Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

We love La Roche-Posay’s anthelios suncare range, so we found it hard to just choose one of its sun creams. The dermo-kids invisible mist SPF50+ is our top choice for older children due to its high sweat, water and sand resistant formula that’s also suitable for very sensitive skin. The mist texture is also formulated with intellimer technology that means it creates a light, even layer on the skin for more complete protection. It is very invisible however so be careful to not miss any bits when applying to wriggly tots.

Best: Value for money

Rating: 9.5/10

We’re big fans of being able to pick up high quality skincare while doing the weekly shop, and Lidl’s Cien Kids sun spray SPF50+ is one product to stock up on next time you’re in store. While this is just a snip of the price of some of the other sun creams on this list, it feels just as high quality. It has a great spray applicator that works from just about every angle our toddlers wanted to challenge us with, plus a lightweight texture that soaks in easily. Offering very high SPF50+ with both UVA and UVB protection, this is an absolute no-brainer.

This sun cream is also available in-store at Lidl.

Best: For babies with eczema

Rating: 9/10

This lightweight, water resistant sun lotion is designed specifically for the needs of babies with the most sensitive of skin. At the time of testing, one of our babies was six-months-old and suffering with a really bad eczema flare up, so we had to be very careful with what we applied to their skin. We found this sun lotion to be particularly good to use on our baby’s face where dry patches were the worst, plus it rubbed in easily which we were really grateful for – even on top of their normal emollient.

This formula also offers exceptional broad spectrum protection, covering UVA, UVB and infrared rays of SPF50+, so we felt confident that their skin was comfortable and safe when we were out and about. We also liked the small size of the bottle which is great for travel and slipping in your baby bag when you come home. This will definitely be a product we use again and again.

Best: Organic ingredients

Rating: 7/10

We’re big fans of Alteya’s organic nappy rash cream so were excited to try this sunscreen. One of the major plus points of this formula is that it’s made from 95 per cent organic ingredients and enriched with lovely things such as lavender and calendula oils and emollient botanical butters. As such, it has quite a thick texture that is ideal for very delicate and dry skin, and creates a thin protective layer that restores and nourishes in a similar way to a barrier cream. It also comes with a sheer tint that makes it easy to see where you’ve applied the cream, but this was a little bit messy on towels and bed sheets, so we had to be careful where we applied it. It’s water resistant for 40 minutes and has both UVA and UVB protection too.

Best: Ocean-friendly formula

Rating: 7/10

Green People is one of our favourite organic skincare brands and its children’s range is equally impressive, with formulas created especially for very sun sensitive and eczema-prone skin. This Organic Children sun lotion is suitable for babies from six months and comes with both UVA and UVB protection with SPF30. It also contains 84 per cent organic ingredients, and we loved the rich, creamy texture that was easy to apply, if slightly tacky which we knocked a point off for. If you like to use the same cream as your children, you’ll also be pleased to know that this cream is non-comedogenic so won’t clog the pores or leave you with a breakout if applied on your face. We also love that it has an ocean-friendly formula and recyclable sugar cane plastic packaging.

Best: For enhanced protection

Rating: 9/10

A standout during our holiday, Ultra Sun’s extreme kids SPF 50+ sun protection is a great option for active children over the age of three. We loved its very lightweight texture that went on really easily (making it ideal for applying to wriggling toddlers) and the soothing lamellar formula that absorbs just below the skin’s surface – this stops it from leaving greasiness behind on the skin or an ashy finish.

Ultrasun also prides itself on its high-factor protection and very high UVA, UVB and infrared filters which really helped set our minds at ease when the kids were in the pool. Its trademarked ingredient, active celligent, also offers enhanced protection and additional cell and DNA protection. This is one of the most expensive sun creams in our line-up, but it definitely stood out as a favourite and was one of the creams our adults kept reaching for.

Best: For babies and children

Rating: 8/10

If you’re looking for a great all-round sunscreen that you can use on babies and older children, Child’s Farm sun lotion spray is our top pick. With an SPF50, it has the recommended protection for even the smallest members of your family as well as a UVA star rating of three. It has no fragrance and is both dermatologist and paediatrician-approved, so we found this was gentle enough to use on a very sensitive baby. In short, this is a really lovely product with very high protection and an easy-to-use spray function. There’s also a cream version that was equally pleasurable to use and we enjoyed alternating between the two.

Best: For the whole family

Rating: 8/10

Minimally packaged, we didn’t expect all that much from SOS’s SPF50 sun cream but were very pleasantly surprised. Boasting a high SPF50 and a five-star UV rating, this moisturising sun cream for the face and body had one of the best textures with a super-smooth balm feel that leaves the skin feeling hydrated, without any stickiness.

While this sun cream isn’t specifically for children, SOS’s range is designed to be used by the whole family with pared-back formulas and natural ingredients. This particular one contains plant stem cells, mineral based filters and a sheer form of zinc oxide that protects the skin from UVA/UVB and blue light. It’s also formulated with the natural anti-inflammatory antioxidant vitamin E to help soothe and calm the skin. We all loved using this sun cream, especially on our faces, so it’s definitely proof that you should never judge a skincare product by its packaging.

Best: Natural sunscreen

Rating: 7.5/10

If you’re looking for a broad spectrum sunscreen that provides powerful protection in the most natural way possible, MooGoo should be on your radar. What sets this natural sunscreen SPF30 apart is its inclusion of naturally derived clear zinc which provides broad spectrum protection without the use of UV filters. The downside of mineral ingredients such as zinc is that while they’re excellent at reflecting UV, they do leave a white sheen on the skin, which this one does. We did find this to be quite helpful when applying to the kids as it allows you to see where you’ve applied the cream initially before rubbing in clear. The extra bonus of this sunscreen is that it’s safe to be used by the whole family – from newborn to adult – so you don’t have to pack multiple bottles in your suitcase.

Best: For exotic destinations

Rating: 8/10

If you’ve ever travelled with a baby or child to a holiday destination where mosquitoes are rife, you’ll know how tricky it can be to find a repellent that’s safe while also not gassing out the hotel room. So, when we heard about Incognito’s new broad spectrum mineral sun cream SPF30 that’s also formulated with insect repellent, we were keen to know more.

Created by a team of scientists and researchers, it’s DEET-free formula that contains rigorously tested ingredients that are also vegan and certified by the Natural and Organic Certification for Cosmetics (COSMOS). As such, it can be used on babies from the age of six months and upwards and has a lovely, lightweight non-greasy formula that rubs in really easily. One major brownie point for this natural sun cream is that surprisingly, unlike many other insect-repelling products, it also smells quite nice while being kind to the environment.