too much sun?

697 Views 5 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Cole, Jun 4, 2005

alliegad

Discussion Starter · Jun 2, 2005

Will too much sun (even wearing sunscreen) make my 21 month old ill?? Is it sun poisoning, or do I not know what I"m talking about...?

My 21 month old is ill with a quite high fever of 102.5-103
(after adding the 1 degree from taking it in his armpit.) I am
wondering-- sun poisoning?? Yesterday we went to the zoo and although
he was wearing a good sunscreen, he was in the sun during the peaking
heat of the day for nearly 4 hours. There was a decent breeze. We got back from the zoo (and out
of the sun) at about 5ish, and he started to feel ill around 6:30. He is not dehydrated.

If anyone does think it could be related to getting too much sun, what should I do? If not, just tell me I'm in left field.
I hate having a sick child.

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AppleOrangePear

· #2 · Jun 3, 2005

If he doesnt look like he has sunburn i wouldnt think however possibly dehydration?

We actually prefer not using any sunscreen on DS 19 months. We monitor and cover up when hes been out a while.. Hes getting a nice base tan... I always have been a beleive in getting vitamin D instead of blocking it with sunscreen and i love that now that topic is in the news lately.... though if we are out a lot ( we live in fla i will put a tiny bit of california baby sunblock on his nose cheeks

Michele

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AngelBee

· #3 · Jun 3, 2005

He may have been affected by the heat....not exactly the sun.

Keep an eye on him.

I hope he feels better.

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Ravin

· #4 · Jun 3, 2005

Sounds like heat stress to me. Not from the sun, from the HEAT. Give him lots of fluids (pedialyte, not water) and monitor that fever closely.

At our zoo they have you wash your hands after situations where you may have direct or indirect contact w/ the animals. Zoonotic diseases are not likely to be airborne.

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quelindo

· #5 · Jun 4, 2005

I'm very fair-skinned, and when I'm out in the sun for any length of time, even if I slather on the sunscreen, I end up feeling feverish and shaky.

I do know that sunscreen only lasts so long, even if you re-apply it. The SPF refers to how long it will take skin to burn given your particular sensitivity -- for example, if your skin normally (w/o sunscreen) starts to burn after 15 minutes and you use a sunscreen with SPF 10, you can conceivably be out in the sun for 150 minutes without burning. Applying more won't do you any good at all.

Also, sunscreen doesn't protect you from all sun damage.

I hope your son feels better -- I'm not really sure what to do for him other than offer him lots of fluids, maybe give him some cool baths and make sure he gets rest.

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Cole

· #6 · Jun 4, 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by New Mama
I do know that sunscreen only lasts so long, even if you re-apply it. The SPF refers to how long it will take skin to burn given your particular sensitivity -- for example, if your skin normally (w/o sunscreen) starts to burn after 15 minutes and you use a sunscreen with SPF 10, you can conceivably be out in the sun for 150 minutes without burning. Applying more won't do you any good at all.

I'm not sure I agree with the above. Applying more will do you some good... in the example above, it is true you would start to burn in 150 minutes. BUT, most of the time the sunscreen wears off (due to wiping it off, sweating, etc) before you reach that point. That is usually the bigger mistake with sunscreen. You would be wise to apply it BEFORE you get to the end of that 150 minutes. I've had several dermatologists and naturapaths remind me that I should be reapplying every 60-90 minutes or so to be safe when I have a day out in the sun.

The other big mistake is using old sunscreen... sunscreen should have an expiration date (most do), so if you are using the same bottle as you did 2 years ago, you probably aren't getting nearly the protection you think you are.

That said, if the skin is not pink, my bet is on dehydration and/or minor heat stroke. Plenty of fluids and maybe a tepid bath should help.

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