Summer months mean warm weather. Warm weather can mean being out in the sun too long causing the dreaded sunburn. I am a huge sunscreen advocate, and lather it on my children and myself religiously. I am the one likely to tell you that the absolute best sunburn treatment it to in fact avoid the sunburn in the first place. But even I, the sunscreen queen, know that even the best prepared can still have the occasional sunburn. Even worse, when your kids are suffering the effects of a burn they need relief.

Many over the counter products, such as the ever trusty aloe lotions are great for soothing your burns. They can help to ease the pain, and slightly soften the skin. I have heard that a paste made of baking soda and water can have a similar effect, but try not to scrub. Another favorite of mine is to apply baby oil. It can also sooth the burn and soften that top layer of skin.

My all time favorite remedy is actually more sunscreen. Anytime i have gotten a little red in the sun, I have applied sunscreen right to the affected areas. The next morning nearly all the redness is gone and I’m mostly looking normal. If you find a good quality, non oily sunscreen (try ones make specifically for babies) you will not be able to really tell you are wearing anything. You can simply keep applying until you are back to normal. The biggest bonus to this method is that you are putting on more protection against the sun and making sure that you don’t further the damage from your burn. However, if you want to avoid all this trouble, just opt to wear the sunscreen in the first place. All the cool kids are doing it.

-Stephanie Wright