MIL thinks I’m being unreasonable!

[HazelEagle]

I take direct sun exposure quite literally for LO who’s 10 weeks old. She thinks that as it’s 5pm when we go for a walk in carrier and UV Level is 2 or less that I’m being silly for covering him up fully when out for a walk.

It's better to be over cautious about very young babies and the sun. Their skin is incredibly delicate, not at all like an adult's. I'd carry on as you are, OP!

Your mother-in-law needs to keep her mouth shut, but the hysteria over any kind of sun exposure, for anyone, is absolutely mental.

One of the strangest things I found when I moved to the UK was how it gets hotter later in the day. I walked home from work at 5pm last and the sunlight was glaring and I definitely could have burned. I don't know if that's just southern England thing but I put sunblock on halfway through my walk. So I don't think the time of day really makes a difference

They shouldn't get vitamin d from sunlight, nobody should be relying on that
Most people are deficient and you should take vitamin d. I got sun, my friend works outdoors, both of us deficient
It's taken 4000IU daily to get my level from 9 to 66 and that's with 3 years of supplementing!

I think a hat. Light clothing and sunscreen would be ok. Obviously don't sit them
In direct sunlight but in the shade is fine.
Don't overthink it when mine were little and they never burnt

Is your baby a vampire OP? If not, I'm with your MiL

It’s not that the guidelines aren’t roughly fair, it’s that it really really won’t hurt for baby to be exposed to daylight briefly at 5pm. I’ve just scrolled back through pictures of my 5 week old pfb on holiday in france, and while I was very very prb and carefully covered him up with a muslin carrying him in the midday July sun, by 6pm he got to peek out at the world around him and lie on a towel on the beach. Lovely memories!! He’s very fair skinned.

Team MIL

So MIL are not allowed an opinion ever?

I think those saying sun is OK have not been diagnosed with a melanoma or basal cell carcinomas in their 40s or 50s - as a direct result of repeated sun exposure as a child.

Sure, a bit of sun is very pleasant, but if you want to err on the side of caution with a very LO, the OP's is not an unreasonable viewpoint. It is good to get into careful habits around sun exposure.

i get it’s not the done thing out if you look at Ops posting history she is very anxious. And last weeks was worrying about a few minutes in the sun around the same time on a walk.

I suspect she is still worrying. About that ‘incident’

Not sure is an idea to start talking about getting skin cancer to someone who is clearly anxious, when there’s no evidence a few minutes in the late day sun will cause the baby to get skin cancer when they are grown up.

Maybe she's not an authority, but someone you're talking to and spending time with giving anecdotal evidence and an opinion based on experience of the thing you're worrying about is usually helpful and accepted.

And the baby belonging to OP doesn't necessarily make her judgement the right one either. Parents never automatically know best due to their status, especially so before they've learned much about being a parent.

We take advice from all sorts of people, sometimes experts and sometimes just one step removed.

Most replies here have agreed with MIL; OP seems overly anxious, MIL doesn't seem to have particularly interfered but shared a view and on balance this really something just to take on board.

OK, sure - I can see that now!

Sorry, OP - my post was really to the 'sun is fine' brigade. I do think if you are mindful of it though that is a good thing.

But I'm sorry if you feel very anxious with your LO, op. I hope you have people around you who are supporting you rather than just calling you 'silly'.

Vitamin D deficiency is easily and preferentially prevented with supplements / formula so let's not be hysterical.

OP, I would keep a tiny baby covered up too, they're so sensitive. At worst you'll be being a bit overprotective. It's your baby, you do what you feel is right.

Everyone, including MIL, telling you it's fine has absolutely no basis for that except they 'think it's alright'. Skin cancer rates are rocketing, partly because everyone in decades past 'thought' a bit of sun wouldn't hurt anyone.

This reminds me of my Sister in Law. We all went for a nice family walk and she had baby niece in the pram. It was about 20 degrees outside, bit sunny, bit cloudy. She literally sprinted anytime the pram was in a bit of sunshine, then waited in a patch of shade for the rest of us to catch up….. then off she sprinted with the pram in the sunshine again until the next shady spot and we all caught up. The pram had a sun shade and an umbrella! Still makes me chuckle when I think about it.

I’m with your MIL ….think you over the top with no exposure

Why would the mother-in-law feel the need to comment about a parenting decision when she wasn't asked for her opinion and when it's absolutely none of her business? She is definitely allowed to have an opinion, and she can keep it to herself.

Sunlight is good for him cover him up but don't keep him in.

What's your basis?

I don't think anybody is saying let the .baby sunbathe in the pram but talking him out in the evening as long as he is covered up. He will be fine.

@Aquamarine1029 oh you know, just a normal convo with a normal DIL. However the batshit crazy DILs on here would quite obviously take offence!

Back in the day it was a blob of Nivea if temperature went above 29 degrees otherwise get on with it

I'm with you. I've got a 10 week old (second baby) and I've always got his arms, legs and head covered when we go out at the moment, whatever time of day.

It makes me cringe to see little babies in carriers with their arms, legs or heads uncovered.

@HazelEagle where do you put a muslin in a baby carrier? That sounds potentially dangerous.

Do you know never to cover a pram in this way?

A sun hat in a baby carrier on your front would cast enough shade surely?