UPF Clothing for Kids: The Complete Australian Parent's Guide

If you have kids who would happily spend the entire day outside, you've probably spent a fair amount of time thinking about sun protection.

Hats get lost. Sunscreen gets wiped off. And somehow the child you covered in sunscreen five minutes ago is already back in the water.

That's where UPF clothing for kids can make life a whole lot easier.

Instead of relying only on something applied to the skin, UPF clothing puts sun protection into something kids already need to wear: their clothes.

For Australian families who spend a lot of time at the beach, playground, park, backyard or just generally outside, it can be one of the simplest ways to add another layer of sun protection to the day.

But not all kids' UPF clothing is the same.

Here's what parents should know.

What is UPF clothing for kids?

UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor.

While SPF is a rating you're probably familiar with from sunscreen, UPF is used for fabrics and clothing.

In Australia, sun-protective clothing can be tested and classified under AS/NZS 4399:2020, the Australian/New Zealand standard for sun-protective clothing.

A garment rated UPF 50 or 50+ falls within the excellent protection category.

The important distinction is that UPF clothing protects the skin covered by the garment. It doesn't replace the other parts of sun protection for exposed skin.

For kids, that can mean combining protective clothing with a hat, shade, sunglasses and sunscreen on the areas that aren't covered.

Why are more parents looking for kids' UPF clothing?

Because children don't exactly make sun protection easy.

They're swimming. Running. Sweating. Rolling around in the grass. Climbing something they definitely weren't supposed to climb.

And asking for a snack approximately seven seconds after you finished applying sunscreen.

UPF clothing gives parents another way to protect more of their child's skin without having to continually think about the areas underneath their clothing.

That's particularly useful when you're going somewhere for hours rather than minutes.

Think:

• playgrounds
• beach days
• daycare and preschool
• camping
• boating
• backyard play
• bike riding
• holidays
• weekend sport
• theme parks and zoos

The best UPF clothing for kids isn't something you save for swimming.

It's something that fits naturally into childhood.

Is UPF clothing just another name for a rashie?

Not necessarily.

Rashies are one type of sun-protective clothing and they're fantastic for what they were originally designed to do: being in the water.

But that's also their limitation for some families.

A traditional rashie tends to look and feel like swimwear.

If you're going from the beach to lunch, the playground, shops or somewhere else afterwards, kids will often need to change.

There's now another category of UPF clothing designed to look and feel much more like everyday clothing.

That's the idea behind sunwear.

At Sol & Tide, we make UPF 50+ sunwear that can be worn in the water and out of it.

The idea is incredibly simple:

Put it on in the morning.

Go outside.

Let them play.

Get wet.

Dry off.

Go get lunch.

Keep wearing it.

One shirt for wherever the day goes.

What should you look for in UPF clothing for kids?

The UPF rating is important, but as a mum, I'd argue there's another test that matters almost as much:

Will your child actually wear it?

Because the most technically impressive shirt in the world isn't terribly useful when your child is begging to take it off.

Look for clothing that works with kids rather than against them.

1. A high UPF rating

Look for properly rated sun-protective clothing rather than assuming that any long-sleeved shirt provides the same protection.

At Sol & Tide, our sunwear is ARPANSA-certified UPF 50+.

2. Comfort

This is huge.

Kids notice stiff fabric.

They notice scratchy tags.

They notice sleeves that annoy them.

And they'll certainly tell you about it.

Look for soft, lightweight fabrics that feel comfortable against their skin and allow them to move normally.

3. Breathability

Australian kids aren't standing politely in the shade.

They're running.

If you're choosing UPF 50+ clothing for kids, think about whether they'll actually be comfortable wearing it during active outdoor play.

4. Everyday wearability

Ask yourself:

Would my child wear this if we weren't going swimming?

If the answer is yes, you've suddenly made UPF clothing much more useful.

The park.

Daycare.

The zoo.

A friend's backyard.

Camping.

Walking to get an ice cream.

Sun protection doesn't only matter when you're standing beside a pool.

5. Quick-drying fabric

This is where everyday clothing and swimwear can meet beautifully.

Kids have an incredible ability to find water.

A quick-drying shirt means they can get wet without necessarily needing an entirely new outfit afterwards.

6. A design they actually like

This gets underestimated.

Kids have opinions.

Strong ones.

When they love the colour or print of their shirt, sun protection stops feeling like something Mum is forcing them to wear.

It just becomes their shirt.

And that's exactly what we wanted when we created Sol & Tide.

What is the difference between a normal shirt and UPF clothing?

It's easy to assume that covered skin is protected skin.

But fabrics vary considerably in the amount of ultraviolet radiation they transmit.

Fabric construction, weight, stretch and other characteristics can affect UV transmission.

Purpose-made UPF clothing has been tested to establish its ultraviolet protection factor.

That gives parents something a regular T-shirt doesn't necessarily provide:

a known UPF rating.

For Australian families, that certainty can be particularly valuable when children spend long periods outdoors.

Do kids still need sunscreen when wearing UPF clothing?

Yes — on the skin that isn't covered.

Think of sun protection as layers rather than choosing one method instead of another.

UPF clothing helps protect the skin underneath the garment.

You'll still need to think about areas such as the face, hands and exposed legs, depending on what your child is wearing.

Australian sun-protection guidance recommends using multiple forms of protection when UV levels warrant it, rather than relying on one method alone.

Can kids wear UPF clothing every day?

Absolutely, provided the garment is comfortable and suitable for what they're doing.

In fact, this is where we think kids' UPF clothing becomes genuinely useful.

Sun protection doesn't only belong at the beach.

A huge amount of childhood happens outside.

At the playground.

On bikes.

At preschool.

Watching siblings play sport.

In the backyard.

At the markets.

Camping.

Walking the dog.

If a UPF shirt feels like normal clothing, there's no reason it needs to live at the bottom of the swim bag waiting for the next beach day.

UPF clothing for Australian kids should be made for actual childhood

This is ultimately why I created Sol & Tide.

I'm a mum of three, and I couldn't find sun protection that ticked all the boxes I wanted for my own family.

I wanted serious sun protection.

But I also wanted something soft.

Something my kids wouldn't complain about.

Something fun enough that they'd actually choose it.

Something they could swim in without needing to change afterwards.

And something that didn't make them look like they were heading out fishing every time we left the house.

So we created something different.

Sunwear.

Sol & Tide is an Australian sunwear brand creating soft, breathable UPF 50+ clothing for kids and women, designed for everyday life outside.

Our kids' sun shirts are made to move from the playground to the beach, backyard, café and everywhere their day takes them.

Because the best sun protection isn't necessarily the one with the longest list of technical features.

It's the one your kids are happy to keep wearing.

Shop UPF 50+ clothing for kids

Sun protection kids love wearing.

Discover Sol & Tide's range of soft, breathable kids' UPF 50+ sunwear, designed in Australia for beach days, playgrounds, holidays and everyday adventures outside.

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