What Is a UPF Kids Shirt? A Parent's Guide to UPF 50+ Sun Protection

If you've started looking into sun protection for your kids, you've probably seen the term UPF 50+ everywhere. But what does it actually mean, and is a UPF kids shirt really any different from a normal shirt or a rashie?

If you're an Australian parent, it's a pretty useful thing to understand. We spend so much time outside with our kids, whether it's a morning at the beach, an afternoon at the park, weekend sport or just playing in the backyard. Sun protection is part of everyday life here, but it doesn't have to mean covering your kids in sunscreen from head to toe every time they step outside.

That's where UPF clothing comes in.

What does UPF actually mean?

UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor. It's a rating given to fabrics to show how much ultraviolet radiation they block from reaching your skin.

A UPF 50+ fabric blocks approximately 98% of UV radiation under the relevant testing conditions. In Australia, sun protective clothing is tested against the Australian and New Zealand standard, so when you're buying a UPF 50+ kids shirt, you're not just relying on the fabric looking thick or feeling protective. It's been tested for its UV protection.

And this is one of the reasons we think UPF clothing is so useful for kids. The protection is built into the garment itself.

So why not just use sunscreen?

Sunscreen is still an important part of protecting children's skin, but anyone who's spent a full day with kids knows how quickly it can become a job in itself.

You apply it before you leave. Then they swim. They sweat. They rub their arms in the sand. Someone dries themselves with a towel. Someone changes their shirt. Then you've got to remember to do it all again.

We're not saying sunscreen isn't important. It absolutely has a place in a good sun protection routine. But clothing can take care of the skin it covers without you having to keep thinking about it.

That's the part I love about UPF sunwear.

Put the shirt on and you've already ticked off one layer of protection.

Is a UPF kids shirt the same as a rashie?

This is probably one of the biggest questions we get.

Not really.

Rashies are great for what they're designed for: swimming and spending time in the water. But once kids are out of the water, they're not always the most comfortable thing to wear, especially for the rest of the day, and often kids want them off straight away.

And that's really where we saw the gap.

We wanted something that kids could wear to the beach, then keep wearing when they went for lunch, played in the park or headed home for the afternoon. Something that felt like a normal piece of clothing, rather than something they needed to take off as soon as swimming was over, but it's extremely comfortable.

That's what we mean when we talk about sunwear.

It's sun protection designed to fit into everyday life.