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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to feel a bit cross with all the people I can see with horrible sunburn - including their kids ...

99 replies

Weegiemum · 31/05/2009 20:23

At 4pm I walked to the shops with my 3 dcs - all slathered in suncream, hats on, sunglasses, ds (fairest of them) even in a SPF 50 swimming tshirt.

Almost every other adult I saw, and half of the children, were scarily lobster red. Some of it might have even been from yesterday!

This is Glasgow - we don't get a lot of sun. But AIBU to think people are ridiculous to have their small kids (some were smaller than mine - my dd2 is 5) out in it all day with little or possibly no protection.

BTW if you think IABU making my kids walk to the shop in the heat we bought ice lollies while we were there!!

OP posts:
frasersmummy · 31/05/2009 21:40

YANBU

I am afraid it seems to be something in our gene pool - the minute the sun shines in Glasgow people pile outside with very few clothes on and sit down facing the sun

I was running around after ds 4 all day saying have some more suntan lotion, will you put that hat on , have some juice .. seemed to be the only parent bothering

fannybanjo · 31/05/2009 21:42

I am rigid with putting Factor 50 and hats on all my DC BUT I think a bit of sunshine does them good and if they are totally protected with hats and cream I don't then put the hood up and a parasol on the buggy as well (only on DD3 who is 4 months old). Children need sunlight, obviously not to be burnt to a crisp but goodness, let them enjoy the nice weather.

doulalc · 31/05/2009 21:43

Morloth, you are correct....a tan looks "healthy", and can be somewhat of a protectant against a burn, but it actually is sun damage. Some sun exposure is helpful for vitamin D production, but it doesn't have to be much at all.

Certainly parents make mistakes, but hopefully after one bad sunburn an important lesson is learned.

Equally important is to use enough sunscreen and be careful to reapply it periodically. Also to not be overly confident of its protection and remain in the sun for long periods of time.

expatinscotland · 31/05/2009 21:43

He hates it, lamb.

He kicks it with his feet, tries to grab it.

Tough.

It's staying on because it also keeps the midgies and wasps away.

Morloth · 31/05/2009 21:45

DS enjoys the nice weather, it doesn't occur to him NOT to put his rashies/hat/sunscreen on and head out into it. But he pops them on first, I agree that here it might not make that much difference, but when we get home it literally can mean the difference between life and death.

littlelamb · 31/05/2009 21:47

We have one of those that looks like Daffy Ducks beak slung over a buggy. I'm thinking of getting one of the ones that covers the whole thing, just so he is more protected, and because I think it's be harder for him to grab I also think that if it makes everything dark he might actually take a nap

SolidGoldBrass · 31/05/2009 21:53

I am just remembering the August bank holiday when DS was a baby: the last day of our trip to Derby was all blazing sunshine. I put plenty of sunscreen on him, so he was fine, but rather neglected myself, and that was the summer I had a no4 crop, so came home with a classic Brits On The Piss tan, looking rather like a Dutch cheese...

Bumperlicioso · 31/05/2009 21:54

Any tips though on getting 2 yr old DD to wear a hat? She normally loves hats but refuses to wear a sun hat. I ended up spraying her head with my crappy sun cream just so her head wouldn't burn while we were up at the allotment!

NigellaTufnel · 31/05/2009 22:05

What's a Shade a Babe?

golgi · 31/05/2009 22:05

Bumper - I couldn't get mine to keep hats on either when they were smaller - I was tempted to glue them on in the end. Or staple-gun.
So no tips from here. Now they're older they respond well to "wear your hat all day and I will buy you an ice-cream". Unsurprisingly.

Overmydeadbody · 31/05/2009 22:10

Ivy I'm sorry if my last post came across as having a go at you or something I was just interested and wondered if you knew more about it than the average lay person, it wasn't a dig!!!

I do research skin cancer, but as with most things there seems to be an array of conflicting advice and information out there. I was hoping for clarification

CarGirl · 31/05/2009 22:10

Shade a babe is a suncover that protects them in a buggy www.shade-a-babe.co.uk/

expatinscotland · 31/05/2009 22:12

Oh, I've burned myself pretty badly. My skin is quite olive and takes a good tan, but climbing in a sports bra top in Boulder in summer and only applying sunscreen once is a bbaaadddd idea.

It hurts like hell, too, can give you a fever and I've even heard of people vomitting from it.

ShellingPeas · 31/05/2009 22:18

I grew up in NZ and as a teenager fell asleep in the sun one day, in a swimsuit. I burnt so badly that the entire front of my chest, neck and shoulders blistered. The next day when I tried to sit up in bed I fainted. Incredibly painful and I was unable to go to my holiday job for a week. After 7 days or so the entire top 3 or 4 layers of my skin just fell off - leaving the new skin exposed and tender. I still can't wear low cut or strappy tops in the sun because of extreme sensitivity.

