Summer's back with a vengeance, and the rising mercury means your children will be spending more and more time outdoors.
If they are water babies, they will also be having fun cooling down in swimming pools, and at the seaside as you head off for coastal holidays.
You can help them do that in style and safety with swimwear that can protect them from the sun's damaging rays.
That means no skimpy bikinis or one-piece costumes. Those are fashion items, and they don't cover nearly enough of the body to reduce the risk of skin cancer from overexposure to the sun's rays either directly, or from reflected rays off sand and water.
For that, you need clothing made from special fabric with a UV rating in units of UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) that indicate how much of the sun's radiation it absorbs. They are designed to cover as much of the body as possible.
American research shows that a white cotton T-shirt, for example, can only provide the same protection as a sunscreen lotion with an SPF (sun protection factor) of five.
When it gets wet, it loses around a third of its already weak sun-blocking properties.
UV fabrics were first developed in Australia in the early 1990s. Like South Africa, that country has a high rate of skin cancer from excessive sun exposure. Australian textile scientists developed specially woven fabrics and UV-absorbing chemicals to enhance the fabric's UV-protection to reduce the health risk.
An official seal of approval from the Australian government has since made sun protective clothing increasingly popular down under. Parents say they find it easier to use than sunscreens - and more effective, since it doesn't wash off in the water.
Since then, other countries have followed suit, and UV fabrics are now produced in the United States, Europe and South Africa.
In the US, fabrics classified as sun protective have to undergo simulated launderings, exposure to simulated sunlight (the equivalent of two years of light exposure) and chlorinated water.
So what's so different about UV fabric? Lots, says Angela Tate. She sells a range of stylish UV protective swimwear from her studio in Parktown North for children aged between 0 and 7 years. Under the Sun Savvy label, the range uses fabric imported from Europe, and includes sun shirts for school children made from local fabric and endorsed by the Cancer Association of South Africa.
UV fabric differs from ordinary summer fabric in important ways, says Tate: it has a tight weave or knit; colours are generally darker; some are treated with special chemicals; and, of course, it has to have a label stating that it is UV-protective.
UV protection factors can be anything from 15 to 50 and above, and, in this case, more is better. No matter what your skin tone, you can always benefit from protection.
The factor reduces when the fabric is wet: from over-exposure to chemicals such as chlorine in pools (which makes adhering to rinsing and washing instructions essential); and if garments are too small and the fabric is stretched over the body (making the right size and a loose fit essential).
All garments in the Sun Savvy range are UPF 40 and up.
Woolworths stipulates to suppliers that its UV suits for children must have a UPF 50, and be made from fabrics without chemicals, and tested by laboratories approved by the Cancer Association.
Tate points out that sun sense is not just about protective clothing and swimwear. It should include the wearing of hats, appropriate broadband protection sunscreens and minimising time spent in direct sunlight.
- For more information on the Sun Savvy range, please call 082-321-3215.
Where to find UV swimwear for kids
- Woolworths stores nationwide
- Sportsmans Warehouse branches (Northcliff, Boksburg, Southgate, Fourways and Roodepoort)
- Edgars stores nationwide
- Keedo Children's Boutiques (Fourways Mall and Hyde Park)