News — sun safety

Getting sunscreen onto a toddler who has decided against it is one of the more creative parenting challenges there is. The good news is that most of the resistance comes down to routine and product, and both are fixable. More on the when and why of sunscreen for babies is here. Before you start: the setup that halves the battle Apply 15 to 20 minutes before heading outside. That conveniently means sunscreen happens indoors, where the wriggling is at least contained. At the beach carpark or pool deck, that window has already closed. Build it into an existing transition so...

Calm, practical steps for soothing a baby's sunburnt skin at home, plus a clear list of signs that mean it's time to call your doctor.

Sunscreen on beach days is a given. The habit that actually makes a difference over time is the one that happens on the school run, Saturday morning sport, the lunchtime walk, the twenty minutes waiting at school pickup in afternoon sun. Why daily, not just beach days Across most of Australia, the UV index hits 3 or above almost every day of the year. That’s the threshold where the Cancer Council recommends sun protection, and it sneaks up on us in spring, autumn, and even the depths of winter. The beach isn't the exception; it’s just the place where the...

How to read a sunscreen's expiry date and period-after-opening symbol, why heat and poor storage shorten its life, and the signs that it's time for a new bottle.