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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be pissed off that ds got sun burnt at school?

27 replies

juicychops · 30/06/2012 21:36

they had sports day in the morning on thurs and because i thought it was meant to rain i didn't put sun cream on ds. Their sports day started at 10 and ended at 11.15am.

they apparently spent all afternoon in the playground in the sun from lunchtime until the end of school learning about the olympics or something. ds's neck was red raw and he's been complaining that its sore ever since. he's had to sleep with no top on cos he said it was rubbing, and ive been putting sudocream on it morning and night.

ds's friend was also off school sick friday supposedly from too much sun.

Yes i should have put lotion on him for sports day, but they were only out for 1 and a half hours in the morning. had i known they would be out all afternoon in the sun i would have taken steps to ensure he wouldn't get burnt. but surely the school should have done this?

do i have a right to be annoyed with the school or not really?

OP posts:
BonkeyMollocks · 30/06/2012 21:37

Was there suncream in his bag? A hat?

AnyoneForTennis · 30/06/2012 21:39

Only one and a half hours in the morning... You took a chance. Now you are moaning that the school did the same as you did

Can't he put it on himself?
Where was his hat?
Are school allowed to put cream on anyway?

Seona1973 · 30/06/2012 21:39

did you provide suncream?

nancy75 · 30/06/2012 21:41

How are the school to know you didn't put suncream on? In future I would keep a hat in the book bag every day, our weather does change without notice

Happyasapiginshite · 30/06/2012 21:41

YABU. Schools are not allowed to put suncream on children- they could be allergic. You should have put suncream on him yourself and if you're annoyed with anyone, be annoyed with yourself. Not their fault.

RandomMess · 30/06/2012 21:41

The sun is strongest in the afternoon so I think it was silly of the school to have them out all afternoon in it if there is no shade.

RandomMess · 30/06/2012 21:42

Not all suncreams would last from 8am until 1pm anyway Confused

Spatsky · 30/06/2012 21:42

Sorry, I think YABU. You didn't put any on, but you are complaining that the school didn't put any on? I appreciate the weather is all over the place at the moment but knowing he had sports day in particular our school woudl have sent a reminder to put sun cream on before they arrive at school regardless.

School won't have noticed any children getting burned because you really can't see it at the time, it tends to come out and become obvious later in the day / evening.

RandomNumbers · 30/06/2012 21:42

what no sunhat?

you didn't apply sunscreen?

lesson learnt, I hope

Boots do an all day kiddie sunscreen, tis v good, get some. Soltan Once.

MrsTerryPratchett · 30/06/2012 21:43

I am pale and interesting. I wouldn't want to be out in the sun all afternoon even with sunscreen on. If the teacher isn't fair, s/he may not know quite how little sun us vampires blondes can take.

Original poster
juicychops · 30/06/2012 21:45

im not annoyed with the school for not putting cream on as i know they arn't allowed. just that they were out in the playground all afternoon when it was boiling hot and there is no shade in their playground

OP posts:
Sarcalogos · 30/06/2012 21:45

This is primary school right? Where large portions of the curriculum are routinely taught outside in summer?

Buy him a hat, and cover him in all day suncream all summer if he's fair.

Yes, Yabu

Original poster
juicychops · 30/06/2012 21:46

p.s. i am VERY annoyed with myself also - im looking for a reasonable place to offload some guilt! Blush

OP posts:
Spatsky · 30/06/2012 21:49

Well you see herein lies the problem because I suspect a lot of parents would like the idea of their children getting a a couple of hours outside in the afternoon. With proper protection it's perfectly safe in the kind of temps we've been having lately. I would feel disappointed if my children missed out on this and were stuck n classroom instead because other parents didn't provide adequate sun protection for their chilkdren.

School can't win either way I suspect.

BonkeyMollocks · 30/06/2012 21:52

What Spatsky said.

As we don't have a garden I like to think that ds gets alot of time outside at school. All day suncream and a hat and he will be fine :)

i would be highly pissed off if the stopped this because one parent complained about the sun being dangerous and their dc getting sunburn because they didn't provide suncream and a hat!

RandomMess · 30/06/2012 21:59

Even if I had factor 1,000 on I couldn't cope with being out in a sunny place for 2-3 hours if there wasn't any shade I would be ill.

VoldemortsNipple · 30/06/2012 22:05

Ds has a roll on sun cream which he has for school. It fits in the pocket of his shorts or sometimes he leaves it in his tray. He knows its his responsibility to put it on and being a roll on its easy to apply himself.

I can understand your guilt. When ds2 was a toddler, went went to a car boot sale from 8am to 11am. He fell asleep in the buggy and when we got home his cheek was burnt. It blistered terrible and I had to take him to a&e. This was a morning which started off overcast and we were home before mid day.

MrsTerryPratchett · 30/06/2012 22:11

RandomMess I think people don't understand how it is with really pale people. I can burn in 1/2 hour in March in the UK. So, since sunscreen only increases your natural protection, if you are useless at sun, you will burn even with sunscreen on. A hat would help a bit. I would still never choose to be outside in the sun with no shade for two hours. Thankfully DD has a bit of her father's skin so has better skin than me at 18 mo. Envy

BackforGood · 30/06/2012 22:13

See, on Thursday, we had horrendous storms, floods, thunder and lightening, etc., etc.,..... I'm wondering if I@ve entered a parallel universe! Grin

That said, we have had so little nice weather / so few dry days this term, I'd be pleased if my dcs had the chance to do some learning outdoors.

WorraLiberty · 30/06/2012 22:17

Just learn from it OP

Don't blame the school and don't be too tough on yourself either.

A Sun hat and a bottle of spray on sunblock should really be something we make sure our kids keep in their school bags the whole time.

youarekidding · 30/06/2012 22:22

Just learn from it - these things happen.

The weather is just so unpredictable atm my DS goes to school with suncream, hat, wellies and mac in a bag. Some days he uses them all!

NowThenWreck · 30/06/2012 22:22

YANBtotallyU.
I get pissed of when ds's school ask that they have a hat, and suncream at school, and then never remind the kids to wear the hat, and apply their sunscrean. No 5 and 6 year old children are going to think to themselves "Oh, its hot-better go get my hat"
All it takes is for the teachers to tell them they have to have their hat on to go out in the sun, and remind them to put on their sun screen.Even if you put on sun cream in the a.m, kids can get sun stroke without a hat (another pale family here.)

VolAuVent · 30/06/2012 22:26

Out in the sun with no shade all afternoon isn't good - I wouldn't like it.

MWB22 · 30/06/2012 22:39

My kid's school takes sun safety seriously. It has reminders on all external doors, facing both ways; as they go out to remind the children to put it on and as you go in to remind parents to send one. I've heard many mums moaning in the playground as their DC was made to sit under the trees with a book or drawing paper at playtime if they haven't got a hat!

OOAOML · 30/06/2012 22:53

Well I think the school should have indicated if the children were likely to be outside for long periods in the afternoon, so that parents/carers can take required steps. Most sunny days recently I have used suncream that is supposed to last 8 hours, and they also have hats with them. This being Scotland, they usually have a raincoat as well Wink

I don't expect the school to put cream on though, even if they had permission they wouldn't have time to put cream properly on lots of children.