Hats, Sunscreen And Kids

[Maghan]

I need to know if I am too anal with my kid's sunprotection... (I know I'm opening a door here). We do live in Queensland, so what we do may differ to our southern counterparts.

If my kids are outside during the day I require them to wear a broad-brimmed hat. On really hot days they wear long-sleeved shirts and sunscreen on the bare parts.

During winter I'm a little more lax, but they still need to wear their hats.

When we go swimming they wear long sleeved rashies and long boardies or "neck to ankle" all-in-one sun suits.

We've recently met some new people and their kids NEVER wear hats, not even in the middle of the day, let alone rashies when they swim.

What sort of sunprotection do you employ for your kids.

[Baby Girl]

Both of my DD's have fair skin like myself (DP is olive) and every time we go outside they have hats and t-shirts on and alot of the time sunnies too. If we are going out to the beach, pool or for a picnic or something outdoors they always have sunscreen on any exposed skin and always have a hat, t-shirt and sunnies on. All the hats they own have huge brims that go all the way around.

When we go swimming they have sunscreen all over and short sleeve rashies. The hat and sunnies go straight back on as soon as they get out of the water.

I have had skin cancers removed and hated the worry that came with it while waiting to know if it was cancerous or not. I have freckles from head to toe and have suffered some horrible sunburn episodes during my teens when I was too cool for sunscreen or a hat!!

I make sure whenever we are in the car or outside in the sun that both girls have their sunglasses on as I think the sun can do major damage to the eyes (which are so often overlooked).

Even in winter they are always wearing their hats & sunnies. I have put them on since they were very little and never have any probs getting them to keep them on. DD1 even runs back in to grab her sunnies and hat if we forget them on our way out somewhere :thumbsup: Basically they are part of her everyday wardrobe. Every morning as well as picking out clothes she picks out a hat and glasses to wear that day too.

[the_queen]

You are certainly NOT being too over-the-top regarding sun protection. You sound like a very good mummy!!!:thumbsup:

I put sunscreen on Vally in summer. She wears a hat outside. We rarely go to the beach, and our swimming centre is inside. I try to insist on long sleeves in summer, but my "stylish" daughter is quite, erm, strong-willed.... but she's very accepting of sunscreen.

For me, it's not only about protecting my child, it's about supporting the policies of her kindergarten (and from August onwards, her school).

[jembelina]

I only put hat and/or sunscreen on ds if he is out in the middle of the day (between 11 and 3), otherwise I let his skin see the sun. During teh cooler months he doesn't wear a hat or sunscreen at all, unless maybe we are going to be outside all day. During summer I generally kept him indoors in the heat of the day anyway or playing in the shade. I feel much more relaxed when he is playing outside in the early morning or late afternoon and i love to see him running around nudie with the sun on his face!
We actually havn't been to the pool much yet but next year ds will definately have a rashie as well as sunscreen and probably one of those hats you can wear in water. Otherwise we will mostly stick to an indoor pool! As much as I think sun protection is very important, I also believe it is very important for kids to be exposed to the sun at safe times. Teh sun has good properties as well as bad!

[razzle]

I put sunscreen on if she's going to be in the sun for a long time, otherwise I don't worry about it. We're not really in the sun that much at all now that I think about it.

Being in Qld though, I'd be slathering her up just like you're doing. She'll thank you for it later on. :cool:

On a side note, when I was a baby, my mum used to put me out in the sun on a blanket to "give me a bit of colour". After a little while, she'd turn me over! This was 1969 though, so what do you expect, how times have changed!!

[bubbles28]

We are in Melb and everyday my son wears a hat. If he is going to be outside for longer than about 10mins i also put sunsceen on him.
He wears long sleeve tops all year round too.
Maybe I'm a bit over the top but I'm just doing what I think is best for him.

[xkwzit]

We are in Brisbane and whenever we go out for a walk or play in the park, the kids wear hats. If we are going to be out for a while, or in the middle of the day, sunscreen too. I like them to wear sunglasses too - I think that's quite important. I don't let them wear sleeveless tops when in the sun, but don't normally insist on long sleeves, as long as suncreen is on.

When we swim, they have short sleeved rashies and sunscreen slathered on them 20 minutes before we get there.

