NOW CLOSED: Share your top stories and tips for applying sun lotion to yourself and your children with Garnier Ambre Solaire. You could win £100 worth of free Garnier products.

[KatieBMumsnet]

You may recall we recently recruited three mumsnetters to to be filmed and learn all about applying the correct amount of sun lotion, on themselves and on their children . The video will be coming soon as well as a giveaway and lots of advice (including a Q&A with Ambre Solaire's expert) so please do keep your eyes peeled for this.

Garnier say "we are really excited to be working with MN to to take part in our sun care challenge to help mums enjoy their summer safely with their families."

In the meantime everyone is invited to share their tips for getting suncream on their children as well as their stories about how easy or difficult you find this...do you worry about your children being exposed to the sun at home or abroad or you confident you know how much cream to apply and how often?

Everyone who adds a tips, story or comment to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one person will win a Garnier goody bag worth up to £100.

If you were one of the MNers who attended the day with your child, please share with the rest of the community your experiences of the day, what you learnt and if you were surprised by anything.

Please note comments added to this thread may be used on the forthcoming Ambre Solaire pages on MN.

Thanks MNHQ

[lumbago]

The only think I like are handbag size ones.

[ImaginateMum]

I am a Kiwi, so therefore a suncream obsessive.

My top tip is that it is worth buying UV suits and floppy hats so that there is hardly any left sticking out which needs cream.

[Brockle]

The spray lotions are so much easier and last year on holiday the boys enjoyed squirting it on themselves. They had one bottle they could squirt and I had another to cover them comprehensively. I used to cover them from head to toe before breakfast so that by the time we were ready to head out it was all absorbed. Ears could never be forgotten and kids water resistant was fantastic.

[Brockle]

The spray lotions are so much easier and last year on holiday the boys enjoyed squirting it on themselves. They had one bottle they could squirt and I had another to cover them comprehensively. I used to cover them from head to toe before breakfast so that by the time we were ready to head out it was all absorbed. Ears could never be forgotten and kids water resistant was fantastic.

[CaptainHetty]

Probably because our children's health is a great issue, lumbago

[disparatefishwife]

i love making my little babies all wriggly and giggly when slip sliding the suncream all over their chubby little bodies. there's nothing better than seeing them play unencumbered by all their thick wintery clobber!

[PartOfAWednesday]

When they were small, I used to make a game of it, and always used a coloured cream because it's easier to see (at speed!) where it's gone. The fact that it's coloured used to cause great amusement, which also helped.

I prefer a cream bottle than a pump spray because it gets too slippery on your hands to pump the bottle, as another poster has mentioned.

These days, as they're more independent, I've explained to them what it's for and "let them apply it themselves". Older children need to understand the reasons because you're not always around when cream needs to go on. But I always give them a once-over to make sure they've done a proper job, on the pretext of doing the hard-to-reach places.

[gingercat12]

My DS does not mind. He loves going out and the nursery is very strict. He cannot play with his friends outside with no suncream on. As a result he always volunteers to get his suncream first. (He is very fair-skinned as well.)

[cario]

When my boy was a toddler, I just used to tell him it was the law....

[JS06]

I tell them (girl 13 and boy 15) that they'll never get a girl/boy friend if they're frazzled to a crisp!

[Kristina2]

LOL at JS. We use a similar anti smoking message for DD, as she can see that of all her aunts, the ones who smoke look much older

[QOD]

Always have a mirror to hand, small compact sized. Put blobs on the child's face, hand them the mirror and do their trunk and legs whilst they are distracted!
Factor 50 stick to swipe across cheek bones and nose, tops of ears and parting.

[RainQueen]

I hate putting suncream on but I have found that it is easiest to do in the morning when they are naked so you can cover everywhere and you don't ruin clothes.

[telsa]

Coloured sunsticks that look like war paint go on very easily!

And I too like the sprays.

Always worried about the ingredients though - and am still seeking the perfect non-carcinogenic one.

[SuziP]

We call it magic fairy cream in our house!! With two girls, adding magic and fairy to anything seems to help!! :)

[Mondaybaby]

For applying suncream to my dd's face I rub it into my palms and then pat it onto her face rather than rubbing it with my fingers, if you see what I mean! It is quicker and I can apply it even before she has seen me coming! And also it is really important to put the sun cream on 30 mins or so before you go out and then reapply it as you are in the sun.

[Puppypoppet]

I love the clear spray ones - not keen on the thick white cream types as no matter how much you rub them in they never seem to absorb and they leave a greasy top layer (yuck). When DD was a toddler used to sing Head, Shoulders, Knees and toes whilst applying.

[WhoremoaneeGrainger]

When DD was smaller i used the liquid sun creams, then we moved on to one in a roller bottle (think MUM roll-on), which was fab as we used to make her all stripey and then rub it in, now we use a colored spray one. Have never had a problem getting it on her as we used to say no cream = no playing outside. She was always in and out of her paddling pool, so we used to reapply every hour or so, and come in for lunch when it got really hot. She is 10 now, and carries a handbag sized sun lotion in her school bag all the time. She is the most popular girl on impromptu walks to the field.

[katiesobol]

I tend to use the sprays, as these are so much easier on wriggly children. I encourage them to get involved in rubbing the suncream in. We always leave the spray under the chin till a wonderful tickly treat at the end!

[lorisparkle]

I find that speed is the important thing. I use sprays then quickly do arms, legs, neck, etc then spray my own hand, put dots on their faces then quickly rub it in.

Two tips - firstly don't forget the feet if they take their shoes/socks off mid way through the day

secondly avoid putting cream on near the car because if anyone touches the cars paintwork with sun cream on their hands the marks are a nightmare to remove.

[LovelyJubilee]

We use a spray aerosol which I find gives a nice quick even coverage which doesn't need too much rubbing in (the bit my kids hate).

We do it before swimsuits go on so all covered then quick top ups throughout the day.

I did have a allured spray which the kids loved when they were smaller, and we'd spray a little face on their tummies before rubbing in.

[LovelyJubilee]

*coloured not allured!

[cakeismysaviour]

As a pale redhead, with a pale redhead baby, this is v.important to me! I find that nothing under factor 50 is adequate. It must be reapplied every 1-2 hours if outdoors on sunny days and the sprays are much easier to work with (not as messy/greasy).

Also if I get wet/clammy I have to reapply straight away to avoid burning.

I would also love to know if there are sun lotions available that are above factor 50, because even that is only just adequate if constantly reapplied. I burn very easily!

[cakeismysaviour]

Oh and what I have said above about me also applies to my baby (also v.pale-skinned). He is too young to struggle too much when I apply sun cream to him , but as I said above - nothing less than factor 50 and re-applying every 1-2 hours is key.

I don't tend to let him catch the sun too much though. He has a nice hat collection and a parasol on the pushchair. :)