"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?

@UhtredRagnarson

You could try wearing his sunhat and telling him he can’t have it.

Love this idea.

"People saying it's "only April" - it doesn't matter - temperature has nothing to do with it. You can burn when it's -20 outside if the sun is strong enough."

Well, yes, and people can burn when they go skiing. I think the reason I, as a fair person, never burn when it's cold is because I don't stay out long enough. It was snowing this week!

For those wondering where the sunshine is... It’s very sunny and warm on the English south coast today, and has been for the last week or so. I caught the sun on my face last week after spending a few hours outside. I had Factor 30 on so I’ve gone a bit browner rather than burning.

He's two years old. Just make him wear it, surely? Put it on his head, if he throws it off, put it back on his head. Give him time out if he doesn't co-operate.

Saying "you can't go outside if you don't put your hat on" is a bit too abstract for a two year old. You need an actual punishment like time out if he has a tantrum when you put his hat on. You just have to make it so that not wearing it isn't an option - you're in charge, not him.

Use this
www.irishbodycare.com/

Ans just out it in his hair and wash out in the evening x

DD did this at a similar age - I just kept putting it back on every time she took it off. We didn't do much else on the walk the first time, but eventually she gave in. I then let her choose a hat and she became a hat fan. Good luck!

You are being extreme
Lots of alternatives
Avoid midday
Shade on buggy
Walk in shade
Umbrella
Use the wool that if he is that sensitive

@Immunetypegoblin

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.

Otherwise, apply sunscreen everywhere, let them scream in fury, and remind them 700 times how they wouldn't actually need this if they'd just wear the fucking hat. That might also work.

Approach 1 worked on DS1 and Approach 2 on DS2.....

What? It's not OK to let your toddler burn because they won't co-operate with wearing a hat.

All those people commenting that’s it April abs not hot; I’m fair and sat outside yesterday for an hour and burnt. I should have learned by now!

I have had a blond toddler. I must have been a really bad parent as if he insisted he wanted to go outside barefoot and with no hat on then he did. I took shoes with me. I never put a hat on him unless it was hot.
He needed to get vitamin D. We live in a country where we get little exposure to vitamin D. Slathering a child in sunscreen and making them where a hat as soon as the sun peeps out from a cloud is probably doing more harm than good

Just go outside like countless generations before you.

I think it’s been so beautiful it seems terrible to have not gone out for four days when it’s the first bout of good weather we have had since the winter and bad for his Vit D levels. I think slap some some cream all over his head, if he has fine hair there it will help the suncream to stick and go outside. All the daffodils and tulips are out don’t know if you are in the country but there is loads of new lambs and calves. Seems insane to miss it, Let him pick a new special hat online in the meantime: make a massive fanfare when it arrives. Get him to try it on and take loads of photos on your phone of him so he can see how cool he looks.Send pics to his nan or friends and they can phone him up about his cool new hat, Make it a positive thing not something that has become tied up with negativity and no fun.

Cordon off an area outside in shade, let him play in shade

He won't have the ability to do a deal with you about this (no hat no play) at 22mths and he might not compare it to winter hat, where he feels cold - the hat in the summer makes him hot.

Please don't put a bobble hat on him as you are at risk of him overheating which could be more dangerous than sun damage

I only read your posts, sorry if I am repeating other posters

What about popping. A soft jersey hat inside the woolly bobble hat, put both on, take him out, remove woolly element once he’s out and engrossed in play. He won’t even notice (hopefully!) you’ve left a jersey cap behind...

Obvs you will have to prompt them to phone up about his new celebrity style cool sun hat!

You can get sunspray for scalps. Get some of that and keep to the shade, there's absolutely no reason why he can't go for a run about in some woods without protection tbh.

If he won’t tolerate a hat being tied on with a chinstrap an spf scalp spray will be useful.

The UV index was 4 here yesterday, that is enough to damage the skin and high enough to burn. I already have a t-shirt tan this year. We need to remember its a sun tan, not a hot tan.

You can buy spray on sun cream for his scalp. Buy some on Amazon prime, put it next to his shoes and offer him a compromise.

Do you and your dp always wear a hat , does he see other adults wearing hats in the sun . I had three of these none of mine would wear hats in the winter either they just couldn’t bear the sensation .

I am afraid it’s a case of just constantly plonking it back on, also take him to choose a hat , make a big thing of it being his hat . Also put a small treat under the hat that he gets if he puts the hat on. Once the habit is established you can drop the treat . I also second the idea of putting things in his hands so he can’t pull it off. Another thing if he has a favourite toy get a hat for the toy ( identical to his if possible) then when he puts his hat on teddy puts his hat on etc make it a game . Always put hats on duplo figures and any toys outside need hats etc

Top tip as mother of three hat refusing boys ‘do not make it a battle ‘ , he has only been on this earth 22 months this is a learning experience for him , he might learn quickly he might learn slowly , he’s not being ‘naughty’ he just doesn’t like hats.

I have 3 red heads and when they were little I put sun cream on there heads and rubbed it into the scalp

There's a lot to be said for trying to insist on a rule from the outset. With some kids, it works. The few times my DD tried to take her sunhat off, I stopped pushing the pushchair and refused to continue until the hat was back on. It worked with her, but maybe I was very lucky.

However it does sound you're losing the battle on this one, so maybe just look at alternatives. A choice between sunscreen and hat might work, or go out for a short while but after half an hour say that you have to go in unless the hat goes on.

(The battle with my DD was sunscreen. I usually got it on by sneaking up behind her, and once I'd started she usually gave in. I once delivered her for a nursery trip and explained to her keyworker that she'd had a jumper on when I'd done the sunscreen, so if the jumper came off could she apply some. DD arrived back after a glorious afternoon, still wearing the jumper, because she knew what would happen if she took it off! As she got older she just opted to stay in the shade, and we frequently used sunscreen only on sports day.)

Get some chocolate buttons. As you leave the house, give him a button in each hand and put the hat on his head. If he goes to take it off, give him another button. After a few times, he can’t have a button if he doesn’t have the hat on. Make sure he’s got toys he likes to distract him and that will keep his hands full

can you take him to a shop and let him choose his own hat?

How long are you intending to keep this up op ? I am not suggesting letting him get his "way" but the kid isn't even 2 yet and you are in a standoff he doesn't understand what is going on.

I have two DC with very fair skin and both have been wearing sun hats this year so I don’t think you are being ridiculous at all. DS is 14 months and not keen at all on a hat so we go out without it on initially and then once he’s distracted I put it on and then replace every time he pulls it off and eventually he gives in and wears it. DD was exactly the same, extremely strong willed and this approach worked, she’s happy to wear her hat now.