Our sun is dangerous here in Central Texas, Will Black Clothing Protect My Child From The Sun? We don’t plan a trip to the beach this year but will be busy doing things at home.
Summertime brings in lots of sun exposure, even when we are staying here at home. My kids are grown, so I had to borrow from the activities planned for my grandchildren to consider this sun safety issue.
While there are some summertime activities that are indoors, like the strength and agility camp offered at the YMCA. Keeping the kids indoors, and out of the sun during the hotter times of the day will keep them safe from the sun.
Planning a good mix of indoor and outdoor activities will make the summer better for everyone. Wearing black clothing, when going out in the mid-day sun can help. But black can be hot if the clothing fits too tight, and doesn’t have room for air to move under the shirt.
But, why black clothing? Is that what they need to be wearing all summer? Or does it make any difference what color the clothing is? As my daughter doesn’t have time to research and read about what is recommended and why I offered to help out.
Maybe this information will help you protect your kids from the sun. Protection from the sun is important. And we don’t want another of our generations of family members dealing with skin cancer.
Dark or bright colors, including red, black, and navy blue, absorb more UV rays than lighter colors like whites and pastels. For example, an everyday white cotton T-shirt has a UPF of only about 5.
However, according to Rei.com a UPF company, this only lets 20% of the sun’s rays through to their skin. As a rule of thumb, the more intense the hue, the better protection the clothing will provide.
The Reasons A Black Shirt Is Good
Darker colors absorb more Ultra Violet Rays than lighter colors like whites and pastels.
This means the UV rays are less likely to reach your skin. While black is a great color for protecting your skin from the sun, the fabric is also an important part of the equation as well. A tightly woven, fabric that does not allow sun through to your skin will do a decent job of skin protection.
Being black in color will compound the protection for your kids, as long as the sun can’t get through. Check to see if the sun is getting through by holding the shirt up to a light or the sun. Can you see pin-points of the sun where the threads are woven together? If you can see the sun, the sun can see you!
Black and navy blue offer the most protection of any color. However, if the sun gets through, you are blowing your protection. Maybe you are better off with a white or light, tightly woven fabric that the sun can’t get through. The fabric is actually more important than the color.
But bright colors such as red can also absorb UV rays. A more vivid color offers more sun protection. A bright yellow shirt gives your kids more protection than a pale yellow one. When choosing new shirts for your family, keep the color intensity in mind.
If the shirts get worn a lot and washed often, you can get products that treat the fabric of the shirt and help it be more sun-prof. Tee shirts are a good example of shirts that can be revived easily. The products soften the threads in the fabric, allowing them to puff up and the weave tighter.
More Information On How The Color Black Helps Protect Your Child.
The color black absorbs the Ultra Violet Rays from the sun, keeping them off your child’s body. Just to be extra clear here, the black clothing only protects the part of the body it is on. So, your child will need a sun hat, which can be any color or fabric, as long as the sun doesn’t get through.
While the clothing absorbs the UV rays, black may make the sun hat or shirt warmer to wear than other hats or shirts. To protect your child, the shirt needs to be long sleeves and loosely fitted to allow the air to circulate about your child’s body and keep him cooler.
A tight-fitting knitted shirt may not cover very well either if the shirt is stretched around the body. The stretch will not allow the fabric to cover him if the shirt is too small. Stretching pulls the threads that are woven into the shirt and makes holes where the sun can get through.
Sun Blocking Hats And Shirts For Your Children
So, there are many things to consider when keeping the sun off your child’s body. A sun hat is more important than a sun blocking shirt. The sun hits your kid’s head first and more often. This is where skin cancers are more often found. On the ear, neck, nose, lips, forehead, and face, where the most sun gets to their skin.
Sometimes we get complacent about protecting our skin from the sun. The worry seems so far away. They are young now, it can be years before there are issues with skin cancer.
Would you feel this way if your child needed to watch his diet because diabetes runs in his Dads family background? Would you be able to allow him or her to get too heavy and worry about it later? You would be watchful that you have healthy snacks and meals for your child. Diabetes is a disorder that can take years to show up.
Don’t be lax about helping your kids have safe sun practices and safe sun habits. Help them get in the habit of grabbing a sun hat and sunglasses for going outside.
Help your kids have some fun things to do during the summer that has them out of the sun in the hotter times of the day. This will require some help as most events seem to take place in the afternoons. Kids really need to stay out of the mid-day sun.
The ozone that protected me when I was young was thicker. It did a better job of blocking out the sun’s dangerous rays. Now, 2 generations later, you must be more careful.
Climate warming is causing the Ozone to disappear. There is less ozone to help with skin protection. You are in charge of helping your kids learn to take care of their skin.
Sami’s Take On Will Black Clothing Protect My Child From The Sun?
Remember, your child is still maturing his/her skin, even into their teen years. They should avoid the sun completely until 6 months old. Then until they are 12 months, only indirect sun. No sunscreen until they are 12 months old. They are not just little adults, with mature skin. They are children who need time to finish growing their skin. Like their teeth, it takes time.
Black clothing will protect your child from the sun if they wear a shirt, and hat when in the sun. So will other dark deeper colors. Everyone thinks that kids don’t care what they wear. Just like you, some days this is true, and some days nothing in their closet is right.
Your fabric is important, and knit fabric is usually more comfortable for kids. However, here again, there is the problem of the fabric that is dark enough to block the sun’s rays, which will be warmer. So a loose-fitting shirt is important to let air circulate around your child’s body. If he/she gets hot, those shirts will come off!
A knit shirt from his or her closet that is an old favorite may work if the shirt hasn’t been washed too often. Thinner fabrics let more sun through.
Maybe a tightly woven shirt that is not stretchable will be a better choice.
This will be a work in progress to get your family situated with sun protection clothing.
There is a progression that goes with becoming aware of the sun and its dangers. This will make it easy to remember as you work through your child’s closet to see what he has that is sun blocking. What will work till you have time to find actual rated sun blocking clothing for your family?
Any shirt is better than no shirt.
So a worn shirt is better than nothing!
A new, thicker white shirt is better than nothing.
That navy or black new shirt is probably going to be the best choice. Bright red or deep green is a good next best.
Make some changes in your lifestyle to keep the kids out of the stronger rays time of day.
Using sun-blocking clothing, monitoring times in the sun, and using sunscreen will help your child have healthier skin.
Thank you,
Sami
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