This is Summer: The Kiddie Pool

I have a long list of perfectly preserved memories from my childhood summers.

Late nights on the porch with my little friends, swatting mosquitoes until my mom hollered from inside. Riding my bike to the neighbourhood park (which was much too far a jaunt without parental supervision by today’s standards – sans helmet or cell phone for emergencies too!). Watching MuchMusic endlessly as one lazy day stretched into the next, hoping to catch A-Ha’s video for “Take on Me” or Belinda Carlisle’s “Mad About You”.

Of course, if I had to isolate one summer memory – just ONE thing that defined my entire summer – it was the kiddie pool. How I entreated my parents to fill it up every morning! Heating under the strong sun, the temperature would be perfect for a late afternoon swim (and by swim, I mean sloshing around in water about 12 inches deep). I sat in the pool and took my Barbies for a dip. Boats were constructed of Lego. Tiny shovels and pails rhythmically scooped and tossed water over the side. This was summer.

(I begged and begged my parents for a Crocodile Mile to no avail. Pfft. They didn’t even seem mildly interested in how this one piece of plastic could take my neighbourhood popularity to unforeseen heights. Ah well.)

With my own two little boys, I’m happy to carry on the tradition of the kiddie pool. In fact, after recently inflating the specimen, my husband and I concluded that kiddie pools have made few changes by way of structure and innovation since the 80’s. But why mess with a good thing, right?

And the boys LOVE it. Donning their adorable swim trunks and large arsenal of water toys, they make their own magical summer memories.

One thing that’s different from my own childhood memories of the kiddie pool? Sun protection.

Back in the 80’s, it didn’t cross my mom’s mind even once to apply some sort of sunscreen. In fact, while searching for an 80’s sunscreen ad, all I came up with were suntan lotion ads! My first hand knowledge of sunblock was the chalky white stuff I saw on a lifeguard’s nose – but for us? Nothing. We had naturally tanned skin, were told to spend most of our time in the shade, and that’s it.

Today, my boys don’t have the luxury of a quality ozone layer, and so I trust Coppertone® for their sunscreen needs – each and every time they receive any kind of sun exposure. For pool days, I give them a liberal dose of Coppertone® Kids Clear Continuous Spray Sunscreen SPF 60.  The Broad-spectrum spray offers protection against UVA/UVB rays, is hypoallergenic, non-greasy, and paraben free – and most importantly, for maximum pool time – is waterproof upon application and after 80 minutes of activity in the water or sweating.

And, while we’re chatting about sunscreen, did you know:

Coppertone® was the first brand to introduce the SPF system on its products in 1972, the SPF system stands for “sun protection factor”. The SPF number on a sunscreen’s label is a guide to the product’s level of sunburn protection.

The SPF number indicates how much longer you can be exposed to the sun before getting sunburn with a sunscreen compared to without a sunscreen. A little Sunscreen 101:

The higher the number, the greater the protection, BUT

– An SPF of 15 filters 93% of UVB rays
– An SPF of 30 filters 97% of UVB rays
SO, an SPF 30 is NOT twice as strong as SPF 15.

(Keep in mind that NO sunscreen blocks 100% of UVB rays, and SPF does not measure the quantity of UVA rays filtered. The effectiveness of an SPF essentially depends on the type of skin, the length and time of exposure to the sun, the quantity of sunscreen applied and the frequency of application.)

We’re looking forward to much more summertime fun spent outdoors, and you can bet that armed with Coppertone®, we won’t let the UV index spoil our fun. To read up on UV awareness and receive your own personalized suncare profile, visit Coppertone® Canada today.

And after a day in the kiddie pool? The obligatory kiddie popsicle, of course.

This post was sponsored by Coppertone. As always, the opinions on this blog are my own.
To ensure that Coppertone products are right for you, always read and follow the label.
® Registered trademark of MSD Consumer Care, Inc. Used under license.
© 2012 MSD Consumer Care, Inc is a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.