Shared Sun Cream

[amarrian]

For some reason we have it in our heads that we are not allowed to apply sun cream to our three and four year olds from a shared bottle (so they all have their own individual sun sticks). Is that actually the case?

[Upsy Daisy]

I've never seen a recommendation that children don't share a bottle although I do know a few people who keep sun cream in the fridge to stop bugs growing in it. I can't see that a shared bottle is any less likely to transmit bugs than a stick even if they aren't sharing the stick because they still touch each other's skin all the time.

[amarrian]

I've never seen a recommendation that children don't share a bottle although I do know a few people who keep sun cream in the fridge to stop bugs growing in it. I can't see that a shared bottle is any less likely to transmit bugs than a stick even if they aren't sharing the stick because they still touch each other's skin all the time.

 

That's good enough for me! It seemed a positively daft imposition. Many thanks

[Guest]

I would assume it was because some of the children require a different factor or may be allergic to some kinds? In my class (Reception) the parents supply suncream for their child if they want it applied (by the child).

[mps09]

The Pre-school Learning Alliance gave me the following advice when I enquired about suncream - there is certainly no suggestion that children shouldn't share a bottle. Hope this is helpful!

 

Thank you for contacting the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

 

Childcare providers have a responsibility for the well-being of the children, so you must take measures to protect the children from the effects of the sun. If parents have signed a form to give consent for staff to apply sun cream to their child then there is no requirement to prevent staff doing so.

 

Parents can be asked to apply cream for their child at home before they attend the session (factor 15 or above) and to bring in a bottle of sun cream for their child so that it can be re-applied as the protection wears off. Children should be encouraged where possible to apply their own sun cream, with help from staff. It is also good to keep a spare supply of cream in the setting in case parents forget to bring their own. I would recommend that you talk to parents to find out whether there are any sun creams that their children have a reaction to before purchasing a cream for the setting.

 

You should also consider other sun protection measures, such as:

 

§ Ensuring children are not exposed to sun for long periods of time – e.g. consideration is given to times of the day when children will be outside, or that the premises allows for shaded areas to be provided.

 

§ Asking parents to bring in sun hats, long sleeved shirts and wraparound sun glasses.

 

§ Ensuring children do not dehydrate by providing water to drink.

[Guest]

Hi

We apply and help our children apply suncream from a shared bottle. I bought a childrens factor 50 sun cream , showed it to the parent's and asked them to sign to give us permission to help their children apply it. those that want special cream supply their own but this rarely applies. The children very soon learned how to apply the cream that we squeezed onto their hands and it it worked so much better than when they all supplied theri own and we had to wash our hands every time we used a different cream.

[amarrian]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. They've been very helpful