Put sunblock on your kids people

[RMulieri]

My public service announcement for the day...Please put sunblock on yourself and kids.I was at DHS one day during my trip last week and listened to a woman with 3 kids and her mother brag about how they don't need to use sunscreen because "people that tan do not and can not get skin cancer, only people that burn" As an oncology RN who has seen some pretty horrendous skin cancer cases in people who" don't burn", I wanted to throttle this woman ...and then spray her with sunblock.

 

[matthew&haleysmom]

I have extremely pale children. Every time we see the pediatrician he tells them to make sure they put on sunblock before leaving the house.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

My public service announcement for the day...Please put sunblock on yourself and kids.I was at DHS one day during my trip last week and listened to a woman with 3 kids and her mother brag about how they don't need to use sunscreen because "people that tan do not and can not get skin cancer, only people that burn" As an oncology RN who has seen some pretty horrendous skin cancer cases in people who" don't burn", I wanted to throttle this woman ...and then spray her with sunblock.

Agreed!

I use to work for a skin cancer surgeon who performed the Mohs procedure. I'm inevitable one day to be diagnosed with skin cancer. But I always lather my kids up with at least an SPH 30.

 

[RMulieri]

Agreed!

I use to work for a skin cancer surgeon who performed the Mohs procedure. I'm inevitable one day to be diagnosed with skin cancer. But I always lather my kids up with at least an SPH 30.

I myself have had skin cancer 2x.I also never burned and always had a tan growing up.I just felt awful because 2 of the 3 kids were small and in strollers, and could not apply it themselves.You would think with all the news media at least some semblance of common sense would prevail.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I myself have had skin cancer 2x.I also never burned and always had a tan growing up.I just felt awful because 2 of the 3 kids were small and in strollers, and could not apply it themselves.You would think with all the news media at least some semblance of common sense would prevail.

Some people are just dumb , lazy or both!

 

[nessz79]

People are in denial.

I'm fair skinned so it's a no-brainer for me. I put it on or burn.

I can see how it's deceptive, though. My 2 children are half-Hispanic and they are neither dark nor light...they look like medium-skinned "white" kids. They have NEVER burned. However, I ALWAYS put sun screen on when we will be outside for more than a little bit. I should put it on every day as part of a daily habit, but I can't seem to get that into our routine.

 

[The Hendies]

I run a YMCA summer program for up to 100 kids a day. Before the program even starts, we send home a 'must have' list that includes sun block. at least 1/2 of the parents never bothered to send it in. Many said that 'My child doesn't burn". We went through 12 bottles that we provided ourselves to children whose parents didn't care to provide their own.

 

[RMulieri]

I run a YMCA summer program for up to 100 kids a day. Before the program even starts, we send home a 'must have' list that includes sun block. at least 1/2 of the parents never bothered to send it in. Many said that 'My child doesn't burn". We went through 12 bottles that we provided ourselves to children whose parents didn't care to provide their own.

That is awful.4 weeks ago I released a 12 yr old girl to hospice care related to advanced Melanoma.She never burned and always tanned too.

 

[lntsmom]

When we were there in May we were waiting for a parade next to a family who had several small kids. The baby- maybe 5 months old-was cute as could be. She had those little fat feet that are as thick as they are wide...and they were fire red! I commented on how cute her feet were and offered to loan them some sunblock. The mother got hugely nasty with me...informed me that they did have sunscreen on the baby's feet (well...it wasn't working, honey, or they wouldn't have been lobster red on top....) and harumphed at me.

I'm not sure it's something most people would brag about, but after a week in the May/June son my very fair skinned children came home without so much as a slight tan!

Now, can I add my own suggestion? Put hats and sunglasses on your kids, too. I was 43 when my opthamologist told me I had the start of cataracts. Why? When I was a kid our folks didn't allow us to sit inside...we were outside every day all summer, and about half that time was spent in the city pool. I'll probably have to have cataract surgery sometime in my mid-50's. Put sunglasses and hats on your kids, save them the pain!

 

[RMulieri]

When we were there in May we were waiting for a parade next to a family who had several small kids. The baby- maybe 5 months old-was cute as could be. She had those little fat feet that are as thick as they are wide...and they were fire red! I commented on how cute her feet were and offered to loan them some sunblock. The mother got hugely nasty with me...informed me that they did have sunscreen on the baby's feet (well...it wasn't working, honey, or they wouldn't have been lobster red on top....) and harumphed at me.

I'm not sure it's something most people would brag about, but after a week in the May/June son my very fair skinned children came home without so much as a slight tan!

Now, can I add my own suggestion? Put hats and sunglasses on your kids, too. I was 43 when my opthamologist told me I had the start of cataracts. Why? When I was a kid our folks didn't allow us to sit inside...we were outside every day all summer, and about half that time was spent in the city pool. I'll probably have to have cataract surgery sometime in my mid-50's. Put sunglasses and hats on your kids, save them the pain!

