To think LIDL sun cream is suitable for my child?

[Lalalax3]

A couple of other mums commented along the lines of 'Oh does that work ok, then?' at the park yesterday and made me feel a bit shit. I assumed sun creams weren't allowed to be sold unless they work?!

[BaboonBottom]

I use it on me and the kids. Its got all the stars so I'm happy! Wasn't there a test last year (which???) that showed some of the expensive brands were crap and some of the cheaper ones were surprisingly good.
I would sooner use cheaper as I'm more inclined to use more therefore using it properly, if its expensive I'm going to use it sparsely on the basis i can't replace it.

[ameliaesmith]

Middle Class mums yeah?

[HisNameWasPrinceAndHeWasFunky]

A couple of other mums commented along the lines of 'Oh does that work ok, then?
Response "Yes it's great but it is a little bit think - like YOU"

As is the Lidl suncream. It is cheap and it works very well but lets face it, it is a bit thick.

[Glastokitty]

I'm in Oz where we buy Woolworths sunscreen by the litre for about £7. Pretty much everyone uses the cheap stuff as we use so much of it, it's just as effective. The only difference is the expensive brands may be a nicer texture or perfume, but when it's ten times the price of the Aussie supermarket brands, most people go for the cheap stuff. In fact if I see Ambre Solaire or the like, It's always holiday makers, or new poms in town! Actually that reminds me, I was told when I moved here that European sunscreen wasn't strong enough to deal with the sun here, not sure if that's bollocks or not.

[fieldfare]

I use calypso factor 40, all day cream.
It's brilliant and although I do reapply midday or if we've been walking or swimming etc. You must make sure it's soaked in and dry before dressing though.

I picked some more up in Aldi yesterday for a fiver a tube. Much better price than the Piz Buin I previously used and just as good. We didn't burn in 48C heat in Egypt!

[BarbaraofSeville]

Wow Glasto that's a beast of a suncream bottle .

But I suppose it's what you need over there.

[limitedperiodonly]

A couple of other mums commented along the lines of 'Oh does that work ok, then?'

YABU and oversensitive. I'd have taken that as a friendly question. Perhaps they'll rush out and buy some today on your recommendation.

[BarbaraofSeville]

But why wouldn't it work limited?

It's the kind of question that is only really asked if you have a negative opinion of the quality of Lidl products. A sensible person who knows that suncreams have to meet certain standards to be sold and that the quality at Lidl and Aldi is usually very good wouldn't ask the question in the first place.

[JustBeingJuliet]

I use the once a day stuff from lidl for ds during the school day. He's ginger/blonde and hasn't burnt once. Plus it's nicer to apply than a lot of the once a day creams I've tried, and it's a lot cheaper.

[limitedperiodonly]

Because many people do think that the more highly-priced an item is, the better it is BarbaraofSeville. Sometimes that's true and sometimes it's not.

I'd look at the star rating for UVA and B and if that was good, I'd go by appearance, consistency and scent. I don't like sunscreens with a high physical barrier because they have a bleaching appearance. That doesn't matter for children, but I don't like the look of it on me. Consistency matters because some sunscreens are difficult to apply and uncomfortable to wear. Ditto scent.

But I love a bargain and will tell people when I've found one. Sometimes I drone on about it for ages until they back away.

[BathshebaDarkstone]

It's sun cream isn't it?

[limitedperiodonly]

But some sunscreens have better star ratings than others BathshebaDarkstone. I have a Malibu one. Very cheap. No stars at all. I think that probably means it's not that good.
]

[dementedpixie]

They are not all as good as each other though and you don't always get what you think you have paid for: www.goodtoknow.co.uk/wellbeing/galleries/35252/tested-best-and-worst-sun-creams. I tend to buy own branded stuff that has a high spf plus has a 4 or 5 star uva rating. A lot of the big brands have only 3 stars so I wouldn't buy them (includes some Nivea and Ambre solaire)

[dementedpixie]

Some just have a UVA sign inside a circle to show it has uva protection but I like to choose one that has a star rating

[Glastokitty]

Limited, I'm curious what you mean by a bleaching appearance? As above I use factor 50 all the time as I'm in Oz, once rubbed in its invisible surely? The only sun cream I've had difficulty rubbing in was that P20 once a day stuff. FWIW I still get a golden tan using factor 50, the sun here is bloody strong, but I've never burnt, and have never seen an Aussie with sun burn, and they usually either use the cheap stuff or none at all (and cover up, stay in the shade etc, talking about the older generation here).

[Glastokitty]

I have been told not to use Banana Boat here though, I've seen a Facebook protest page because people have burnt using it.

[ShowOfHands]

I have a condition which means I don't tan. I burn. Through a jumper. In February.

I use Aldi factor 50. It's 5* and cheap as chips. It's the best I've found.

[ghostyslovesheep]

I have found that cheaper sun cream has the highest UVA star rating - I currently use Morrisons Factor 30 on my kids and myself - it's got 5 stars - I think the posh brands had between 3 and 4

I don't buy 'children's' stuff either - you pay more the the exact same product!

[dementedpixie]

I just googled the banana boat one and there are newspaper articles about burns:

www.stuff.co.nz/business/world/76468871/Mother-takes-on-Banana-Boat-sunscreen-over-childs-sunburn

[limitedperiodonly]

Glastokitty without looking it up - I'm not that much of a nerd - some sunscreens really more heavily on a physical block. I think it's a zinc compound. They work fine but they make a pale person look almost blue. I also find them quite hard work to apply. The good thing is that you can see where it is, so that might be a positive for some people.

Does anyone want to hear my praise for Coshida cat food, available only from Lidl or Asda? Very reasonably-priced; my cat loves it.

[ghostyslovesheep]

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/the-cream-of-the-crop-which-survey-finds-some-sun-creams-falling-short-in-the-protection-stakes-9380267.html

[BarbaraofSeville]

A large part of the effectiveness of sunscreen is correct application and most people use far too little. To cover an adult's body when wearing swimwear, you need about a large cupped handful at least.

I agree with a PP who says it's better to get the cheap stuff and slosh it on, rather than getting the more expensive brands and applying sparingly because of the expense. And that's before you even get to the frankly astonishing fact that two of the well known big brands provide such little protection (Nivea and Ambre Solair)

[LunaLoveg00d]

There was a similar test done last year on suncream and Sainsburys own brand came out top for offering best protection. We stocked up on gallons of the stuff for our holiday in the tropics with red headed children and it was great.

Agree that specific children products are generally a waste, but I do like the spray dispensers.

[Glastokitty]

I couldn't agree more about sloshing on the cheap stuff! I used to make a bottle of Piz Buin factor 15 last four or five days when I would go on hols in Europe, and burn with temps in the high 20s.. Now I pile on the cheapo factor 50 and I'm good to go in the high 30s with sod all ozone layer.

[Lindy2]

My DD used to need a prescription Sun cream due to eczema. The only other cream that worked as well for her was the tesco value one. Sadly I couldn't find it last year. I may try the Lidl one.