3 year old tanning

[MiddleClassProblem]

Posting for traffic and advice. All I can find on the internet is information telling you how bad tanning is for kids etc but nowhere has advice for kids that have anything other than white ethnicity that just bloody tan!

DD, last year, same sun cream, same application routine, no tan. This year her skin seems to have changed and is tanning despite extra applications.

I have a similar issue myself but until now her skin seemed more like my husband’s white skin but this year seems to be reacting more like mine.

Example, I was recently told off by a white friend for my tan lines I had got telling me it’s skin damage. I got them by walking to the shop, out the house for 30 mins so probably 20 mins possible sun exposure, but occasionally in the shade because I’m walking in roads with a few turns, factor 30 on thick (I let it soak it same for with DD).

I can’t find anywhere that adivices on this kind of skin and for me I’ve been more relaxed in the past but now DD is getting it I really want to protect her more.

Is there a special type of sun cream? What do others do? She wears tshirts or rash vests in the pool too, sun creamed everywhere including underneath where maybe covered, at least 15 mins before going outside. She has factor 50 and I reapply around every 1.5hrs atm or once dry post pool. I could try to up it but it’s a bit of a battle anyway.

I just feel like everywhere is saying tending kids is wrong and you’re an ignorant, lazy parent if you let it happen but nowhere seems to address the ones that it’s hard to stop tanning.

Honestly, any tips, please help!

Both mine are very tanned btw. We don’t ever go out sun bathing. We don’t sit in the sun in the pub. We don’t go to the beach. They are just tanned because they are mixed race. They have never burned or gone even slightly red. DC2 is at nursery and she has sun cream put on her twice a day they. She looks darker than DC1 who is at school (and get less outside time).

It’s just how it is. I have never covered them in prams as babies either and they never burned then.

PeppyPiggy honestly I feel like people don’t understand and I’ve had people comment on my skin and my fathers, saying we’re damaging our skin. It seems a very new thing.

“No such thing as a healthy tan”

Are we meant to stay indoors?

And I’m worried DD now getting a tan on holiday will bring far worst judgment when we get home.

I know I’m probably just over thinking and shouldn’t let it get to me but people suggesting I’ve damaged her skin would really get in my head.

I know... I’m having a bit of a meltdown...

We stay indoors and we are tanned! We really don’t sit in the sun in the gardens and stay in the shade between 11-3ish. We are from NZ and that’s sort of drummed in. We just tan like you say from a short walk to school and back.

I think you need to chill out a bit. Yes it's damaging to your skin but the sun is damaging to your skin all year round, I'm guessing these people don't wear factor 50 in winter. Tell people to mind their own business. I certainly don't think you should be calling yourself a shit parent because your kid has a bit of a sun tan. Short of staying inside forever there's not much more you can do. Stop reading rubbish online and letting other people's opinions get to you so easily!

You know, rickets is a thing. Children are supposed to have a small amount of sun exposure or they risk vit D deficiency. If you tan in 20 minutes, (not burn, tan) that's just a sign you have higher melanin levels. It's not cancer.

tanning is fine, it's burning which may increases the risk of melanomas ( note the words "increases the risk" not will definitely lead to.
as long as they're not badly burning every few weeks they're fine. I think people have become a little hysterical over the use of sun cream. I know some people who've been slathering on their kids since about april. In Lancashire.
I prefer to let mine get a bit of a tan.I only put cream on them if it's seriously roasting and they've not burnt yet

PS mumsnet is a HOTBED of mothers with massive anxiety disorders, don't take it as real life. IRL nobody gives a shit about your child's brown ankles.

Ok I think anxiety got the better of me and listening to people preaching at me.

Honestly, “no such thing as a healthy tan” feels like an alienating tag line.

I’ll ask for this to be removed.

Thanks all. I’ll try to think of what to say to the insistent friends saying I can’t be right re skin tone it just happens.

She's bound to tan if she's mixed race though.

DS has his dad's olive skin even though he's been smothered in factor 50 all summer

My 7 m old has tan lines. 😞
I apply factor 50 regularly and he’s in the shade as often as possible.
Seems to tan like his dad.

Mine is much older (14) but wanted to stay lily white on our holiday.
it's impossible if you don't cover yourself from head to foot.
Just going in the pool and sitting in the shade she came back a lovely tanned and olive colour, much to her disgust.
She didn't sun bathe at all, wore factor 50 and applied it constantly as so didn't want to tan.
She didn't burn, obviously, but couldn't avoid a tan.

