in thinking that an 8month old shouldn't have a suntan

[NarabugHitWindscreen]

I was out with some friends today at the park (making the most of the wonderful weather), some mums there I didn't know. We were sitting in the shade of a tree with the little ones exploring (most of the crawlers including my 1yr old DD were in and out of the sun, but she was smothered in factor 50 and had a ridiculously wide brimmed sun hat on).

There was one mum (friend of a friend) who had her 8month old DD (not a crawler) sitting out in the sun, wearing a short sleeveless dress and small hat. I was sitting near to the mum and decided to strike up a conversation, I'd recently been thrilled to find some more baby sun cream on offer and used this as an icebreaker. The mum says "oh I don't buy that, I use this on DD" (shows bottle of factor 8). I offer her some of mine and she declines, saying "I want her to get some colour on her, I dont want her looking pasty all summer". She then calls over to DD and says "you want a tan dont you so you can look pretty like mummy?". She then went on to complain that she couldn't find any fake tan for babies, and it took ages to get a tan in the sun.

The mum was a bit bronzed, but the daughter was fair skinned (not olive skinned or anything). I was a bit worried as I've been told that babies should be well covered in the sun. I asked the mum if she'd heard this (in a 'oh, I heard that.....' kinda way, not a bossy interfering way!). The mum says that its ok, as "babies can't catch skin cancer". Subject was changed.

I know its none of my business but I can't help but worry that the baby was going to burn to a crisp, it was brutally hot this morning. Later the baby had gone to sleep and the mum had laid her down on a blanket with her head in the shade and her body in the sun, and was saying "look! She's sunbathing!" to her friends.

WIBU? Or was I being a nosy cow? I'm socially rubbish for the record, but spent the morning fighting the urge to cover the poor mite up!

well the only person in the UK I know who's had skin cancer had never been abroad until after she had it

I think some people in the UK have a lot to learn about sunburn/skin cancer

I complained to our school headteacher that my child was teased for wearing the school legionnaire hat. She replied ?well, they are not exactly cool, are they? Maybe get a normal cap?.

Which given that my child is very pale (and I?ve had two dubious moles cut off myself) did NOT please me - he's caught the sun on his neck before. Surely it is school?s job to make sure that wearing a hat is seen as the right thing to do?

So I have to put cream on every day, as I don?t trust that he will have his hat on whether I send it in or not. We walk to school and it is a very outdoors curriculum, so it is safe to assume that most dry days my children are outside for at least two hours, sometimes more.

Toccatanfudge, I checked the research and I think that what I said about the vitamin D is exactly what is stated in the research.

Ten minutes in the VERY EARLY sun is recommended.

Why shove vitamin D tonics down a childs throat, when 10 minutes playing in the garden gives them all the vitamin D they need.

This also applies to adults.

Children who walk to school, obtain enough vitamin D because usually they are not smothered in sunscreen at tht time in the morning.

Don't get me wrong, I am very particular with the sunscreen for DC's, and not allowing them out in the sun between 10 and 2 but we have to be sensible about the amount of cover up and sunscreen that is needed.

I always buy sunscreen especially made for children because usually they contain less chemicals.

Strangely enough, the best sunscreen I have ever used is not Australian. Antelios (by La Roche) is astonishingly effective.

It even takes away the rash I get from strong sun. Costs a crazy amount though, when I am in Oz and can't buy it I get anyone heading this way to stock up for me and keep it in the fridge.

Today DS scooted to school with no sunscreen but he did have his legionnaires hat on, we are going to the park later though (of course!) and he will be covered and creamed.

Here you encounter kids who are not and then you have a battle to keep yours covered, just doesn't happen in Oz they are all covered up and letting your kid run around unprotected from the sun is a cause for the cat's bum face along with that sharp inhalation that demonstrates great judgement!

I got pretty severe skin damage/sun burn from being left outside in the sun when i was a toddler and it's still evident to this day. I have an english rose complexion naturally and used to rarely tan. after 2 pregnancies however i think something must have happened to the pigmentation in my skin as I get a light colour now on my arms back and face (tummy and leg remain ice white tho, v annoying).

