LEWISTON – New parents are getting some help from their local hospitals this summer in learning the importance of protecting their baby’s skin from the sun.

St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center is one of 19 hospitals providing the parents of babies born in their hospitals with special information on keeping their babies safe from too much sun exposure through the Maine Cancer Consortium’s “No Sun for Baby” program.

“Maine’s beaches, ponds and parks can be a wonderful place to take your child, but parents need to remember just how sensitive a baby’s skin is – a bad sunburn in infancy will not only ruin you and your baby’s day, but can set the stage for more serious consequences, like skin cancer, later in life,” said Kip DeSerres of the American Cancer Society.

“And since over 80 percent of a person’s sun exposure happens before their 18th birthday, starting good sun protection habits early is extremely important.”

Babies under 1 year should be kept out of direct sunlight as often as possible. Parents should dress the baby in protective clothing like long pants, long-sleeved shirts and broad-brimmed hats.

For babies 6 months and up use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 to protect against reflected sunlight.

“No Sun for Baby” was developed in conjunction with the Maine Cancer Consortium.