Child Safety SunSmart Global UV app: know when your child needs a hat, before you leave the house
The free SunSmart Global UV app from Cancer Council shows the UV level where you are and the times of day to cover up. What it does, how to set up a daily alert, and Cancer Council's sun advice for babies and young children.
A cool, cloudy morning in October. Nobody packs the hat. By lunch your toddler's cheeks are pink.
You can't see UV and you can't feel it. Cancer Council says it can harm skin on cool, cloudy days as well as hot, sunny ones. The SunSmart Global UV app tells you, for where you are standing, the hours of today when skin needs covering. It's free.
What it is
Cancer Council makes the app. Cancer Council Victoria publishes it, and Cancer Council WA points West Australian families to it from its SunSmart page.
The numbers come from the people who measure them. Forecasts come from the Bureau of Meteorology and live readings from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA). The app turns them into plain advice based on World Health Organization guidance.
One rule runs through it: when the UV index hits 3, cover up.
What you get
- Sun protection times for today. Open it and it shows the hours, say 11am to 1:40pm, when the UV is 3 or above where you are.
- A daily alert. Sun protection alerts each day, so the times come to you.
- Your own alerts. Set them for your schedule and the places you go: home, day care, Nan's.
- Live UV levels across Australia and overseas, handy on holiday.
- A seven-day forecast of sun protection times and weather, for planning the beach or the park.
- Nine languages, including English, Arabic, Chinese, Italian and Spanish.
What it costs
Nothing. It's free on the App Store and Google Play.
Set it up in three minutes
- Open the App Store or Google Play and search SunSmart Global UV.
- Install it and allow location, so it shows the UV where you are.
- Turn on the daily sun protection alert.
- Add a second location if your child spends the day somewhere else.
- Each morning, check the window before you choose clothes and pack the bag.
What to do when the UV is 3 or more
Cancer Council's advice is five things together, not sunscreen alone: slip on clothing, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade, slide on sunglasses.
For babies and young children, Cancer Council adds:
- Babies under 12 months: keep them in the shade and out of direct sun whenever the UV is 3 or above. Take shade with you, like a beach umbrella or shade tent, and use a UV-protective mesh cover on the pram.
- Sunscreen and babies: regular sunscreen is not recommended under six months. Keep them covered and in the shade instead. Over six months, use SPF50 or 50+ on the small patches clothing can't cover. Try a new sunscreen on a small patch of skin first.
- Clothing: "If you can see skin, UV can reach it." Loose, cool clothes in a densely woven fabric like cotton, covering as much skin as you can.
- Hats: bucket, wide-brim or legionnaire hats that shade the face, eyes, ears and neck. Caps and visors don't protect well. For babies, choose a soft hat that crumples when they put their head down.
- Sunglasses: if your toddler pulls them off, a wide-brim hat and shade do the job. Baby and toddler sunglasses come with soft elastic to keep them on.
- Sunscreen timing: put it on at least 20 minutes before going outside, and again every two hours, or sooner after swimming or sweating.
Make it a habit early
Children copy you. Cancer Council says children are more likely to use sun protection when the adults around them do. Keep hats by the door, set up a sunscreen spot at home with a mirror so older children can do their own, and clip a small sunscreen to the day care or school bag.
UV in childhood counts for life. Cancer Council WA says building the habits young and keeping them up significantly lowers the risk of skin cancer later.
How it fits with the others
Water and sun go together in a WA summer. If your child is starting lessons, see VacSwim and Swim and Survive. For water safety at home, read Keep Watch and pool fences.
If your child gets sunburnt and you're worried, call the free 24-hour nurse line on 1800 022 222: our write-up is healthdirect.
Sources
- SunSmart: Free SunSmart Global UV app (features, alerts, seven-day forecast, nine languages, BOM and ARPANSA data, World Health Organization advice, "when the index hits 3", harmful on cool, cloudy days)
- SunSmart: Be a SunSmart family (babies under 12 months in shade, no regular sunscreen under six months, SPF50 or 50+ over six months, patch test, clothing, hats, sunglasses, role modelling)
- SunSmart: Sunscreen calculator (apply 20 minutes before, reapply every two hours or after swimming or sweating)
- Cancer Council WA: SunSmart (five forms of protection, SunSmart WA program, habits from an early age, app download)
- App Store: SunSmart Global UV (free, Cancer Council Victoria)
- Google Play: SunSmart Global UV