Hering
July is National Picnic Month, a perfect time for families to head outdoors and spend time together. All it takes to make sure your baby or toddler is ready for a fun, safe day is a bit of preparation. Read on for tips to make your picnic a highlight of the summer!
While most children enjoy being outdoors, sunburn is no fun for anyone. Perhaps the easiest and most effective way to avoid a painful burn is to picnic in the shade or to avoid the peak sun hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Jeremy Braccio, a father of two from Phoenix, Ariz., discovered a great way of avoiding the hottest hours of the day while vacationing by the Del Mar City Beach in California. "My daughter, Sophia, loves to have a picnic at the beach at sunset," he says. "It was what she talked about most later on."
Babies need special care because their skin is thinner than adult skin. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises dressing babies under 6 months of age in lightweight long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and brimmed hats that shade the neck. Parents can also apply a minimal amount of sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 to small areas, such as to the infant's face and the back of the hands. (To make sure your baby's sensitive skin can tolerate the product, first test a very small amount on a limited area and watch for any reaction.) Older picnickers should be sure to generously cover exposed skin with sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going outside (even on cloudy days).