Babble Blogger Favorites 2012: Sunscreens for Kids

As a licensed esthetician, I've seen firsthand how devastating years of sun exposure can be to one's health, so I was thrilled when Babble asked me to put together a list of my favorite sunscreens for kids. Narrowing everything down wasn’t easy, but after a lot of time and research, I’ve got my top picks (see the full list here!). If I left your beloved sunscreen off this list, make sure to nominate it here! — Stevee Curtis  

Sun Protection Terms to Know: SPF: Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is usually displayed on the sunscreen label and can range from 2 to as high as 50+. It refers to the product's ability to screen or block out the sun's harmful rays. For example, if you use a sunscreen with an SPF 15, you can be in the sun 15 times longer that you can without sunscreen before burning.  

Sunscreen: Can be classified into two types: physical and chemical:

• Chemical sunscreens contain special ingredients that act as filters. These days most protect against UVA and UVB rays.
• Physical sunscreens are most often referred to as "sunblocks." These products use ingredients like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide to physically block rays. Most of these block out both UVA and UVB rays, too.