Concerned That Daycare Ladies Are Not Putting Enough Sunscreen on Toddler

In Oklahoma we are not allowed to put sunscreen or lotion on a child without a Doctors note. Too many children were having skin rashes and reactions to general sunscreens and lotions provided by the facility. Even if parents supply it we still have to have a note from Doc saying it's okay.

You are lucky they are doing any at all, if they are not putting as much on as you would like then keep reminding them to put more on him. Skin cancer must be a horrible thing to experience and it can happen even at this young time in their life.

What level of sunscreen? If they put on level 50 or so then for two 30 minute play times a day he should not be getting tan.

what kind of sunscreen are they using??? you need at LEAST 50spf. If i were you, I would put the sunscreen on before you bring him to school. if you know they are going to be outside, put it on in the morning. It cant hurt.

Yes you can still tan even if you have sunscreen on.

a tan is the body's way of protecting itself - the melanocytes create melanin which cause the skin to darken which prevents the deeper layers of the skin from burning. I use spf 50 on my son daily and he is very tan.

I suggest that YOU put it on him before taking him to daycare if your worried about it.

You have to use the correct sunscreen or your child will tan even with the sunscreen.
http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/
Some sunscreen can actually increase the odds of skin cancer!
We use Jason's Sunbrella Physical Sunblock and Badger

The only way you will keep him from tanning is keep him covered up completely, or not to go outside at all. Sunscreen only prevents burning, not tanning. I am fair and tan easily, even with SPF 50 on. The tan will fade over the winter months.

I would put sunscreen on him before you drop him off in the morning and if they put more on, it won't hurt anything.
Sunscreen doesn't keep you from tanning.
My son is blonde and fair skinned, but you'd be surprised how dark he gets in the summer and I always put sunscreen on him.
With your son outside for an hour a day in the summer, the only way to keep him from tanning on his arms and legs would be to have long sleeves and pants on him.

If he's not burnt at all, I would say it's a safe bet they are keeping sunscreen on him.

Best wishes!

Hi S S I am a daycare provider, and I put #50 for kids, and yes they do tan with it. If your child is not getting burned then it sounds like they are doing their job. Some sunscreens do allow tanning, if they were not applying enough sunscreen your son would be more burned than tanned. The sunscreen that i use for me is #50 for adults, and it allows my arms and shoulders tan, without burning. I don't allow my daycare kids to go out in the heat of the day, I wait till afternoon when it starts cooling and I have a nice shaded backyard. J.

Your son will still get tanned if he is outside at all, even with sunscreen. Even very fair haired, pale skinned kids get darker in the summer, unless you keep him out of the sun completely (which is also bad and can lead to vitamin D deficiency) or cover him up with long sleeves, which seems cruel in the heat.

I think you should not worry about this- your child will get tan even with sunscreen :)

If your son's not burnt, then I don't understand what the problem is? Tanning skin IS the bodies natural sun block. Did you know, that there are now studies showing that some of the ingredients in sunscreen are actually causing cancer?

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Put it on him before you take him to school.

M.

My son is very fair and his arms are now tan from outside time. I know that they are putting sunscreen on because I smell it when I pick him up, but his calves always seem red. I'm really not sure why. We did switch from a spray sunscreen which is easier for the daycare to a cream that works better for him. Maybe look at your sunscreen, but as long as he isn't burning, I think it is okay. Increase the SPF and get better quality sunscreen, and apply it in the morning if you are concerned.

Tanning vs burning also has to do with skin pigmentation and melanin. Put sunscreen on both me and my sis-- After 2 hours, I'll start to burn, she'll tan, because she's half Filipina and I'm not. (Different dads.) If you aren't seeing sunburns, I'd say that this it's likely they are keeping him well-screened and that your son just has an advantage of more melanin, which is protecting him from getting burns.