A single blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence is associated with a markedly higher lifetime risk of melanoma, which is why treating a burn includes preventing the next one.
Pediatric guidance is to cool and hydrate sunburned skin and avoid ice, butter or numbing sprays, and to seek medical care for blistering, fever or a sunburn in a baby under one year.
Questions we get a lot
How do I treat my child's sunburn at home?
Move them out of the sun, then cool the skin with a cool bath or damp compresses and apply a gentle, fragrance-free moisturizer or aloe. Offer extra fluids, dress them in soft loose clothing, and use child-appropriate pain relief if needed. Avoid ice, petroleum jelly, butter and benzocaine sprays, which can trap heat or irritate.
When should I call a doctor about a child's sunburn?
Seek medical care if the burn blisters over a large area, or if the child has fever, chills, severe pain, headache, dizziness or signs of dehydration. Any sunburn in a baby under one year should be evaluated. Call right away for signs of heat illness such as confusion or fainting.
How do I keep my child from getting sunburned again?
Once the skin heals, protect it with broad-spectrum SPF 30+ applied generously and reapplied every two hours, plus UPF clothing, a hat and shade during peak midday hours. Because childhood sunburns raise lifetime skin-cancer risk, preventing repeat burns matters.
r/Parenting: 'My kid got a bad sunburn — when is it serious enough to call the doctor?'