My kids are tanned

[hipslikecinderella]

We haven't been abroad but they do masses of sport and outside activities. Dd is 8 and ds 9. They rarely burn but are fairly pale normally.
Aibu to have (inadvertently) allowed this to happen?
I do put suncream on them for a day trip/sports days. But not every day and clearly not enough to prevent a tan.

I don't think you can avoid a certain amount of tanning unless you become a hermit. My kids are the same, I wouldn't worry about it

Some sunshine is good and healthy! We need it for vitamin D and to stop the rise in rickets that’s currently happening in children who don’t leave the house without f50 on all year round. A bit of tan is fine, you’ve stopped them getting burnt.

Too much suncream can stop little bodies absorbing vitamin d which we are all lacking in this country. Sounds like your kids are healthy as long as they arent burning

My toddler is tanned. I follow all the rules of clothing, sun cream, playing in the shade, inside in the hottest part of the day, hats with neck flaps...

The only way to not let him tan would be to hold him hostage inside all summer.

My dc are tanned as well. I think as long as they aren't getting sunburnt it's fine.

My kids have always appeared tanned. I'm the same, I have browner than average skin (for a white person!).

Both of my dc have one. I apply an all day sun scream for school, and they both have a spray and roll on to re apply at lunch. Both wear hats. At weekends I use a factor 30 and apply it every 60-90mins, they Are not allowed out during the hottest part of the day etc I’m very cautious as I burn so easily.

Dc1 is pale and has a golden touch, dc2 is like my husband just has to look at the sun and goes a deep brown, dh has a lot darker skin to mine and tans easily I’m just assuming they are taking after their dad.

Not much else I can do to stop it apart from keeping them indoors all day 🤷‍♀️

If you’re using suncream & being careful then no not unreasonable and maybe they just tan very easily

my kids are tanned. I follow the suncream rules, they wear hats, but I swear they so much as smell the sunshine and they are brown as berries.

DD tans in a heartbeat (1/2 Brazilian - although I have the lamest of pale skin so she goes quite pale in the colder weather), I've made a conscious decision not to cover her in factor 50 all the time and allow her to absorb some valuable vit D. Obviously when it's sunny and hot, and I know she'll be out in it for a significant amount of time, I put suncream on her - but factor 30 has always been sufficient.

If they're slightly tanned and you can ramp up a bit more suncream, YANBU.

If they're EVER burned, very red YABVVVVVVUUUUUU.

My Uncle's a dermatologist and he can tell tales to make your hair stand on end.

@Runningintothesunset the rickets rise here is heavily associated with poverty & diet not suncream - which is why it’s affecting the very poorest

We don't put suncream on DS until after 15 minutes outdoors. That way he gets the vitamin D but also doesn't burn.

My ds (Middle Eastern mixed heritage but blonde with blue eyes) tans by the end of summer. He wears factor 30/50, usually naps over midday. He never goes red or pink and the tanning is so gradual I don't notice it until I look at pictures from winter.
I don't worry about it.

@AverageMummy that's also because the poorest are least likely to take their kids to the park or do any kind of outdoor physical activity with them. There are also spates of more well off kids with it because their parents cover them in too much sun cream/rashsuits whenever they do even let their pfbs outside/away from the ipads.

My MIL asked me yesterday if my 4.5 m old ‘had caught the sun’ his cheeks were flushed from you know, teething, just eaten as well

OP sounds like you’re doing the right things. My pal got rickets as an adult from avoiding the sun

Sunlight works wonders for vitamin D levels.
Decreased sunlight also affects seratonin levels.No wonder there’s an increase in children’s unhappiness and stress if they don’t get sufficient exposure to a bit of sunshine.
Significant sunburn is something different altogether.

@Tallgreenbottle that’s just the complete opposite of what the evidence says. That it is a purely poverty based issue here & in demographics actually least likely to afford / wear suncream. I live in an area of very high poverty & the children are out 24/7 so I’m not sure why you think the poorest children are locked inside - I think they’re far more likely to be wandering around outside.

If you're using a good suncream with physical barriers like zinc and they're still tanning then nothing else you can do. Just don't let them burn.

All of my dc wear the same factor and are 99% of time out at same time and duration
2 are v tanned and they are the 2 with blonde hair and olive skin tone, my others v dark but v pale and they haven’t changed colour at all

(N.B: I meant to say "palest of pale skin", not "lamest of pale"!)

Surely it's down to genetics? I have three kids, same parents, same sunscreen and mostly the same amount of time out in the sun. 2 have permanent sock tan lines and the other is white as paper. Don't worry OP, as long as you know you're being vigilant with suncream and sensible amounts of time out of the sun.

A tan is skin damage though. As long as you’re being vigilant about sun screen, appropriate clothing etc then I’d say it’s down to genetics more than anything.

YABU if your not using suncream even in the UK when the UV levels are high.

My daughter looks really sun kissed, not tanned, but definitely glowing. She just has that type of skin. She never sits still and we do spend a lot of time outside but she is always covered in factor 50, I don’t allow her to be in the glaring sun, and frequently top up her cream. It’s just the way she is. I’m the same, as is my mom and grandad. There is a running joke in the family because we went to Scotland in May and I came back looking like I had been to the Maldives!!