My DCs are sun aware, they wear sunscreen all through the summer, take a bottle each to school to reapply. I wouldn't wish the type of agony I went through on anyone!

littlelamb · 31/05/2009 22:24

O yes expat, I rememebr being so badly burned on holiday when I was younger (and I can't work out why really, as my mum was usually good at putting on suncream) that I had the world's worst headache and was sick for 2 whole days. And my god the burning of my skin. It hurt to even have a t shirt on, and turning over in bed would make me yelp

wrongsideof40 · 31/05/2009 22:32

Can I add my tuppence worth ?

I too think we should protect children from sunburn - I vividly remember sore peeling shoulders from my childhood ! BUT , I do like my 3 to get some colour, I think it is healthy - it may damage the skin but sun exposure does help protect against diseaes like MS. We live in Scotland with the highest MS rate in the world and that is a concern. Sun exposure can reduce that risk. It is a balancing act parenthood , isn't it ?

sweetkitty · 31/05/2009 22:52

I have to make an admission here, I am sitting here sunburnt I had suncream on but forgot to reapply and DH didn't put enough on my back, also DD2 has pink arms. I feel so bloody stupid usually I am so careful.

I agree weegiemum we weren't that far from Glasgow today and almost every man and wee boy was walking about stripped to the waist lobster red.

The thing is it bloody hurts I hate the feeling of sunburn, I have been showing the DDs how horrid and sore it is and why I am silly I never put on enough suncream to scare them into doing it.

I don't know why anyone would deliberately want to burn themselves until they are sore, it's horrid

expatinscotland · 31/05/2009 23:20

DH was home today and of course was chomping at the bit to go outside and do the garden.

Hmm. Blond, blue-eyed smoker.

He was about to slip out when I shouted, 'Did you put the sunscreen on?'

No excuses, it's one of those Coppertone-sprays-at-any-angle-sweatproof-ones my folks brought.

He's white as a lilly and full of freckles and moles.

careergirl · 31/05/2009 23:31

I was treated for skin cancer last year and ended up with skin grafts - luckily malignant melanoma had not spread.
I do remember (70's) being out as a kid and getting burned badly and repeatedly sure that is where the damage was caused.
its just not worth it- get the suncream on and stay away from sunbeds.

Plonker · 01/06/2009 00:49

YANBU but can I just tell you a little tale ...

A few years ago we went abroad on holiday. A few days before we flew, my dn(iece) and dn(ephew) came down with 'slapped cheek syndrome'. Surely enough, we touch down in Greece and I comment to dh how little dd (only 3yo, blonde hair, blue eyes) is looking rather flushed ...by evening it is clear that she also has slapped cheek.

Throughout our first week there, the redness spread to her arms and legs and OMG she looked like we had left her in the middle of the beach at midday with no shade, she was BRIGHT RED!

The Greeks were sooooooooo unimpressed with us and berated us wherever we went. Have you ever tried to explain to angry children-loving Greeks that your child has slapped cheek syndrome? Believe me, 'twas not fun

I think you can guess the moral of my story

abraid · 01/06/2009 08:34

My doctor told me to let my children run around for 10-15 minutes without block in midday so that they can soak up as much vitamin D as possible. As other posters have said, Vitamin D, or deficiency can result in MS and certain forms of cancer. Doctors are concerned that many British children have low levels of vitamin D.

Once the 10-15 minutes are up, you grab them and slap on the cream and sunsuits, etc.

Toffeepopple · 01/06/2009 10:33

I hate seeing sunburnt kids and I hate getting sunburnt myself!

The kids have their UV suits and hats I have a UV t-shirt and shorts. (If the suits are PFB, can you be PFB to yourself?) I just like that I can bung them on and there is so much less body to cream up.

We spend at least 90 minutes a day outside getting to and from school, so I think they get plenty of sun. I think you only need 5-10 minutes three or so times a week to get enough Vitamin D.

When we were at Sandbanks on Friday there were literally thousands of people on the beach. And it was hot, hot, hot. I reckon less than 5% had suits and hats on, and I saw many sunburnt children (and even more sunburnt adults).

I'm not totally OTT, I don't think. When we were at cricket yesterday someone had brought a paddling pool and set it up in the shade. I didn't have their UV suits so they just went in with cream and their undies.

Pinkjenny · 01/06/2009 10:45

I am fanatical about dd wearing her hat and suncream, despite her not being particularly pale. I had sunstroke a few years ago, after a day spent at a water park with my hair up. Not drinking enough, neck exposed. It was one of the most horrendous experiences of my life. If dd takes her hat off, she comes inside, simple as that.

Jux · 01/06/2009 10:59

I am usually pretty good about the suncream but I FAILED this year . Was completely taken by surprise as nearly two weeks ago we were in the garden all afternoon drinking Pimms with friends (celebrating my b-day) and I hadn't realised it was going to be sooooo sunny. DD's legs got lobster red while on the trampoline. Oh the shame.

Luckily I had calamine and it is alright now but I know the damage has been done.

At nearly 10 dd was getting blase about suncream so it has had the excellent effect of getting her right into slathering it on herself and I don't have to nag like I did last year.

Sassybeast · 01/06/2009 11:04

Lidl have Factor 50 for £2 something a bottle. It's been really effective on my lot all weekend so saying it's too expensive for some people is not an excuse. One of the kids little mates was here yesterday and her back was blistered but she was still wearing a little vest top.

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