Keeping Kids Safe in the Sun

Keeping kids safe in the sun

New research shows parents aren't always offering kids the best sun protection

A recent survey by baby towel company Cuddledry raises serious concerns about our understanding of the sun and the damage it can do to our children. The survey of over 900 people revealed that 85% of respondents believe keeping children's skin covered up offers better protection than SPF30 sun cream.

Contrary to popular belief however, ordinary clothing offer unreliable levels of sun protection. Depending on the weave and weight of the fabric, UV rays can pass through, contributing to short and long term skin damage. Hold your child's long sleeve t-shirt up to the light and if you can see through it, it is likely to offer the equivalent of only SPF15 protection, not enough to protect the delicate skin of young children.

Ordinary cotton t-shirts and summer clothes can let as much as much as 50% of harmful rays pass through them, even more when wet. Consequently, keeping your toddler covered up with loose clothing or ordinary towels may not guarantee strong enough sun protection, a fact many parents seem worryingly unaware of. We cannot know for sure what protection our children's clothes are offering - so why take the risk?

To play safe in the sun, a combination of SPF 30 sun cream and sun protective clothing is recommended. In light of this, Cuddledry, makers of the award winning apron style bath towel, as featured on BBC's Dragon's Den, have developed a range of SPF50+ Poncho Towels. Cuddledry poncho towels have been treated with a very high quality sun block, which is applied like a dye to the fabric and stays with it permanently regardless of washing and use. It provides a sun protection factor of 50+.

The towels use patented Rayosan technology, which coats the fabric and acts like a mirror, deflecting the harmful UVA and UVB rays off the towel, instead of letting them pass through the fabric and harm delicate skin.

'This remarkable technology comes from Australia', explains Helen Wooldridge, co-founder of Cuddledry, 'where extensive research has been done on the dangers of skin cancer. Given the ever climbing annual temperatures, we wanted to bring the same protection to babies in the UK and holidaying abroad.'

Protecting young skin though is crucial to long term health. Babies and young children have thinner, more delicate skin than adult, meaning their risk of getting sunburnt is much higher. Taking precautions from a young age is vital - studies show that sunburn during childhood can increase the risk of skin cancer later on in life. (Source: Cancer Research UK)

Parents looking to keep their children safe in the sun can check out Cuddledry's SPF50+ poncho towels at www.cuddledry.com. For all over protection, sun protective clothing should always be used in conjunction with sun creams.