Do you use suncream?

[scotslass]

My dh is black and I am white and we have 2 mixed race children. I do use suncream on them but often wonder if it necessary?

They both have quite fair skin but do get darker in the summer despite the sunblock. My dd does have blondish hair with blue eyes though so I suppose she should have some on.

What does everyone else do?"

definitely use suncream on ds/dd, I'm mixed my self and although don't get burned in face/arms (without suncream) would get burned on other parts...Kids have thinner skin anyway.
They are not as dark that they would get vit d defic ....

I use sunblock on our DDs, but am not as religious about it as I might be if they were white - DH (black, and a medic) is very relaxed about it but I wonder too.

Having said that, once I've got cream on both of them I rarely have time to put cream on my own bluey-white skin, and I'm allergic to the sun!

Yes. DS is half asian, half white, and I (white) have skin which tans rather than burns, a bit olivey / mediterraneany.
But kids have much more delicate skin than us. DP burns in strong sun, as do many african-caribbean friends, so I make sure DS is protected. Flappy hat, long sleeves, and / or sunscsreen.

Thanks everyone. I guess we'll keep up with the sunblock and hats(not that I can get them to keep them on!!)

so far as i am aware all skin, esp that of babies and children should be protected against the sun.

Just because your skin is darker doesnt mean its protected against the harmful UV rays and British darker skinned children are even less able to deal with the onslaught than say Caribbean or African children in the Caribbean or Africa.

I dont deny that the long term effects perhaps will not be as harsh as on a fair skinned blue eyed child but brown/black skin can still be damaged.

The skin might not burn as quickly or severely, but it is still not protected from ageing.

We are Asian and I nearly always use suncream on the dss when it's sunny. I read yesterday that you should always use suncream even when it's cloudy, which I never used to (and which seems like an awful lot of sun cream).

I also didn't think it that necessary for darker skin until I heard cases of Asian people who had developed skin cancer.

I remember a Nigerian girl I was at school with who got quite bad sunburn on her shoulders once. So I'd say yes!

DD does use suncream (about a 40) - however I am much less concerned now (at 8)than I was when she was under 5

She truns a darker brown the minute the sun comes out - whether her skin is exposed or not and seems to be immune to those dreaded strap marks

However while the weather is extreme she gets a layer like everyone else, it's only in our "normal" summer that I'm a bit more lax

She nearly always wears a hat.....but I think she just likes hats she also covers up ....almost instinctively, which could be my influence?

Always slap on the sunscreen! I am mixed and was raised in West Indies, and spent all my time at the beach. I was also horribly burned at one school sports day. I probably won't get sarcomas (gulp!! Touch wood!!) but that whole ageing, sun damage thing is making its presence felt all over my face!!! My mum did yell at me to stay out of the sun - guess mother knows best!

i'm mixed race and dh is white...and i use suncream on both kids. They are both quite fair i guess...but go very brown over the summer depsite the cream. Ds def will burn if not protected ...i missed a patch once and unfortunatly found this out.

scotslass
definately use suncream on your children. here in london your DH would also be advised to use cream. probaly hard to pursuade him to change his habbits but your children can and will burn/peel (which is as risky)

My 2 dc are so lucky, they never burn however long they stay in the sun - dh is indian butI'm the type that burns after 15 minutes in the sun so I have to go from shade to shade when out side in summer! I still put cream on them though, usually not factor 30 but atleast some sort of sun cream or oil just to stop them getting dry skin if nothing else.

I'm Asian - mid brown and get browner within 15 mins of being in the sun and my daughter is half English - with an olive complexion. I always use sun block on both of us - not tanning lotion, as we don't need to tan, but a high factor block as the sun these days is so much more harmful. I had a form of skin cancer 10 years ago - the oncologist couldn't impute it definitely to sun damage but after the damage we've done to the ozone layer over the last 40 years, I'm taking no further chances!

Any skin is capable of burning so I always use sunblock on my two mixed race boys, especially on the beach etc. I am black and I've suffered from sunburn a few times myself so no-one's immune.

I have been thinking of this, as DD1 is white as a lilly, but DD2 is more olive than I am - my sister calls her the 'Mexiscot'.

I always cream up DD1, but have allowed DD2 to go w/o.

I'll definately be using sun cream on my very light skinned child as I had a skin carninoma removed during my pregnancy. I'm mixed european and asian and trying to get a doctor to take someone with dark hair and eyes (they weren't so worried about my light olive skin) seriously in relation to a nasty growing mole proved difficult!

I think anyone can be damaged by the sun so I'll be covering up my kid.

My son is mixed race and I still use a factor 60 (minimum 40) on him in sunny weather.