s/o Do your kids wear sunscreen? - Page 2

[Peacemamalove]

Originally Posted by Cujobunny

Not always. If it's a super bright and sunny day and we'll be somewhere without shade then I do.

us too! We only use it sparingly.

[paxye]

Only when they are older and playing in the water (when they are younger (under 2-3) I just keep a shirt on them while they play in the water) or go to places with no shade... but I only put a bit on their faces and upper torso (if they don't have a shirt on) and not anywhere else...

To play outside where there is a bit of shade... we don't use it at all... even if we spend a few hours out... 3 kids now and no one has ever had a sunburn... two of them are fair and so am I (I had a skin cancer when I was a kid)...

ETA... we also never wear long sleeves in the sun... we run hot and would likely overheat and get dehydrated which I find more dangerous.

[ChetMC]

Wearing Sunscreen

It depends on the situation...

Here in Canada, and also when we lived in Seattle, we were not diligent about sunscreen. The kids got it if we were going to be at a beach, pool or park for a long period of time particularly during the hot part of the day. And only in the summer when it was sunny.

When we lived in Southern California we were much more likely to avoid the hot part of the day and to use sunscreen.

Our kids do roam in and out of the house all day, playing in the backyard off and on.

[SeekingJoy]

I have put it on the kids a handful of times, but mostly I try to manage their environment instead with hats, coming inside during the brutal parts of the day (1-3 pm), and seeking shade. No burns, but I did feel guilty when DS got a couple freckles. That is when I got more insistent on a hat. I always wear a hat in the garden, hanging clothes, etc, but because I am in a sundress or tank top there is still a good bit of skin for Vit D.

[Just1More]

My kids don't wear sunscreen either. If we find ourselves at the beach between 10 and 3 and we'll be there for more than 15 min or so, I do. At the fair or an airshow, I do, but only between 10 and 2 or 3. We usually plan stuff like that in the evening to avoid even worrying about sunscreen. I don't want my kids burned, but don't like chemicals either. My oldest is 4.5 and has only worn sunscreen a handful of times. In the morning or the afternoon, or from September to April/May, I just don't worry about it. And I live in the southeast about 10 minutes from the ocean!

And no one has ever gotten a sunburn, either. Well, okay, once I got a REALLY bad one...the backs of my legs and above my knees were purplish and I felt sick to my stomach...just awful. But that's because I'm a dolt and didn't wear ANY and stood in one spot (bouncing a baby in a solar-veil sling...a baby who didn't wear sunscreen, but was carefully shaded and didn't get burned) for a couple of hours. That was bad. But, anyway...the kids haven't gotten burned.

[notneb]

We do use sunscreen. We are fair skinned, live in Florida and both DH and I have a family history of skin cancer. If we're going to be spending any length of time in the sun in the middle of the day, sunscreen and/or protective clothing are a must.

[Fuamami]

We're also very fair and 3 of the 4 biological grandparents and both of the step-grandparents have had melanomas or pre-melanomic growths removed. So yeah, we use it. I put it on the kids in the morning and again after naps in the summer, and not so often in the winter. They still get tan/freckles in the summer, though. But I do everything I can to avoid burns, and we live in a very sunny place. I'd be surprised if anyone around here has Vitamin D deficiency.

[delightedbutterfly]

Sometimes. We live where it is sunny April to October but mainly just June-August... We alwas have it with us and the girls almost always wear hats but I too am torn on the chemicals, the way I see it with the chemicals it could lead to cancer and without the chemicals the same.

So we wear it or apply it on hot or large exposure days and skip the minimal exposure days unless the UV is SUPER high for some strange reason. And DH is far more vigilant than I. But he usually takes them out for longer periods and is the main yay to the sunscreen whereas I am the main nay to sunscreen.

But we also seek shade so that we can lint exposure and we try to go out less in the super high uv times of day.

[AbbieB]

We do not use sunscreen on a regular basis.

I manage the Florida sun by staying out of it during the middle of the day. We go to the beach in the morning and leave by 10:30. Sometimes we go in the evening after 4. I don't worry about day trips to places like the zoo. It's very well shaded (or it would be to hot to go!) and we have never gotten a burn.

We also tend to be inside where it is cool more often during the peak of the strong summer sun, so we naturally are not getting exposed to the worst of it.

Occasionally we will do something that requires sunscreen. A day at the water park or on a boat and we all would be covered in it.

I have always felt that the sun=death has been a bit of hype to sell more sunscreen. Humans and the sun have coexisted for a long time, so why does it make sense that it is suddenly unhealthy? I also worry about long term exposure to all of the chemicals in sunscreen, especially on very little kids.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

No we dont use it. I am careful with how much sun they get usually but I dont fear the sun. I agree with pp about the sunscreen hype.

[4evermom]

I almost never use it on me or ds. The only time we need it is if we go to the shore for the day and will be out all day. He has a swim shirt. I'll toss a hat on him if the sun is fierce. But we don't burn easily. Just have to be careful the first time or two out for hours in the spring and all day sun events.

[LaLaLaLa]

If we are just around the house, I don't put sunscreen on the kids. If we are at the park or the beach and don't have a lot of shade, I usually will. DS is not quite as fair as DD, so I don't worry about him as much. I try to be more diligent with DD's skin, as she is pretty fair and also has had plastic surgery on her face and I don't want to do anything that could mess with the appearance of skin that is still trying to figure out how to behave like normal skin. Her pediatrician and plastic surgeon are always satisfied when they see how pasty-white DD's face is.

[sunnysandiegan]

Like most of you have stated, we use it for days at the beach / pool / park when we'll be out for several hours. Mostly, though, we're out for shorter periods of time and use clothing / hats / shade if the sun is intense. We live in sunny San Diego and the sun can be intense even with cool weather.