What to do for kids faces that sting when sunscreen applied after swimming in chlorine?

Question

hi, I have 3 boys, ages 14,11 and 9. When they are in chlorinated pools for an extended period of time...ie when on vacation, their skin on their face and neck, sometimes on their arms becomes very red and blotchy and when I apply sunscreen it stings!!!!! This usually happens on about day 2 or 3 of our vacation after prolonged exposure to the pool water. Any suggestions for any barriers that could be applied to their skin to prevent the initial problem from happening or any suggestions at all!!! thanks.

I have always applied a water resistant sunscreen to their faces prior to getting in the pool and I do reapply when they have been out of the water for awhile however I have not washed their faces with regular water in between. So washing off the chlorine before reapplying the new layer of sunscreen may work. I was also wondering if anyone knew if putting a layer of petroleum jelly ie. vaseline on their faces under the sunscreen may prevent the chlorine from initially burning their skin. My only fear with this is that it will prevent the sunscreen from working to protect the skin as it should....anyone shed some light on this??? thanks

Answer 1

I had the same problem with my 3 kids...
I found the best sunscreen ever....
BABY MAGIC SUNSCREEN
It is so thick it will not run... you almost never have to reapply... and it does not I repeat, Does not burn them at all...

It is awesome....

it is in a pink bottle...I buy mine @ Wal-Mart.. But they dont always have it.

Hope this helps...

Stace

Answer 2

There was a white paste my mother used on me, but I doubt any kid these days would allow such a thing to be placed on their faces. I can't remember what it was called, but it stayed put until washed off. Have you tried a mild sun screen like Water babies. They have SPF 45 that is water and sweat proof. It is intended for infants and toddlers so it should be mild and sting free. I wouldn't use Vaseline because it could actually cause burning rather than stop irritation.