Sunshine

http://www.theskinspecialist.com/

"Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows," "the sun 'il come out tomorrow," "you are my sunshine". Well finally we do have some brilliant sunshine after many days of grey and cold. Temps to get to 40 today and a little higher the rest of the week.

I love sunshine when it's cool outside. Or I'm inside with air conditioning. Yes, I'm a fickle sunshine lover. When it's summer and hot, I avoid the sun at all costs. One cost being skin cancer. Over 25 years ago I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Ever since then I keep out of the sun except when it's cool and I can wear long sleeves or be in good shade, or it's early or late in the day before the sun gets to the most dangerous hours (for skin).

When I see parents strolling their little ones in the sunshine without a sun hat or baby sun glasses or even a good canopy I flinch. Babies need to be protected from the sun, as do all toddlers and kids and, well, everyone. [for complete information go to www.skincancer.org]

Sunscreen for babies is a must. There are great sun hats that even cover the back of the neck. And I was so happy with my daughter who bought a one piece swim suit with short sleeves for our oldest grandson when he first went to the beach and out in the baby pool. And if your stroller canopy does not cover your child sufficiently (like mine) you can order this cool extra shade: RayShade by Summer. I ordered it and it works great on our stroller's canopy. It's very adaptable so I can see it working on many types of strollers.

There are several on-line companies where you can buy sun-protective clothing. Here are a couple:  coolibar.com, sunprecautions.com, solartex.com.

So parents and grandparents, please provide your little ones with sun protection for the rest of their lives. With the thinning of the Ozone skin cancers will only rise in number. It's a preventable cancer. Please prevent it!