Dd is like me English rose but with dark hair but dh and ds are proper celts! vvv pale with red hair, they literally burn after 5 or so minutes so I'm fanatocal about sun cream for the rest of the family 25+ and about factor 10 for me, plus hats long sleeves uv suits etc.

I think it's a bit irresponsible to make out suncream is dangerous because of the chemicals in cintrsat to the burning hot sun and all the health promotion advice that's out there. i have a friend who refuses to put suncream on her or her dd and I think she's a bit of a fruit loop tbh. Plus because of her sunworship she looks a lot older than me despite being only 1 year older .

My dad point blank refuses too but he has skin like leather and people mistake him for being Arabic after one day in the sun .

You have some good studies to back up these ideas Sooty7?

are suncreens safe?

Sooty - could you let me know which ones don't contain the nasties? Need to get some more cream and I'd rather get the stuff without all the chemicals

yes but where are the links to the reasearch to back up your claims? Not another thread on MN.

I was raised by a woman like as described in the OP - wanted a child (me) to get a suntan at all costs. I am very pale - whiter than white skin - and she thought that shoving Ambre solaire oil and/or liquid parrafin was adequate protection both in the UK and in the tropics. Lots of times in hospital with severe sunburn. Plus malignant melanoma at the age of 30. And a high chance that the skin cancer will reappear again at some point so constant vigilance.

People who think suntans are cool, especially for thier kids, are stupid and make me so angry.

Mind you, I never use anything higher than 30 now, after dermatologist said the efficacy of screening the damaging rays does not increase the higher you go. So, use factor 30 everyday (make sure it has good UVA screening rating).

I used to slather dd as well, mind you agree that covering up and a hat works better. DD has never been sunbunrt in her life (mind you she has beautiful olive skin and goes brown anyway, dspiute the sunscreen).

GOML

OMG!! "Common sense, hats and long sleeve clothing normally negates the need for sunscreen"

I have been sun burnt between my toes, the backs of my hands, tips of my ears! My shoulders are covered in terrible freckles where my shoulders were burnt as a child in Scotland most summers in the 70s. When it sunscreen wasn't used as much as it it now. I was even sun burnt in April of this year.

My mum used to work in A&E and despaired of the cloudy summer days when parents didn't realise that their children could still get burnt, and all these poor blistered children use to regular turn up.

I have mixed race children, and although ds3 has his dad's colouring I still make sure he is protected by sunscreen in the summer months.

For those of you that do not have peely wally skin be grateful and let me continue to bleat on about sunscreen.

So in answer to the original post YA Def NBU

Redtartan - my back is too covered in thousands of freckles (not naturally freckly) - it is sun damage as a result of my skin being fried off in teh african sun.

My gran who raised me was a nursing auxilliary - I rememember a trip to A&E (in the hopsital in which my gran worked) after we came back from Kenya where the nurse absolutely tore strips of her. My back and right side were completely raw from being burned, and then the burns themselves being burned.

I go red on a cloudy day, so repeated exposusre on teh equator wasn't much fun.

Lol at peely wally skin

As a pale freckly redhead, I hate the sun, so my dd is constantly in the shade with me as I slink around the world in the shadows. When it is really hot we stay indoors, when it is pleasantly hot we sit under trees and cover up with light weight long-sleeve tops and long trousers and a hats, yes we cut quite a dash in the local park! We also avoid the midday sun. I'm not that keen on suntan lotion, would rather keep out of the sun, but if there is no alternative we put it on.
Your 'friend' sounds like a nutter OP, let's hope her poor baby doesn't get sunstroke or get dehydrated. terrible.

I always forget the top of my feet. You would think I would learn wouldn't you?

GOML that is horrible, at least my early sun exposure was because no-one really thought it was a problem.

The top of my feet are the only part of me that gets brown!

I can't believe that folk don't think that you need suncream in the UK!!!!! Of course it gets hot enough here to get sunburn! Both DDs had factor 50 applied first thing this morning. I did my arms etc and forgot my back. Was only in the sun for about an hour on and off all day - cue bright red back.