In addition to the issue of general water safety and that whole not-letting-the-kids-drown thing, there is another issue that needs to be dealt with these days — sun protection. Sunburn is no laughing matter, even if it doesn’t always lead to skin cancer — it’s bloody painful in its own right. As parents, it’s part of our job to keep our children safe and that includes making sure they are not exposed to too much sun.
If just staying indoors isn’t an option (and, truthfully, would you want to be stuck in the house all summer with your kids?) then sunscreen is an absolute must. But for the parts that don’t get sunscreen, is a t-shirt and swim trunks enough? Perhaps — and perhaps not. A lightly woven, wet t-shirt doesn’t really offer that much protection. So what can one do, short of staying indoors?
For the past seven or eight years, we’ve turned to the Australians for a solution. They aren’t the only company making sun protection clothing, but we’ve been very happy with the performance and protection we’ve gotten from Radicool products. They offer shirts, shorts, full-body suits, and hats with an SPF/UPF rating of 100+. My kids love them and have never gotten a sunburn while wearing them. In fact, after only a couple of days in the sun, the parts not covered by the Radicool suits are noticeably darker.
The suits look good (those are my kids in the picture wearing their Radicools) and they aren’t overly expensive. Shipping from Australia is free and fast (we got our most recent order in about a week) and the company’s customer service is simply stellar. I have no qualms about recommending them. Now, if only I looked as good in my outfit as the kids do in theirs…
For more information on sun protection, check out the World Health Organization’s sun protection information and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Skin Cancer site.
Tags: spf, sun, sunburn, sunscreen, suntan, swim suit, swimming, swimsuit, ultraviolet, upf, uv
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