Why is your friend telling you off, you’re an adult! That’s a dick move. It honestly doesn’t sound like you’re doing anything wrong, as long as they aren’t burning a bit of sun exposure is fine? I’m sure you’re not putting tanning oil or anything on so I think you need to relax OP. If anything it just shows they’ve been playing outside!

colditz it’s irl I’m having the issue, with my own skin. I also have vit d deficiency which is linked to darker skin too. So I’m trying to get more sun but not tan as that’s sun damage apparently but I can’t go in the sun without tanning.

I think I understand.

If you are ivory coloured, to get to the colour of toast you need to spend a lot of time uncovered in the sun. Some achieve the look with tanning beds. Both these ways are dangerous and lead to skin cancer.

By ‘tanning’ they mean actively trying to become browner by exposing yourself to uv rays.

Now, the above only applies to the ethnicities from the nothertn hemisphere.

Those with naturally browner skin have built in sun block called melanin. Someone ethnically from Zambia will have more than someone from Tunisia who will have move than someone of Swedish extraction.

If you are Swedish mixed with, say Tunisian, it is often the case that you may look fairly ‘Swedish’ in complexion but when the sun comes out, a switch flicks and you become brown as toast.

People who have no darker ethnicity mixed with theirs will see the effect, know it takes them hours in the sun to achieve the effect and assume you did the same. That’s where they are coming from.

African people can get skin cancer too, so I’m not saying ignore precautions but basically if you stay out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day, stick to the shade and cover skin with hats and long sleeves you should be fine.

The problem with the high spfs is that on dark skins they often leave a chalky residue which is obviously more visible.

There are some clear ones usually about 20 spf and that should be fine. The 50spf you are talking about is more for people as white as paper and therefore with no built in protection.

Sleepyandtired21 lol no tanning oil or sun bed for sure x

The issues surrounding people with darker skins from non-European ethnicities hoping to lighten their skin, or avoid getting darker in the sun is a whole different thread.

Excuse me if this is a repeat ...

The problem is that the earth's ability to block out the 'bad' sun rays has diminished - well, since I was a kid at least (70s). So it can potentially cause more damage than it used to.

All three of mine (including 14 month old) are golden brown.

You can put as much Factor 50 on as you like, you can't prevent skin from changing colour.

You can get a neutrogena SPF 100 called dry touch. You do have to re apply so it's not an all day one and you can get two bottles on amazon for just a few quid more than the price of one bottle. It's not cheap though.

Both my kids are Caucasian. Their dads skin is olive and I’m practically translucent, both kids tan with factor 50, sun hats, shade and limited sun time.

Like you I started to worry as my youngest is only 5 months old and it appears she can get a tan from a lightbulb. Both kids have never burnt (although my eldest gets pink cheeks, from the heat more than anything I think) which is pretty lucky as they’re fair like me! I’ve come to the conclusion I can’t stop it and accept that they’re meant to be sun kissed, whilst keeping up with the protection of course.

We use sun cream high in uva and uvb protection of that makes a difference.

SoShinySoChrome that makes sense.

It’s just this blanket “no such thing as a healthy tan” in the media from the nhs and other health organisations worried me as a couple of friends were saying my tan meant I’d damaged my skin. Therefore I was worried what they’d say when we get back and they see DD.

If the NHS are just talking to certain skin types they really should say so. I’ve been thoroughly shamed even when trying to explain what my skin is like.

Middle sounds like you're stressing for all the right reasons - trying to do best by your lo and you're doing everything right ie clothes and suncream but that ultimately you just have to trust your ability to be a good mum and look after her and learn to tell friends to but out.
If you have a pale white, blonde child like ds is easy to think any change is damage, just tell them it's her skin and toys hardly not protect her

SleepingStandingUp cheers bud. You know I’m a stress head. It’s easy to say don’t let what people say get to you but I’m really not good at that and then I start questioning myself.

My ds has quite olive skin, with definite yellow rather than pink undertones, wears factor 50 and has never burned. He has quite a deep golden tan now.

I wear the exact same sunscreen as him and I am far paler.

I really wouldn't worry about a tan unless it's burn that fades to tan

I'm sympathetic OP, I've put my 1yo in long sleeves and pants until it was too hot to bear, tried to stay indoors 11-3 and used a parasol everytime we are out, on top of factor 50, so I was mystified by his tan lines on his hands and feet. I was a bit worried but this thread has reassured me that it's fine.