school bans sun cream!

[luciemule]

The week before last, I posted about DD being made to sit in strong sun with no hat and because of that had bad sunstroke.
Then I commented on how they tell parents to apply sun cream before coming to school and not bringing it with you and reapplying it. I think this is probably classed as neglect if then, a child burns due to not having sun cream on. This week, the kids are out all day doing sports week and have various activities planned either in the playground with very little shade or on the school field with not much either.
It's ironic as the school sent home an Ambre Solaire sun fact sheet last friday telling of sun burn dangers!!1

see here

[FranSanDisco]

Dc's school don't allow sun screen to be brought in. They suggest it's applied before coming to school and that's it. I think dc's playground needs more shady areas to enable children to sit out of the sun.

[misdee]

dc school also advises that suncream be applied before school.

you can get one that lasts all day cant you?

[FranSanDisco]

I think P20 (or similar name) lasts all day.

[misdee]

6 hour protection

[GypsyMoth]

yes,they should do it at home,before school

[misdee]

pizz buin and P20 also do longer ones.

[DinahRod]

Think the UK get this all wrong, in other hot countries ppl cover up, not expose more skin to the sun!

The school says it has plenty of shaded areas, encourages the wearing of protective hats/clothing and you can buy sun cream that lasts all day e.g. E45 50+ sun cream.

DD is allergic to many brands so we apply the cream in the morning, make sure she's suitably covered - has never been a problem - and she spends a lot of her day outdoors.

[misdee]

same here Dinah. dd1 is allrgic to most creams. we are trying proderm mousse again this summer and it has aggrevated he3r skin so she cant use it everyday.

she covers up, has a hat, and has never had sunburn. she doesnt tan either.

all dd's follow this, even little dd4. all have hats, carry water with them, and stay out of the sun at peaktimes.

[luciemule]

Here is the review from the Soltan link someone above posted.....

"This product does exactly what it says on the tub - protects you from the sun pretty much all day - so in that regard I can't fault it. However, applying it is a totally different matter. It's thick. Really thick. I imagine it's not unlike trying to rub wallpaper paste into your skin. It takes forever to soak in and leaves lots of white bits - a fact which completley puts you off using it again in my opinion. In summary, it's quicker and easier to reapply a normal sunscreen than it is to only use this product once"

[luciemule]

That's a better idea - staying out of the sun altogether- however, when the kids are made to sit on a field with no shade for two hours, it's not as good.

[misdee]

make sure you kids have hats in school. ours put theirs on every day as we walk out the door.

[ben5]

we apply before kids go to school and theres cream for them to reapply at school. a consent form has to be filled in by parents. if the child doesn't reapply then they have to stay in the shade but the play areas at ds school are very well covered

[luciemule]

Yes - I agree and actually there's probably more risk of sun stroke by not waaring hats than burning if cream has at least been applied once.

I still think it#s bonkers though how children from yr1 upwards can't apply their own suncream at breaks. Keep it in the ir pe bags on their pegs and reapply if their parents tell them to.

[misdee]

some kids get silly with suncream. if any goes on dd1 she would be in agony.

[luciemule]

Then again - do they sit all the kids with a peanut allergy away from all other people at lunch so they don't get any residue from their food on them?

[lucykate]

i don't see a problem with schools wanting to ban sun cream. if you apply in the morning, cover up when possible, wear a hat when outside, and the school provides some shaded areas sun stroke/burn shouldn't become an issue. we are in the uk, a county hardly known for sunshine. a tiny bit of sun sends (some) parents into a panic, over applying chemicals cream and then bemused as to why their child has got a rash.

[misdee]

dunno, my peanut allergic dd isnt at school. and anaphylatic reaction is different dd1 suncream allergy

but some girls like to put suncream on other children.

we have sports day soon. it starts in the morning till 11-ish. so will be over before the suns hightime. then they go in for refreshments, then lunch usually a picnic lunch under the shades.

[luciemule]

oh I see what you mean - the girls putting it on each other.

lucykate - I'm notm panicking - I choose not to put suncream on mine if I can help it and instead, keep them inside in the heat of the day. If we are out then I apply it.

I think perhaps I should looby the PSA to have more shaded areas then. That's a more sensible option. I don't like to put chemicals on their skin. The thing is, it's tricky telling kids to sit on the shade at breaks - they just want to ruin around and have fun.

[oiteach]

no, they generally don't allow peanut based products in school at all because it can be life threatening.

I don't see the problem with applying a longlasting one before school.
Why is it such an issue for you? Surely it is better to apply a long lasting cream and know that your child is covered.

Long lasting cream plus hat plus water = no stress.

[misdee]

with this heatwave, the girls have been sitting about. or doing handstands. def no running 'its too hot muuuum'

[Ewe]

Soltan Kids 50+ water play is a 6hour sun cream and very easy to apply, it's on bogof in boots at the moment. I agree that covering up would be more sensible, I usually send my DD to nursery in linen trousers and long sleeved but very thin cotton top on very hot days. Obviously might be trickier to allow for when a uniform is being worn.

[whatname]

Does that once a day cream work?

when we were at school we never put sunlotion on, we were out all the time, didn't avoid the shade and never burned. i don't understand it. Is it the ozone layer?

[luciemule]

My children are allergic to many brands of suncream - soltan being one of them.
The only cream they can currently use is Tesco Baby 50.
It's not such an issue Oiteach (aha - so are you're a teacher then?) but not allowing children to reapply suncream (whatever brand they use) is surely going against human rights?

[ronshar]

Are you aware that applying too much sun cream is leading to a huge rise in children with a Vitamin D deficiency?
Most breaks at school are for around 20-30 mins. If you apply in the morning then the chances of getting sunburnt in a normal day is slim.
Obvioulsy for some people with a fair skin type the chances are higher.

Children are better off with a hat and a wave to have fun while the sun is out.

We are too over cautious with our children.

[oiteach]

No. Definitely not a teacher.

I don't think it is going against their human rights actually. You could always try suing though.....

Ronshar - where is this "huge rise" happening? Links to articles? You are talking rubbish methinks.
You only need 4-10 mins exposure to the sun each day to get your required vit-D quota.