Sun Tents

Archived Q&A and reviews ▼

Archived Q&A and Reviews

Sun protection for baby in bouncy seat

March 2005

Now that it's getting warmer, I'd like to take my 4-month-old outside in her bouncy seat so I can garden. We don't have a pack- n-play yet but I'm also thinking that might work well. I'm envisioning some kind of tent or lean-to that I could put on or around the bouncy seat or pack-n-play to provide sun protection. I found a baby shield cover on the One Step Ahead website, but I have a feeling my baby might hate it (see http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp?lGen=detail=25=PRODUCT=25=117). Also, my back yard gets a ton of sun so it wouldn't really work to just put sunscreen and a hat on her -- she needs shade! Anyone found anything that would work? Thanks.

Ikea makes really cute kid tents. We have the castle shaped one and our daughters love it. Please remember too, no sunscreen until your daughter is 6 months old. Thanks! anon
We bought a tent at IKEA for $11.00 for the very same reason. Worked really well for bouncy seat, naps, etc. Exremely easy to set up, break down, light to carry around and easy to clean off. He is 20 months old and he still is interested in it when we are outside. BONUS: we are campers so thought that getting him used to a tent at this age would be great when we take him camping. He won't freak out in the night. DiAnn

Sun tent for Florida trip with 8-month-old

July 2004

We will be in Florida for a week with our very pale, red-headed 8 month old. I am trying to find some sort of portable pop-up tent to protect him from the sun while we are at the beach or park. Any advice/recommendations are greatly appreciated. Ariel

Hi, Check out the coolaroo products: http://www.coolaroo.com/ I don't know if they've got exactly the thing you want... but they have a good range of stuff and they get high marks for quality. Good luck! anon
I live in Florida and spend a lot of time with my very pale strawberry-blond 15-month old at the beach and pool. Like you, I looked around for a pop-up tent (great minds think alike) but couldn't really find one that was easy to handle and was high enough so that I wouldn't get claustophobic. Instead, I use a combination of things to keep my baby safe from the sun -- I cover her in SPF 50, dress her in a sunsafe swimsuit (it is the only one that I could find that had snaps in the crotch for the easy diaper changes www.sunsafe.com) that covers her from neck to ankle and shoulder to wrist and is made out of SPF 50 fabric, put a wide brimmed hat that she keeps on with a velcro strap under her chin, and I use a beach umbrella that I picked up at some tacky tourist shop for $12. I also keep her out of the sun at the very minimum between noon and 2 (which is also coincides nicely with her nap, but probably not with your 8- month olds). The beach water here is like bathwater all day long, so you can really go in any time during the day or early evening without worrying re: chill. Hope that helps. Jan
Don't get the Sunsmart Family Sun Shade Tent by Aqua. It's around $30 and it's a complete waste of money. Took it to the beach and the smallest amount of wind would uproot the short metal hooks that keep the tent anchored to the ground. I was constantly chasing the tent for the first few times before I realized that it's a totally useless product unless there is absolutely no wind where you will be going. Also, the tent was really really small and wouldn't be able to hold more than a toddler. It also isn't self-standing if you were planning on using it at home (it needs to be anchored into dirt/sand etc to keep it's shape. Sandy