"No hat, no outside" not working. Been trapped inside with toddler for 4 days.

[SelfBuild]

Toddler (22 months) will not wear a sun hat, only a wooly bobble hat, we've tried 5 different sun hats with his favourite things on. Just not working. Went out last week and it was hot and he'd only put a bobble hat on and he was sodden with sweat afterwards.

So I toughened up, put the bobble hat out of sat and have lined up a selection of sun hats next to his shoes by the door. Everytime for the last 4 days he's asked to go in the garden, for a walk or to the park we've had the "no hat, no play/no go outside" argument. He will not back down and just tears it off so we haven't left the house. It's so sunny and nice and I'm just stuck indoors with a cranky toddler who hasn't had a proper run around in days but neither of us will back down.

What do I do?

I missed that you weren’t going out.

I was on the beach yesterday for a swim. There were a few families there either walking or doing water sports/ coming off the boats for lunch.

Nobody was in a sun hat. The only ones not wrapped up were us. Most were in coats or full wetsuits.

Sunhat insistence in early April is a bit extreme and probably not something to do battle with in our climate.

@Fembot123, I’m baffled as to why you don’t believe people’s accounts of getting sunburnt. Why do you think anyone would lie about that? 😆

My face is several shades browner today having spent yesterday afternoon on the beach. If I hadn’t put factor 30 on, I would probably be pink instead!

@Fembot123

A couple of 'sun worshipper' adults in the family with are actually burnt

Yeah right! 🤨

Did you mean to be so rude?

Yes, they did get burnt.

They were in full sun since 11.30 am and were not wearing sun screen by choice (later admitting they were foolish)!

DH was building a fence the other day, was outside all day doing it and got burnt on his head.

People insisting they have burned this week after being on the beach all day etc may well be right, but you wouldn't do that with a toddler no matter what hat he's wearing, surely?

Avoid midday and he'll be fine.

We had a bbq yesterday and DP has burnt his neck and I burnt my scalp because I only wore a hat part of the time

In the nicest way, let them go slightly pink from the sun, just enough to be uncomfortable. The memory will take care of the rest.

Yep a not even 2 year old will remember this and think 'oh I best wear my hat'.

This site is bat shit sometimes, as are some of the comments on this thread.

What’s the timing for a small child to go salmon link then?

As children we were always getting burned despite my poor dads best efforts at chasing us with the sun cream. I still remember being about 10 and getting fried and peeling lumps of skin off my shins (blood, on yuk). My parents like the beach and we all hated it (I assume the sunburn is a factor in that).

Greatest risk is not skin cancer but vitamin D deficiency at the moment if he’s indoors all week. Children need a bit of sun on their skin or they’ll end up with rickets.

In the nicest way, let them go slightly pink from the sun, just enough to be uncomfortable. The memory will take care of the rest.

In the nicest way you talk a lot of shit. What an absolutely ridiculous thing to say. Awful.

My DS 21 months is the same I just keep putting it back on. I'm as stubborn as him.
I did purchase a sun hat from H&M for summer that had little ties on it though!

@LemonRoses

Greatest risk is not skin cancer but vitamin D deficiency at the moment if he’s indoors all week. Children need a bit of sun on their skin or they’ll end up with rickets.

Eh? I grew up in Scotland and apart from 3 weeks in the summer, didn’t exactly OD on vitamin D! Never met anyone with rickets.

But it does make me quite sad that you're not allowing him to go outside when he wants to. He doesn't understand no hat, no play and it doesn't sit right with me.

Let the poor child outside fgs.

It’s like training a dog. Hat comes off, child gets taken to shade/indoors. Hat goes on, child can play.

Do the parents also wear their hats?

@Fembot123

It’s isn’t just about it being April, it’s the temperature right now this particular April 🤦🏼‍♀️

I got burnt on Thursday in greater Manchester. I think it was about 12° or so. I was wearing a jumper. I was in the garden for a couple of hours, mid afternoon. My face is still a bit sore.

It’s like training a dog. Hat comes off, child gets taken to shade/indoors. Hat goes on, child can play

I think this has been going on for 4 days and op hasn’t made it to the door yet

Rome wasn’t built in a day! Think how long potty training can take!

Spray sun cream. I still use it for DD on her scalp and she's 10.

Stay out of the sun or retreat in shady areas around midday.

Try different types, even if not traditionally "sun hats". Something more fit around his head if he likes the winter heart style.

Assess risk according to actual needs ,not what people would say. We had days in December with 18 degrees, would you have put a sun hat on him then?

I realise I'm a bit late to the conversation. But I work in a nursery where many toddlers don't want to wear a sun hat. We literally just put it back on again every time they take it off. And explain very simply, e.g. it's hot, hat on. Or, hat on outside. It takes persistence, but it works.

I had a stubborn ginger toddler who needed, but hated a hat. I used to buy the type that tie under the chin and force her to wear it I'm afraid.

She took it of, I put it on. I did win in the end but it was all very hard work and boring. She could burn in March, I agree that it's important.

She is 10 now and we still fight about suncream but she wears a hat no problem! Good luck!

Eh? I grew up in Scotland and apart from 3 weeks in the summer, didn’t exactly OD on vitamin D! Never met anyone with rickets.

Perhaps you’ve never worked in paediatrics?
The evidence is around a resurgence of Vitamin D deficiency
www.endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/0028/ea0028s7.4

It is as sunny in April as august. It isn’t the air temperature that burns, it’s the brightness of the sun. In fact I’ve got more burnt in April than August over the years because of the cool air/bright sun mismatch.

For the hat: try different hats. And put him in the buggy with the hood over to provide shade and put the hat on him before you let him out to play. Rapid replacement of the hat each time he removes it, or back in the buggy. At least that way you both get fresh air and you get some exercise!

FFS, how stupid are some on here? As noted above and repeatedly, air temperature is not related to UV strength. The sun is a long way away, dumb ones. December in the northern hemisphere is low UV for reasons obvious to anyone who doesn't go ' oh no, I don't bother my pretty head with science'

Latitude, time of year, elevation, cloud cover affect UV strength. Temperature is not on that list.

My son won't wear sun hats but loves baseball caps. Might be an option.

Protection hasn’t been needed every day in past fortnight. On some days protection has been recommended for a couple of hours between about 11am and 2pm - leaving significant time to go out and have fun.

Even when recommended, it’s an ‘only just’ into scope for some protection not full on body armour and dark caves.

This may help decide when it’s safe to open the front door.
uk-air.defra.gov.uk/data/uv-index-graphs

You need George the sun safe superstar - there is an animated readying of the book on YouTube. Then allow him to choose his own hat and sunglasses and make it part of the routine that everyone has there’s on before leaving the house. Then small reward every time he is successful at it ( think ice lolly, small toy car etc). Soon it will just become routine and he will forget about the gift.