I would feel very bad if my kids got sunburnt, but I also try to remember that its not just those one offs that count. I'm pretty sure cumulative exposure, even if not burnt, can cause skin cancers.

Cheers

[Mamaduke]

Razzle's comment reminded me of something...
When I was younger we would go to the beach at 10am and stay until 4pm...after lunch (when we'd have to have a 'spell' from going in the water) mum and dad would call out to us to 'come and put your sunscreen on'!!!
It was Reef oil!!! LOL....my I was a brown little berry in those days!!

Jesse has olive skin like me so he tans really easily, even with sunscreen on.
Lucas has paler skin and being a baby I'm even more cautious with him in the sun.
When we're in our pool both the boys wear hats, sunscreen and zinc on their ears and nose.

I do however believe that some sun is good for kids so I'm not as pedantic about sunscreen as some of my friends are.

[Starlet]

My kids don't leave the house without sunscreen on, even if we're just in the car and not getting out. I get roasted in the car(I have one arm darker than the other from hanging it out the window.

I bought spray on kids sun screen, so it's a kinda novelty for them now. I let them help me put it on themselves.

They also always wear hats, but they like to wear them, usually I have to fight them to get them OFF.

[Ana Gram]

Well done on excellent skin care. I have good irish skin which means I burn to a crisp after abt 5 minutes in the sun. Because of this i slather DD in sunscreen evern if we are going out for 10 minutes. I have never successfully kept a hat on her head but she is usually in the stroller with a shade.

[razzle]

Razzle's comment reminded me of something...
When I was younger we would go to the beach at 10am and stay until 4pm...after lunch (when we'd have to have a 'spell' from going in the water) mum and dad would call out to us to 'come and put your sunscreen on'!!!
It was Reef oil!!! LOL....my I was a brown little berry in those days!!

We used to lie on the library roof at school and slather our legs and arms with baby oil in the hope of getting a tan!

[Mamaduke]

We used to lie on the library roof at school and slather our legs and arms with baby oil in the hope of getting a tan!
Yes yes yes!!! Good ol' baby oil...might as well have been putting lard on our legs LOL!!:D

[Bubble*Crazy]

Well, I wish I could say it was thanks to me, but, if it wasn't for the vigilant skills daycare installed in my daughter, I'd be classified as a terrible mother! Tayla's always the one to get the sunscreen & hat out whenever she goes outside (apart from my avatar - she'd just gotten off her bike & taken her bike helmet off!!! - trying to justify myself, again!). And, I must say, she preaches to all other kids to make sure they do the same!

[BiNdI86]

Workingmumto2

that is soo cute. a sunsmart crusaider!! :yelclap: :yelclap: :yelclap:

[Maghan]

Hey Gals, thanks for your replies, I feel like this may be one of those obsessions I have that may actually be acceptable!;)

[misskittyfantastico]

I already have my DD wearing a hat when she's outside....it will be a no hat no play rule in our household! (plus sunsceen and long sleeves) I see that many farmers getting skin cancer after skin cancer removed....scary stuff.

[caitsmum]

I feel like this may be one of those obsessions I have that may actually be acceptable!;)

I think it is more think it is more than acceptable. As far as I am concerned there can never be to much obsession about sun protection.

Sun protection is something that is close to home for me. My Mum late last year had metastatic cutaneous SCC neck node involvement. She is now missing half of her neck, they took her jugular vein and some of her main nerves in the right side of her neck. She now has limited use of her right arm, difficulties with eating and drinking, and considerable pain at times. She went through six weeks of chemo and radiation earlier this year, which in the end was palliative because they could not find the primary skin cancer.

Please you can never be too careful with your children's skin. I would never wish anyone let alone my child to go through what my Mum has had to go through all because of one little skin cancer.

[Sarie]

We live in Queensland too and the sun out here is sooo strong, even now that the weather is cooling off it is still just awful in the sun.
Our boys always wear a hat when they go out side, with the exception of late in the afternoon or very early morning. Even if we're just walking to the shops they still have hat and sunscreen on.

[Jax Tellers Old Lady]

I always make sure ds has a hat on and if we go swimming he wears a full body rashie suit. I went to the chemist to buy him sunscreen when he was younger and the lady at the chemist told me not to put sunscreen on him until he is two years old i was surprised at this and she told me that there skin is too sensitive to have it until then. What age did everyone else start using it on there kids???