MINERAL SUNSCREEN FOR KIDS

Your child needs sun protection whenever the UV index is 3 or more, which in the UK means many days from March to October. The NHS says the sun is strongest between 11am and 3pm in those months, so that window matters most.

Temperature is a poor guide, because UV burns, not heat. UV gets through cloud, so a cool, grey afternoon at the park can still catch a child out, and the NHS notes that water reflects UV, which is why seaside days burn faster.

Check the UV index on the Met Office forecast or your weather app. At moderate (3 to 5) the Met Office advises sunscreen; from high (6 and above) it adds midday shade and covering up. For children, try Cancer Research UK's shadow rule: if your shadow is shorter than you, it's time for shade, a hat and sun cream.

Look for SPF 30 or higher, strong UVA protection and the words broad spectrum, then check the age guidance and whether it's fragrance free. Those are the basics the NHS and the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) agree on.

• SPF: measures protection from UVB, the main cause of sunburn. The NHS minimum for children is SPF 30.
• UVA rating: SPF doesn't cover UVA, so check separately. The NHS suggests at least 4 stars, or the letters UVA in a circle, which shows the product meets the EU standard.
• Broad spectrum: tells you it's designed to protect against both UVA and UVB.
• Water resistant: useful for swimming and sweaty play, but never a reason to skip reapplying.
• Fragrance free: the BAD suggests fragrance-free sunscreen for children.
• Open-jar symbol: the number beside the M shows how many months it lasts once opened.

Check the age guidance too. Most children's sunscreens, ours included, are labelled for children over 6 months, as younger babies should be kept out of direct sun.

SPF 30 is the NHS minimum for children, and SPF 50 gives you extra headroom for the way sunscreen is actually applied. The NHS says most people don't apply enough sunscreen, and that a thin layer gives less protection than the label suggests.

With a child who won't stand still, a skimpy layer or a missed patch is normal. Starting from a higher SPF gives you more margin when the application isn't perfect.

What a higher SPF doesn't do is buy extra time in the sun. Reapply SPF 50 just as often as SPF 30, at least every 2 hours, and keep using shade and hats. For babies from 6 months to 2 years, our Baby Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 meets the NHS level with a formula made for little ones. For busy toddlers and school-age children, the Kids SPF 50 gives you that extra margin.

More than most parents think: roughly a teaspoon for the face and neck, and around 5 teaspoons to cover the whole body. Those figures come from an NHS trust's children's sun safety leaflet. The NHS figure for an adult's whole body is 6 to 8 teaspoons, so a toddler needs less and a tall ten-year-old will be closer to the adult amount.

A pump bottle makes this easier to judge. Measure a teaspoon once, see how many pumps it takes, and use that number every time. Dot the cream over the skin, then spread it evenly rather than rubbing hard, as the BAD advises.

The spots that burn are usually the ones that get missed:

• Ears, especially the tops and backs
• The back of the neck and along the hairline
• The parting, if they're not wearing a hat
• Tops of feet, backs of knees and the edges of swimwear
• Shoulders, where straps and vests shift as they play

Reapply straight after every swim and every towel dry, even though the sunscreen is water resistant. The NHS advises reapplying straight after being in water, even if the label says water resistant, and after towel drying, sweating or anything that might rub it off.

Water resistance tells you how long a sunscreen is designed to keep protecting while your child is in the water: 80 minutes for our Kids SPF 50 cream, and 4 hours for our zinc sticks. Think of it as cover for the swim itself, not permission to skip the top-up afterwards.

A few beach habits that help:

• Apply at home, about 30 minutes before you go and again just before, as the NHS suggests, on dry skin before sand gets involved.
• Pat children dry rather than rubbing, then reapply.
• Set up a shady base between 11am and 3pm.
• Use UV swimwear or a long-sleeved rash vest, so there's less skin to cover.

