Family in Feast and Feria

Today's Personal Journal section of the Wall Street Journalfeatured some sun protection products for children.

As we are quite fair-skinned and prone to sunburn, and ds is a towhead, we worry about protecting ourselves from harmful UV rays. Dh already had some skin cancer removed from his nose. Now we don't go outside without our hats (all 3 of us) and sunscreen.

I thought some of the products suggested will make our job a bit easier and more thorough, but I'm not sure of all of them.

UV Sol Beads Bracelets. These are inexpensive bracelets that change color in the presence of UV rays. This is an easy reminder to apply that sunscreen...that I can wear on my arm or put on my purse, dh can hang on his golf bag.

They aren't beautiful, but extremely protective are Frubi Shades. I'm not sure these are the answer for me, but I'm in search of high UV protection in eyewear for my son that doesn't break in 2 minutes and that he will keep on his face. The wrap around sunglasses didn't work for us very well. Anyone have better suggestions for a toddler?

Cabana Life sun protective clothing line for kids. This isn't the only one, I've seen UV protective clothing at Lands End and other sources (Coolibar and Sun Precautions to name a few). Is it worth the price tag? How different is wearing this clothing to covering with regular clothing? I understand some fabric is less protective, but everything that I wear makes me susceptible?

I'm also looking for some good hats. We picked up a cute gardening hat at Target, but with a beach trip in our near future, I think I might need something with bigger brims....for me, too. Dh is enjoying his Tilley hat...it's a very good hat.

Finally, ShadeBaby is a baby blanket with UV protection over 50, but wicks away moisture, so keeps baby cool and protected. Perfect for protecting baby from the sun in strollers or the car seat. I really like this idea...even my coolest blanket was too much for my little one when he was small, but I needed to block the sun!

What kind of sunscreen do you use? And for your children? And more importantly, how do you avoid getting it in the eyes? Any magic formula? I've done it to myself, and it's miserable...and my poor son he's suffered a few times. You'd think I'd learn my lesson.

I'd love to hear any feedback, pro or con on sun protection in all "flavors" -- clothing, hats, sunscreen, sunglasses.