Baby Banz: Good sun protection for baby's eyes

August 14, 11:45 AMEarly Childhood Parenting ExaminerAngele Sionna

Having fun outside is a part of kids lives - summer or not. No matter the purpose, you need to protect your little one's skin AND eyes.

"Retinas are sensitive to UV rays (ocular melanomas do occur) and sunglasses with UVA/UVB blocking power can prevent potentially damaging rays from hitting eyes — especially for light-eyed individuals," says Dr. JJ Levenstein, board-certified pediatrician and president/co-founder of MD Moms. "In addition, the very sensitive and thin eyelids are a site easily burned by the sun. Sunglasses with UVA/UVB protection are especially helpful since many preparations burn the eyes and many brands advise not to apply to the areas around the eyes. Wraparound styles are best so that rays can’t enter from the side."

The hardest age group to find good sunglasses for is tots under two. A good choice for this age are Baby Banz sunglasses. Their wrap-around glasses have won an iParenting Media Award and they are the first complete line of children’s eyewear to be endorsed by the Melanoma International Foundation. They stay on baby's head with a neoprene elastic strap with velcro for easy size adjustment. I particularly like these for children under two because they stay put on little babies when other types of glasses are constantly slipping off . For older babies it helps stop the constant fidgeting and taking off of sunglasses.