I will admit that I have always been addicted to the sun and getting a suntan ( I have never been a big drinker or a smoker, so I figured that a sun addiction wasn’t such a bad thing).
One of the many advantages of working as a registered child minder, for me, was that during the summer months I was effectively getting paid to get a suntan. I always made sure that the children were safe in the sun.
My garden was ideal part shade and part sun, so I placed a blanket on the grass in the shade for the children to sit on; they had sunscreen and hats on as well.
I would set up my sun lounger in the bright sunlight.
One day one of the children asked why I was sitting in the sun and not in the shade, I told her it was because I was silly!
When my own children were young we would spend warm days in the garden. My eldest didn’t like taking off his shoes and socks to walk on the grass. Until I got out the paddling pool and he had to remove his footwear to go in the water, we all laughed because he looked like a horse with white fetlocks (ankles), his legs had turned a lovely golden brown from wearing shorts all summer.
When I took the children in my care to the park on a sunny day I had a rule that they couldn’t go and play until I had applied sunscreen on them and they were wearing hats. I would sit on the blanket while they queued patiently waiting for me to get them sun safe.
I always asked parents to provide sun cream as a) it is expensive and b) parents would know if their child was allergic to any brands.
Most parents would happily send some along in their child’s bag, but one parent kept forgetting. I asked her several times explaining why I needed it but she never gave me any. Then while I was shopping I saw some free samples of a children’s sun screen in the chemist, I grabbed as many sachets as I could without looking greedy and gave some to the child’s mother to check that her daughter didn’t suffer any allergic reactions to it, she came back the following week telling me that it was fine, but she had kept the samples; eventually I bought a bottle of it and added it to her bill.
When I was around 12, I remember lying on my stomach in the sun I fell asleep and woke to find the back of my legs looking red from mild sunburn, The next day I had a riding lesson booked and not wanting to miss it as horses were a passion, I still remember the pain of pulling my jodhpurs up over my sore legs, I never made that mistake again.
My dad used to put coconut oil on his skin hoping to achieve a deep tan, he did get the tan, but he also developed a few patches of skin cancer many years later which have been sucessfully removed.
The Aussie’s have come up with a great slogan to help parents to keep their children safe in the sun:-
SLIP on a t-shirt
SLAP on sunscreen
SLAT on a hat.
Always set a good example to children by using a good sun screen and wearing a hat yourself.
Try to avoid the hottest time of day between 12 and 3.
Hopefully we still have lots of sunny days to come this year.
STAY SAFE WHILE ENJOYING THE SUNSHINE.
As always questions and comments are welcome.
Until next time.
Karen
x
Linked with
I also love the sun so slathering sunscreen on my daughter is something I constantly have to remember. I recently forgot to bring some on a day to the beach and had to spend an exorbant amount of money on some at the beach! #alittlebitofeverything
Bet you don’t do that again! thanks for sharing
What an interesting blog, I love the slogan and it’s so easy for a child to remember and to share with their friends .well done Karen.
Thank you, Pearl, I can’t take the credit for the slogan. the Aussie’s thought that one up
Good word!
My kids hated sunscreen, but I notice they make their own children put up with it.😁
Ha!, that’s a case of don’t do what I do, isn’t it, Michelle?
Ha, it really is! Or at least “Don’t do what I DID!”
Exactly, Michelle, this is something that may dad would often say to us when we were children
That’s it!
Good reminder.. I am going to share your sun safe poster with my media friends!
That’s great, you realise that it’s not actually my poster, I got it from the internet?
I’ve been driving mine nuts with the amount of sunscreen that I put on her this year but I burt my forehead pretty good by being a dummy and don’t want to be responsible for her having a purple head like mine is #littlebitofeverything
Better to be safe than sorry, thanks for sharing, Jeremy
So important – my daughter is super fair too so I’m extra paranoid about her in the sun! #dreamteam
I’m an Aussie so being sun safe has definitely been drilled into me from a young age. And it is amazing how you can get a touch of colour even on a day you wouldn’t expect it. I like to use the suncream in a spray can for my toddler daughter – it is so easy to apply and means she is covered from head to toe without too much drama! #AnythingGoes
The spray is really convenient isn’t it, Shelley? Thanks for sharing
It’s so important isn’t it. I think we’ve always been extra cautious and poor Little Button usually ends up going out looking like a ghost or a snowman with the amount of sun cream that goes on her. She just has to pop out for a second and she tans so quickly. It’s factor 50+ all the way for us. Thank you for sharing this timely message with the #DreamTeamLinky
Better to look like a snowman than a lobster, Annette, thanks for sharing and having me on your #dreamteam linky
I have to say I love to see the sunny days and my girls out playing in it but I do always worry that they might get sunburned. I always apply the sunscreen so really there is no need to worry but you hate the idea of them getting burned don’t you? The advice is so straightforward there really is no excuse for us all not to follow it. Thanks for sharing this wise advice with us at #globalblogging
As you say, Tracey, as long as we are sensible in the sun we can enjoy it without the worry of sunburn or worse, thanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts
I wouldn’t think twice about me sunbathing but there is no way I would let my kids go unprotected in the sun! Thanks for linking up with #dreamteamlinky
Absolutely, Laura, thanks for sharing
I love being out in the sunshine. I always watch them like hawks to see if they are starting to burn. I would hate myself for letting that happen to them. It’s so painful. Poor you having to ride a horse the next day. #StayClassyMama
The strangest thing for me is boys necks: the lack of long hair means my boys always tend to catch the sun a little on the backs of their necks so I try ti ake a special effort to put cream on. Thanks for linking up with #stayclassymama
Oh yes, I have sons so can definitely relate to that, thanks for stopping y
I think we take sun safety far more seriously now than we did when I was a child.
#stayclassymama
I think you are spot on