for my paranoia regularly to flit between my children being sunburnt and lacking in vitamin D

[AWitchCalledMeg]

At the risk of sounding like a mad, neurotic mother.. I'm pretty relaxed about most things when it comes to the great outdoors but this is something I do worry about. My children's skin is quite fair, not the the fairest of fair but it is rather on the pale side. On one hand I want to smother them in suncream when the weather gets hot and I worry about sunburn, UV rays and skin cancer. On the other hand I am constantly hearing how toxic suncream is and how most uk children are seriously lacking in vitamin d. I breastfed both of my children and DD aged 1 is still getting most of her nutrition from breastmilk, the only reason I mention this is that I know that breastfed babies get very little vitamin d compared to formula fed. Basically what I'm asking is how often do you put suncream on you children?

Put suncream on as often as suggested on the tube. Don't risk sunburn etc. I always thought vitamin d deficiency was because of the ridiculously few sunny days. If your really concerned about it give them vitamin supplements. Risk of not using sun protection is much worse.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/vitamins-for-children.aspx

You can buy vitamin D drops from most supermarkets/chemists and keep using suncream :)

Put sun cream on every sunny day, most sun creams will need topping up if they are outside all day. If the child plays in water (paddling pool for example) top up when they get out. It's better to be over cautious with sun protection for children.

With your worries of vitamin D, at the Age of 1 what is her food diet like? Could you get some vitamin D rich food in to her?

Copied from the link above:

It’s sensible to keep your child’s skin safe in the sun. Children shouldn’t be out too long in the sun in hot weather. Remember to cover up or protect their skin before it turns red or burns.
It's important that young children still receive vitamin drops, even if they get out in the sun.
All babies and young children aged six months to five years should take a daily supplement containing vitamin D, in the form of vitamin drops. This helps them to meet the requirement set for this age group of 7-8.5 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D per day.

I know where you're coming from OP. Dd has Type 1 diabetes and current thinking is that it's linked to a lack of Vit D. (When she was little, they didn't recommend vitamin drops for babies either, but she had a nutritious and varied diet). I've also read recently that short sightedness is linked to a lack of sunshine as well.

But on the other hand, who wants to risk their child getting sunburnt?

Health visitor told me at my sons 9 month check that they recommend all breastfed babies over age of 6 months take a multivitamin. Can't hurt and would set your mind at rest.

No suncream till 10 am and after 3-4 in the afternoon. No sitting in the midday sun. Sunhat on. When you put suncream on, don't forget the tip of ears, soles while they're in prams etc. That's what I've always done.

You have to read up where you can and make a decision, ultimately. I only use suncream on mine in May, June and July (this in in the UK) - April and August they go without. Sunhats when it's hot, not too long in full sun, esp b/w 11am and 4pm. They have never burnt. It does depend on skin tone to a certain extent - we are all olive skinned (except for poor lily-white dh - he needs sun cream more often than us).

Advice was that 10-15 mins in sunlight without cream on is all you need. If you are concerned, vitamin drops will help or for older children there are chewy blackcurrant vit D tablets in Boots.
There has been a recent study that indicates that we can absorb vit D with suncream on.

Yanbu. I've found a middle ground with hats and t-shirts in bright sun with sunblock on ears and backs of necks. Hauled in for short breaks every so often.

MS person here. Suspected trigger factor for MS in adult life is lack of Vit D in childhood. They reckon this because hot spots for MS are Scotland and those of Scottish descent. Not sure it's as obvious as that. I have no Scottish heritage and spent most of my 70s childhood summers peeling sunburn off me. I lived by the seaside and played out a lot. I know other MS -ers with similar not - Scottish 70s childhoods. That said, I drag dd out into the sunlight on less sunny days to keep her topped up when there's little sunshine. And yes I slather her in suncream and give her supplements.

I do this too. My children are mixed race and are both of a mid-to-dark complexion.

"They don't need to be smothered, they have more melanin in their skin than you, you'll give them rickets" DH says.

Where's the balance?