sun block caused severe sun sensitivity in my 2 yr old...moms please read?

Question

I put walgreens version water babies spf 70 on her before she went out to play (for about an hour) when she came in it was apparent that everywhere i had applied sun sun block , she had teeny tiny red bumps, not enough to worry me at all. i figured they would go away. 6 hrs pass and they have flared, lil bit bigger and dfienite concern, but otherwise she wasnt itching at this point, beathing fine  other than seasonal allergies that have bothered her this week. so i give her 1/2 t chicldrens benadryl and a cool bath.  she started to itch but only her upper chest and parts of her neck. i put just a tiny bit of hydo cortizone cream where she was itching and she goes to sleep.(9pm)didnt want to put much at all to be safe.she sleeps for a lil bit but i go to check on her and her skin is splotchy definetly worse  definetly more itchy all over...so i call dr nurse on call tells me benadryl and cool bath...check...so at 2 am i gave her more benadryl and kept an eye on her. rah is better but not gone. sooo... what ive have read overnight online here and there certain chemicals in sunscreen can  cause a reaction that actually makes the skin super sensitive to the sun. -solar utacaria and it says there will be a white v under there chin that isnt burned or red because it didnt get sunlight. this area on her is white but has a few bumps. fits so far but what could have caused this chemical reaction? 

she has been dealing with allergies and had congestion and i bought similasan 100% natural cold and mucus relief. maybe one of these natural ingridients cause a reaction with the chemicals in the sunscreen? she took it twice yesterday and had no allergic reaction and the stuff works great!

we used this sunscreen last year and it doesnt expire for another yearor more. spf 70
 i feel crappy, here i go slathering sun screen on my baby to protect her and i made her far worse off... please anyone else ever have this happen, 

adice mommies? thanks

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Paba is in many sunscreens and is a cause of allergies for many.  So much so that it's banned in many countries for use in sunscreens.  Some of the symptoms of an allergy to paba include red bumps, itching, sometimes pus-filled blisters, general irritation.  Check with your doctor to see if he/she thinks that this could be a possibility.  (It'd be great to know if it is because there are heaps of sunscreens that you can use that are paba-free.)

Canadian Snowgirl · Answer

Most sunscreens, even for babies and children, contain nasty toxic chemicals.  No surprise it caused a skin rash.

We use one called Badger Balm.  It's amazing.  No harmful chemicals, all natural and works like a charm. A little difficult to rub in because of the zinc, but it's great.  I've used it for 2 years now on both of my girls.  It's rated the best sunscreen by Environmental Working Group. 

FYI - anything advertised as "SPF70" is completely BS, and misleading.  Once the SPF level is 50, there is a negligible difference in the SPF level.  Companies are not actually supposed to market their sunscreens with an SPF above 50.

to read more about the dangers of conventional sunscreen, and the misleading advertising:
http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/

momma dread · Answer

My eldest is sensitive to all sunscreens, he can't use any. 

We were advised to only allow him short spurts in the sun during the spring to allow his body to build up it's yearly natural protection to the sun (like building up a tan so he doesn't burn), it's the only thing we can do to protect him other than wearing a shirt and hat

We were told that in his case unprotected sun exposer is the lesser of two evils

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sun block caused severe sun sensitivity in my 2 yr old...moms please read?

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