The snow will eventually all melt, the winter will turn into summer and the sun will start to burn our skins, including the children’s and normally the smaller a child, the more the possibility they will be playing outside and be exposed to the sun. That means they need more protection from the sun’s harmful rays than your game playing computer locked teenager.

Have you ever thought about the difference between sunscreen and sunblock? While sunscreen products have chemicals that actually absorb the UV rays, a sunblock contains ingredients that deflect the UV rays away from you, which means the sunrays never come into contact with your skin.

Sunblock would normally not have any irritating chemicals and is an easy to understand preferred option for children or anyone else with sensitive skin. Also remember to look at the sun protection factor, or SPF, which is usually printed on the container. The SPF number is an indicator of the amount of time you could spend in the sun while the sunblock will keep the skin from burning, relative to how long it may take you to start burning if you have no sunblock on.

For example, an SPF 30 sunblock means that you could stay in the sun for up to 30 times longer before the same type of burning will happen if you wore no sun screen at all.

When you look for sunscreen for children, the rule is that the higher the SPF factor, the better it will be whenever they spend a lot of time out in the sun, whether at the pool, the beach or the farm yard. There is one thing you must remember though, even with sunblock it is still possible to burn. Wearing it is merely going to take longer to actually burn, regardless of the SPF number and doesn’t mean the children can stay out all day.

If you plan a day at the pool or the beach, make sure you find a water proof sunblock, as the one that’s not waterproof will just wipe off anyway, even if the child doesn't get wet. Also re-apply the sunblock frequently, especially if the children are in and out of water while they’re playing.

The only ingredients allowed to be used for sunblock products sold in the US are titanium and zinc oxide. They are natural sun blocks and after application would just sit on top of the skin. Also look for a sunblock that will block the full spectrum of UV rays, which include UVA and UVB. The best protection for your children will be a sunblock with a minimum of 5% of titanium oxide and zinc oxide as one with less than that won't offer the protection you want.

One very important thing to remember is not to use sunblock on very young children, in other words those under 6 months old, without first getting your doctor’s opinion. Some sunblocks do contain ingredients that are just too hard on the sensitive skin of a very young child and it's better to just keep them out of the sun, under an umbrella and please cover their head with a hat.

All over the world it has become a compulsory action for parents to make sure their children wear protection and the very least is sunblock and after the very cold American winter, imagine how sensitive young and even older skin will be. Stock up on the best sunscreen and remember that the best may not be a sunscreen at all, but rather a sunblock and if you might decide to visit the Caribbean, remember the sun is even hotter and for the sake of your skin, please make sure you stay protected.