I am a messy mom, a disorganized, fly by the seat of my pants mom. So I'm rarely prepared. If you're one of those super organized moms who always have healthy snacks handy, this probably isn't needed. But if you're like me, keeping things orderly is near impossible. My advice will
usually come from the Messy Mom perspective.
Everyone knows how important it is to protect your kids from the sun. But in application, it's REALLY hard to follow through sometimes. I believe MOST of the problems are related to not having it handy. Seriously! It seems easy, right? But two cars, two kids, two strollers, some beach bags, diaper bags, bike bags...all of a sudden, everyone's lost the sunblock.
Suddenly, it is really hard to:
1) Remember to put it on in the first place.
2) Cover a squirming 20 month old when you're trying to get out the door.
3) Remember to reapply every two hours.
4) Cover a squirming 20 month old in public.
Lather, rinse, repeat all of this every day. I think the main problem lies in having easy access to the right stuff at the right time.
Here are some tios that could make it easier to protect your kids:1) Keep sunblock everywhere. Buy bottles for your car, your diaper bag, by the front door, in the backyard, in the stroller, at the grandparents, etc. You're going to use it up anyway - you might as well have it everywhere. Then, when you go on an unscheduled outing to the aquarium, you don't have to worry about scrounging up some sunblock.
2) Buy some travel size bottles as well. Put those in your pockets, your diaper bag (I know, I said you should put a big bottle in there but that one got lost, I swear it did...), in your stroller bag, etc.
3) Get some extra light weight long sleeved shirts, wide brimmed hats, and pants that you can throw on in a pinch. They should be wearing this stuff anyway, but mine usually end up nakey somehow.
There is one product which I have found helps with the squirming 20 month old problem. It's wipes covered in sunblock...It isn't the end all be-all. It helps with the in between applications but I wouldn't recommend using them for primary application OR regularly. They are pricey. BUT - they will get you through the squirming child syndrome. See the link below for the product itself.
Lastly, the pump spray bottles are no better than the regular kind. The spray comes out in a stream and it still requires you to rub it in.
So to wrap up, buy bottles in bulk, leave them everywhere, cover the kids up. Don't bother with pump bottles.
UPDATE: I have been testing the Continuous Spray that was released recently and can give it a hearty thumbs up. It is pricey but I used it on both my kids a few weekends ago and it worked wonders. I tried a few brands and Coppertone in the U.S. seemed to provide the most thorough coverage. 
(May 2006) (
