This Doll Shows Kids Exactly What Happens When They Don't Wear Sunscreen

No one ever said slathering sunscreen on a small child was easy. They want to get outside right that second, they are in the middle of playing and can't deal with you asking them to come over for a reapplication, or maybe you just have a very particular child who happens to hate the feeling of the sticky lotion on her body and will complain the whole way through application (this was me, sorry Mom).

Someone at Nivea had a genius idea to create a doll that "burns" as soon as it's exposed to UV rays — because let's be honest, there's really no way to teach your kids about the importance of sunscreen unless you let them get burned, and that's not really an option. When in the sun, these little dolls turn bright red — to all of the children's dismay in the video — but when you apply sunscreen to their skin, they become protected, and the redness disappears.

Though it's unclear whether the dolls will go on sale, the idea is brilliant, not only because they give kids a visual example of what can happen without sunscreen, but because the dolls give them something to do while you're trying to douse them in lotion. With one of these dolls around, you could ask your child to apply sunscreen to their little friend, and in the meantime you can make sure they're fully protected with one of these safe-for-kids sunscreens (if you have any of these harmful sunscreens in your beach bag, toss 'em!). So smart!