It’s that time of year again, when our short winter is drawing to a close, and it’s time to get out the summer gear in anticipation for warmer weather. Children love fun in the sun and GoToddler has a large range of swim nappies, swimwear, hats, water shoes, sunglasses and sunscreen – everything for a great day out, a sunny holiday or just relaxing by the pool.
Disposable Swim Nappies Huggies produce a range of Little Swimmers for children from 7kg. These are mandatory for children who swim in public pools that are not yet toilet trained. Designed to have a snug fit, they prevent ‘number 2’s’ leaking into the water. It’s always a good idea to try to encourage children to go to the toilet before swimming and good practice to know the water quality testing procedures that are conducted in the public pool where you intend to swim.
Reuseable Swim Nappies There is a great range of reuseable swim pants for children, with one of the more popular brands being Imse Vimse, a Swedish product that comes in a great range of cute designs and colours. These swim pants are thin, not bulky, so babies and children can move easily in the water and they come in 6 different sizes ranging from 6-20kg. The leak-proof design has a double layer of soft fabric with an elasticated leg cuff, and if an ‘accident’ happens, there is snap fastening on the side so the pants can be taken off carefully. Baby Banz also supply swim nappies in 3 different sizes ranging from 6-12kg and colours to coordinate with their range of protective swimwear.
Swimwear Australia is hot and the sunshine is deceptively strong, so unlike other countries, our swimwear needs to be fashionable and functional, as children’s skin is particulary vulnerable and needs extra protection. While suncreens have their place, continually reapplying can be impractical, so UPF 50+ protection (which blocks out about 98% of harmful UVR) can be achieved with sunsafe swimwear. Baby Banz sells a great range of short and long-sleeved rashies, rashies with hoods, swim shorts and cute swim skirts for little girls, all designed to provide maximum protection for all sport and play. After swimming, when you change your baby or child, consider putting the wet swimwear in a cloth nappy wet bag, such as those made by Itti Bitti or Baby Beehinds. Even though these wet bags have originally been designed for a different purpose, they make excellent bags for storing wet swimwear, keeping the rest of your beach bag dry.
Hats Hats are one of the best ways to protect your face from the sun, especially wide hats that also shade ears and the back of the neck. The great range of Baby Banz and Kidz Banz wide- brimmed hats are designed to fit little heads up to 56cm in diameter, and come in a great range of designs and colours. They are made from UV protective fabric and are perfect for the beach, pool, shopping and the general outdoors. If children are swimming under the sun, they could need hats in the water too. The Children’s UV Swim Hat by Baby Banz is perfect for such an occasion, with a large baseball cap style front and a flap at the side and back to protect ears and the back of the neck. It’s available in 3 sizes and comes in light blue/dark blue or pink/brown to coordinate with the swimwear.
Water Shoes No beach outfit would be complete without a pair of Imse Vimse water shoes . These are multi-functional – used to protect little feet from hot sand, prevent falls on slippery rocks and to protect from sharp edges when reef walking. They are available in 4 different sizes for babies and small children 6-36 months.
Sunglasses Eyewear is essential in summer and unprotected eyes can suffer from sun damage just like skin. Baby Banz are market leaders in the infant sunglasses category 0-2 years, while Kidz Banz sunglasses are available for children 2-5 years. Both provide category 3 eyewear that provides 100% UVA and UVB protection, and are available in a fantastic range of fashionable colours and camouflage designs. A relatively new addition to the GoToddler range is Baby Banz Adventure 0-2 years, which features a slightly wider nose bridge with a rubber nose piece on the inside, for added comfort for little faces. This new range also introduces some cute patterns on the frames, such as checks or dots. If groovy protection is a priority, try the Retro range, which is available for children 0-5 years of age. These feature a bigger frame and wrap around the shape of the face well, further reducing high sun glare. They are available in white, pink and black, and come in a convenient carry pouch. Note that all the abovementioned sunglasses have a soft adjustable neoprene strap that not only keeps the sunglasses snugly in place, but they also are comfortable for children around the ear area with the added bonus that they can’t fall off.
Sunscreen Sunscreen used to be the be-all and end-all of sun protection, but as mentioned above, there are many different strategies to protect baby and child from the harsh effects of the sun, used in conjunction with sunscreen. There are so many sunscreens on the market, that it can be a daunting task choosing one. It’s important to keep in mind that skin is the largest organ of the body, and anything applied to it should be done with care. Try to choose a sunscreen that provides broad spectrum protection against UVA radiation (this causes sunburn and plays a large role in causing gene mutations that can lead to skin cancer) and UVB radiation (this causes premature aging of the skin). The following are some helpful tips for choosing and using sunscreen. Experiment with different types of sunscreen before you buy in bulk. Some children and adults are allergic to certain sunscreens, with allergic reactions more likely to present themselves around the chest, neck and face as severe rashes or pimples, which are very sensitive parts of the body (if allergy-prone, it’s a good idea to do a patch test first). Going for a water-based sunscreen may lesson the likelihood of a reaction, but these have to be reapplied more often. Wotnot sell a great 100% natural sunscreen that provides 30+ SPF protection. Remember to always wash off sunscreen at the end of the day. Never leave it on overnight, as prolonged contact can also increase the likelihood of an adverse reaction. Choose a sunscreen with a minimum SPF 30 + and don’t fall into the trap that you can use a lighter sunscreen for babies with olive or darker skin. Also, all sunscreens should be reapplied every 2 hours throughout the day. Try to apply sunscreen about 20-30 minutes in advance before going to the beach or in the water. This way, the sunscreen has time to reach each layer of the skin, providing maximum protection. Also, it will lesson the chance of ‘the sandpaper look’ at the beach (sand sticking like glue to the skin).