Start with your school's sun policy, because what children can carry, and who can help them apply it, varies from school to school. Some let pupils keep sun cream in their bag and top up at lunch; others prefer it applied at home, and staff may not be able to help. Ask at the start of the summer term.

Be realistic: a morning layer won't cover a whole school day on its own, and our sun cream isn't sold as a once-a-day product. Reapplying every two hours is still the advice.

Practical tips:

• Apply at home before school, including ears and the back of the neck.
• Pack a bottle or stick with your child's name on it, as some schools don't allow sharing.
• Teach them to self-apply at home: dot, spread, then check ears and neck in a mirror.
• A zinc stick is easy for small hands to use on the face and ears at lunchtime.
• Send a hat that shades the ears and the back of the neck.

Choose a fragrance-free mineral sunscreen, patch test it first, and speak to your GP or pharmacist if your child's skin is very reactive. The National Eczema Society says many people with eczema find mineral sunscreens less irritating than chemical ones, and recommends avoiding fragrance.

To patch test, the National Eczema Society suggests applying a small amount to the inner forearm once a day for 3 to 5 days, then checking for irritation. Do it a week before the holiday, not on the first morning by the pool.

If your child uses an emollient, put that on first and leave around 30 minutes before the sunscreen, as the National Eczema Society advises. Smooth sunscreen on in downward strokes rather than rubbing, and use clothing to cover as much skin as you can.

Our Kids SPF 50 is fragrance free, paraben free and non-comedogenic, and suits sensitive skin. It isn't a treatment for eczema or any skin condition, so keep following your child's care plan.

The NHS and the BAD both advise keeping babies under 6 months out of direct sunlight, so shade and clothing do the work, not sunscreen. Use a parasol or sunshade on the pushchair, loose layers and a sunhat with a wide brim or long flap at the back. Don't cover the pram with a blanket, which the NHS warns can lead to overheating. If you're unsure, speak to your GP or pharmacist.

From 6 months, the NHS advises a sunscreen of at least SPF 30 that protects against UVA and UVB, and notes that products made for babies and young children are less likely to contain additives that might irritate the skin. Our Baby SPF 30 is made for 6 months to 2 years.

Toddlers are the trickiest stage: mobile, sticky and quick. Apply before shoes go on, keep a hat in the changing bag, and plan summer outings for the morning or later afternoon. Once they're running about and splashing, the Kids SPF 50 is suitable for children over 6 months too.

Make sunscreen part of getting dressed, not a battle at the park gate. Apply it at the same point every day, such as after breakfast and before shoes, and keep it quick.

Handing over some control helps. Let them press the pump, dot cream on their own arms, or draw stripes with a coloured zinc stick in front of a mirror, then you finish the job and check ears and neck. Our Extreme zinc sticks come in 11 colours and give visible SPF 50+ coverage on noses, cheeks, ears and lips, with 4 hours of water resistance (reapply after swimming and towelling). Because you can see the colour, it's obvious when it needs another swipe.

Let each child pick their own colour, and mix any two or more sticks to save. Sticks are best for faces and small areas, so use the cream for arms, legs and shoulders. Our zinc stick guide has more tips on applying them.

Clothing and shade come first, with sunscreen as back-up. The BAD calls clothing and shade the first line of defence for children, and says sunscreen should supplement them, not replace them. It matters early: the BAD says around a quarter of lifetime UV damage happens before the age of 20.

• Shade: especially from 11am to 3pm, March to October.
• Hats: a legionnaire style, as the BAD suggests, or a wide brim that covers the face, ears and back of the neck.
• Clothing: loose, close-woven tops with sleeves, plus UV swimwear for the beach.
• Sunglasses: wraparound styles with the CE mark and British Standard 12312-1 marking, as the NHS recommends.
• Drinks: plenty of water on hot days.

If your baby or young child does get sunburnt, the NHS advises calling 111 or your GP for advice, and getting help urgently if the skin blisters or swells, or they have a high temperature.