To hate summer with a baby

[hatetheheat]

My baby is 12 months old and I'm already hating this hot weather. It's so stressful having to apply sun cream before leaving the house - it's so greasy and sticky and he screams and cries when I'm doing it.

Then when we're out I'm constantly panicking when he's in the sun, wondering whether I've definitely got every last bit of skin covered with cream. I would hate for him to burn! He also refuses to keep his sunhat on and I'm worried his scalp will burn.

Added to that his room gets so hot at night (like, 25-26C) and I worry that he's uncomfortably hot.

Can't believe there's another three months of this, winter, spring and autumn are so much easier!!

Different strokes I guess. Sun cream is non negotiable here - scream the house down if you like but it’s happening. I find the least sticky one I can. I don’t insist on hats with kids that young.

Night time and hot rooms - a large frozen block of ice (like a frozen 2l bottle) left in the room overnight will help cool it down.

I bloody love summer with young kids. So much easier to chuck them in the garden/park/bathtub and leave them to it.

Big sun shade for the buggy.

Home Bargains own sun cream is great for kids!!
Make ice pops with very very diluted juice.

I find the least sticky one I can. I don’t insist on hats with kids that young.

Any tips on what the least sticky one is? I've tried several brands and they're all sticky even when absorbed into the skin.

With hats... don't you worry about their scalp getting burned?

So much easier to chuck them in the garden/park/bathtub and leave them to it.

Also, you can't exactly chuck a 1 yr old in the bathtub and leave them to it...!

Get a load of long legged and long sleeve sun suits, OP. Saves all that greasy mess! They’re usually 50SPF and my girl lived in them in her early summers. Hats are a pain; you can insist when they’re old enough but when they’re young just aim to avoid the hottest part of the day in full sunshine and quickly smooth the cream on while your little one is occupied with a favourite toy. It does get easier as they get older and more able to compromise!

I’ve been using Aldi’s sun cream and I don’t find it sticky.
Regarding sun hats do you have one that ties under his chin?
Agree with a sunshade.
If your in your own garden buy a parasol for shade.
His room, what is he sleeping in? I’ve had all our windows left open tbh to allow air in.

I used to just dress mine in a vest with some socks and then use home bargains' spray-on sunscreen on their arms, legs & face and not really worry about the sun. They never kept their sunhats on so I stopped bothering. We just avoided the midday sun (but naptime was 12-3 anyway so that was easy!)

We used to have a fan in their room for the hottest nights.

Oh I agree. Absolutely hate it. The worst is when they're crawling. My youngest is 10 months now and wants to crawl everywhere. Not easy on our uneven, cracked patio in shorts without grazing his feet and knees. Same where ever we go. Just wants out the buggy. Can't wait until he's walking!

I’d try the spray ones rather the lotions. I’ve always used boots soltan but the lotion ones are thicker and stickier than the spray versions. When mine were small I sprayed it into my left palm and applied on the face and back of neck with my right fingers and sprayed straight on to arms and legs and rubbed in quickly. Be careful round eyes. I had to pick up one of mine from nursery once and take him to the dr as he’d rubbed lotion into his eyes, they’d put too much on his forehead.
Keep DC out of the height of the sun and yes, use a good sunshade on the buggy. A little sun is good for them, just make it short periods.
Now I just lecture teens/ young adults about not getting burned.

Where I live we use the spray on aerosol ones as they're less messy, and then the Neutrogena face and body stick sunscreen (you could use that on the entire body of a one year old, then you don't have to touch it and it dries non sticky). Also just put it through their hair if the hat comes off regularly and give a bath at night. I say this as a mum who's DS spent his first winter in Australia/Bali and his first entire summer in Arizona.

I hate to say it, but the sun cream thing doesn't end anytime soon. I had to chase a seven year old around to put it on before school this morning.

I’ve always used boots soltan but the lotion ones are thicker and stickier than the spray versions

Aren't the spray versions just lotion in a spray bottle basically? Or can you get sun creams that are clear sprays if you see what I mean?

I find P20's SPF50 not too sticky, we put it on before getting dressed and let it sink in properly. It does for most warm days without any further top ups.

Last year when DS was a similar age to your baby I found hats that did up under his chin and tied them very firmly on.

He wore a lot of light coloured light weight long sleeved tops.

Night time is a pain though - although as DS gets older I realise it bothers me more than him!

Also, you can't exactly chuck a 1 yr old in the bathtub and leave them to it...!

I mean, I don’t go off to do the weekly shop but I often put DD in with washable crayons, a paintbrush or bubbles at that age and just sat nearby reading my phone quietly. I’m not one for active parenting when I can get away without it .

Suncream - Child’s farm roll on is great but pricey, otherwise Aldi. Often the spray ones are less sticky imo.

Hats - I mean, if they’re going to pull them off every two minutes you can’t do much can you? DD was/is really fair and I used to put suncream in her scalp when hats weren’t feasible.

Also just put it through their hair if the hat comes off regularly and give a bath at night.

Won't that just make his hair extremely greasy and horrible though?

I applied the suncream on this morning and DS's skin is still tacky and sticky. Also it says to reapply every 1-2 hours - really??

Boots do a suncream which is designed to spray on thin hair and the scalp.

I agree but then winter comes and they are jumping puddled and you have to put layers of clothes on a mittens. There is only a couple of weeks of the year which are easy for this.

Oh I feel you there. 2 year old DD sleeps in the converted attic room and her room is 24-26 at night these past couple of days. We’ve tried all the tricks that Google offers on cooling rooms down but nothing seems to change it (bar maybe buying a portable air con unit).

I find the roll on sun creams are a lot less sticky than sprays or lotion. Currently using Nivea Sun and a bonus that she helps roll it on so kind of makes it fun for her too

Or just keep them in the shade /indoors If you hate it so much?
Personally we’ve had more fun these last few days because of the weather (12,9 and 1 year old)
Washing up bowl with water outside in the shade for the little one. Although she mainly has been on the water spray pad thing I bought for the older ones! There’s no need for sun cream or hat in shade

Big shade for pushchair and just walk so the sun isn’t on your little one! It’s handy if you have a pushchair you can flip the seat on. ..

If it's any consolation my babies were born in Australian summers and we didn't have air conditioning, and they were absolutely fine. I'm talking getting up to 35° during the day in the bedrooms for nap time, and lows of 27° overnight.

It really isn't that hot 🙄

We use piz buin ultra light on our 1 year old. Far better than the crappy sticky HiPP baby one.

I find it far less layers and effort than winter tbh.

Spray all over with sun cream. Chuck a romper on. In pram with large shade out. Doesnt matter about hat then if they take off.

In garden same. Put a few sun umbrellas up, shallow paddling pool. Some toys.

Hose down in shower in evening if Sandy/ sticky. Or bath if more time.

Crikey summer is the best with tinies! Stop worrying about sticky skin, use a once a day spray if it’s that big a deal. And don’t you have a sunshade for the pram? Get a baby paddling pool, you can also use it as a ball pool, put it in the shade. And get a fan or small air con unit for the bedroom.

Bloody loved summer with kids. So much better than miserable cold rain.

I got a roll on sunscreen, so much easier than holding baby still and trying to spray it on.

I’ve been using Vichy sun milk on my two. It does leave a bit of a white residue if applied thickly but it’s not sticky at all, and feels really soft when dry. Plus it doesn’t cause eczema flare ups like other creams do on DS.

I agree about stressing about applying cream, making sure they don’t overheat etc though. But if it wasn’t that it would be making sure you had a cardigan and waterproofs so it’s hard work either way!