Share your tips for staying safe in the sun - £200 voucher to be won

[BellaMumsnet]

Created for NIVEA

This sponsored discussion is now closed

Whether it’s turning sun cream application into a fun game, buying your child a hat that they love too much to take off, or taking a pop-up beach tent big enough for everyone to squeeze into for days at the seaside, share with us below your top tips for protecting your family from the sun.

· Post your tips on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw
· One lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice

Here’s what NIVEA Sun has to say:

“NIVEA Sun is the UK’s number 1 suncare brand and partner with Cancer Research UK to share important sun safety information with the public. Together we ask everyone to 1) Seek Shade 2) Cover Up 3) Apply Sunscreen.”

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Insight T&Cs apply

[Visioncroquet]

Wear a hat and sunscreen

[Rwealere]

Keep hats handy for nipping out like with the peg bag!

[sharond101]

Hats and sunscreen minimum factor 30.

[BellaMumsnet]

Thanks to everyone who took part in this sponsored discussion. The winner of the prize draw is @Holidayenthusiast - congrats!

[Emilylouise23]

Try to stay in the shade as much as possible. When you can’t, keep reapplying a high factor sun cream and use both sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat.

[Daisymaybe60]

I think it's all been said, but I'd like to agree with how important sunscreen, hats, hydration, looking for the shade is. I have friends who've suffered skin cancer and others whose skin is ruined by years of sunbathing. That wrinkly cleavage in your 60s is really not attractive!

I don't think enough importance is given to wearing sunglasses when it's bright. Your eyes can be damaged permanently by too much exposure to strong sunlight.

[oootapasooo]

Always put a high factor of sun cream on, provide a shady area for when it gets really hot. Have plenty of hydrating drinks. Reapply sun cream as suggested on the instructions.

[Magicshoppingtrolley]

Slap on the sunscreen! If we are planning a beach day we take a huge parasol and pop up tent. Always wear a hat and cover up shoulders. If at all possible find shade between 12 and 3, so popping off for lunch or a walk somewhere.

[hopezibah1]

We take sunscreen everywhere with us! Especially as the medication my daughter is on makes her extra prone to sunburn. When the kids were babies, the snoozeshade was brilliant for covering their buggy to keep them safer in the sun.

[Trynamakeadollar]

I use a wide brim tennis hat that I bought from primark and I use a spf 50 face cream that I reapply all the time.

[welshmardymum]

hats all round and in cars, in bags and by the door and same with suncream - i am trying to get my girls to put it on in the morning as part of their general getting up routine

[awonderfuladventure]

Don't sunbathe. Always wear suncream and get the kids in the habit of using it.
Don't make a big thing about being tanned.

[Tonkatol]

I was diagnosed with a basal cell carcinoma on my nose when I was just 30, so am always extremely cautious both with myself and my children.

I always use good quality sun cream such as Nivea or Ambre Solaire and have a number of SPF levels available. I never go below 50 for face and am cautious with lower factors.

When my children were younger and we had day trips to the beach, we would make an early start, so that we were at the beach by about 8.30 am. This way, we could have fun on the beach and then come off the beach around 11.30 - before the peak of the day. Whenever on beach holidays, the most important new piece of clothing for each of the children was a sun protection suit or top for the water. However effective sun cream is, there is always the risk of missing an area of the body or the cream washing off when spending a long time in water. A good sun protection suit completely protects delicate skin and is less annoying to children then constantly having sun cream applied.

I always think of an expression my children learnt at primary school (I believe it was a common phrase in Australia) - Slip, Slop, Slap - slip on a top, slap on suncream and slap on a hat. Certainly something that stuck with my children and is a good reminder.

[MrJi]

I avoid us being on the beach between 11am and 4pm. My daughters and I are all very pale skinned and burn quickly. I burned a lot as a child in the seventies, when we played on the beach all day slathered in oil ! I would blister and peel every Summer, horrifying . One of my daughters has burned badly once, on a school sports day when she was sitting down through the middle of the day with no shade. We will all burn even with factor 50 sunblock, if we are in the sun for long, so we need to also cover up and keep in the shade when possible. On the beach I am also conscious of reflection and glare off the water and sand, so I wear a hat and sunglasses, and high factor reef safe sunblock as I like to swim, and I react badly to many chemical sunscreens. I am usually in a wetsuit in the water which means my arms and shoulders don’t burn, it is my face I have to be careful with.
I am a Celt, we are not built for sun, and I never want to burn or for my daughters to be burned.

[Cocopogo]

High factor sun cream, avoid wrinkles!

[Coffeemummy123]

Freeze fruit and veg to munch on - very refreshing.

[queenoftheschoolrun]

I have lupus and have to avoid the sun as much as possible so Factor 50 all year round, sunglasses, hats and staying in the shade are second nature now.

[GirlFromMars1]

For my kids they know my husband and I both work in oncology. I think cancer education is really important from a young age so I've always talked to them (in an age appropriate way) about skin cancers and the danger of getting sunburnt. In terms of application I try to give them control over doing a lot of it, and I get the quick dry sprays. I

[Uzma01]

Using a high factor sun screen that’s an 8 hour application one so less faff with having to reapply, and a sun hat for each of the kids are the main things we do.

[ButterOllocks]

Putting cream on 30 MINUTES before you go into the sun for the best protection - takes time to absorb and protect, hat, light clothing, a battery fan for you, plenty of fluid and shade when we can between 12 and 3 - a UV tent and picnic is the best distraction for wanting to play out

[LittleDeeAndME]

UV suit for the sea, and paddling pool, white hat (bucket hat) and coloured sun cream so you can see you have covered the skin - and I did not let my children get any direct sunlight (summer at it's peak) until they were 18 months old.

[pushchairprincess]

bucket hat, light coloured loose clothing, a UV suit for the paddling pool, a shaded area for quiet time and of course a good quality - new this year sun cream (we use last years for the adults - as the SPF reduces over time)

[CyclingMumKent]

We were discussing skins beauty tips with my friend who has the skin of a teenager (she is 40!)
we thought maybe she must have some good facials or cleanser.
she said she has always used factor 50 since she was eighteen.
how did I not to do this?
I m breastfeeding and I have sun marks on my skin from holidays in the sun from my three pregnancies.
now I know what my secret beauty tip will be from now on.
sun screen on face and hands to stop the clock😍

[Citybumpkin87]

When I saw the photos of the UV damage to skin - that really changed my mind! Practise what you preach and build in good habits early. Plan lunch at the hottest points so everyone naturally takes a break anyway.

[BigLlamaLady]

I'm a big fan of the 12 hour roll-on suncream, put it on first thing and then you don't have to think about it again until tomorrow!