Good point.

 

[famofsix]

some of my early memories at DIsney were crying outside of space mountian because I had a bad sunburn. My parents adopted me and I am the only fairskinned one out of 5 kids. Fast forward to now...my kids don't get burned because we are diligent with sunscreen and my parents are always harrassing me about how "white" my kids are in the summer I always respond "it's alot better than having a sunburn all summer"

 

[Nie0214]

When I was at WDW, I saw a little girl, maybe 4-6ish. She was in her father's arms, hanging to the side and a whole strip of her left arm was BRIGHT lobster red. The rest of her was fine, but that one long stretch down her arm looked so bad and painful. Poor girl.

I am also very fair skinned (this past summer, I walked into a gas station while wearing a halter-top-like tank-top and the 16-18yo attendant rather rudely said "No offense, but you are like the whitest person I have ever seen, you must never go outside." I told her that I was outside right at that time but that I know how to put sunscreen on so I don't get cancer!) and have multiple sunscreen bottles around my apartment.

I heard an advertisement on the radio earlier from the Center for Disease Control to get people to vaccinate their babies!

 

[adoptionmomma4]

My DS 9 got his first sunburn this summer. He was at my cousin’s house and she was not diligent about sunscreen like I am. I felt so bad for the little guy. He was so miserable!

All of my kids are adopted and all have very different skin tones. I lather them all up in sunscreen. You would not believe the amount of people who ask me if I "have" to put sunscreen on my AA daughter Of course I do! She will burn just like the rest of us. I think she could possibly burn worse since it would take longer to see the effects on her. Crazy people! My mom on the other hand is always asking me if I "remembered to put sunscreen on the baby".

On the topic of sunglasses.. What do you do for the kids who wear glasses full time? My DS has to have his glasses on.

 

[Nie0214]

Maybe they have clip-on sunglasses lenses that you could put on top of your DS's glasses? You could probably get a pair of prescription sunglasses (my mom has a pair), but that is frustrating for an adult let alone having to switch back and forth on a child.

 

[teachermom]

My neighbors 6 year old son has to wear glasses. He has transition lenses. The type that are "normal" indoors but outside the lenses darken.

 

[genius118899]

My DS 9 got his first sunburn this summer. He was at my cousin’s house and she was not diligent about sunscreen like I am. I felt so bad for the little guy. He was so miserable!

All of my kids are adopted and all have very different skin tones. I lather them all up in sunscreen. You would not believe the amount of people who ask me if I "have" to put sunscreen on my AA daughter Of course I do! She will burn just like the rest of us. I think she could possibly burn worse since it would take longer to see the effects on her. Crazy people! My mom on the other hand is always asking me if I "remembered to put sunscreen on the baby".

On the topic of sunglasses.. What do you do for the kids who wear glasses full time? My DS has to have his glasses on.

Ask your eye doctor for special lens that change color in the sun. My 12 yo DB is albino, so his eyes and skin could get seriously, seriously damaged. He wears prescriptions glasses that are clear inside and shaded outside.

 

[Nie0214]

Ask your eye doctor for special lens that change color in the sun. My 12 yo DB is albino, so his eyes and skin could get seriously, seriously damaged. He wears prescriptions glasses that are clear inside and shaded outside.

I have a coworker with those transition lenses, and she HATES them because they take too long to lighten up when she comes back inside, at least a half-hour. It's like wearing sunglasses while inside for that time, and then when she goes outside, sometimes they turn close to black and are just too dark for her. I believe she said she got the glasses two or three years ago, so maybe they are better-made now.

 

[lucigo]

I'm 43 and had my first "severely atypical" mole this year so its hats, sunscreen and sunglasses for me now.

The transition lenses they make now are much better than the old type. They lighten up pretty quickly when you go inside, my complaint is that they don't get dark enough when you are driving - so I have both transition lenses and the magnetic clip-on sunglasses.

I have a question for the RN...are the spray-on sunscreens as effective as the lotions? My son with ASD hates sunscreen so I have to attack him with the spray!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I have a question for the RN...are the spray-on sunscreens as effective as the lotions? My son with ASD hates sunscreen so I have to attack him with the spray!

All sunscreens are effective. Just make sure you get the sunscreen on all skin and it dries before the kid goes in the water. And very very important, reapply often.

I use spray on waterbabies with my kids.

 

[Nie0214]

Regarding the spray vs. lotion: When I was in WDW in September it was mid 90s every day (or so it felt!). I used both the regular lotion (my bottle) on some days, and on other days I used the spray (my mom's bottle). The spray was much lighter feeling, I didn't have that greasy-sunscreen feel and smell, so I opted to use the spray on my last 3 days. I didn't get any burn at all (and I am a ghost!), so when I came home 5 days later, it didn't even look like I had been out in the sun for a week!

Just reapply every few hours, especially on the face.