Yes, I know, the British summer is usually disappointing and that's why it always catches us unawares. It feels like only about six weeks ago that we were walking the South Downs (Devils Dyke to be precise) in three feet of snow!
It's been a perishing spring and suddenly without any warning it's summer and we've all got burnt! On Sunday I spent an hour in the garden (maybe two) and my back is now a deep burnt orange. I forgot to put the suncream on and really, genuinely believed there was no need, so I feel for the mother whose baby was found by community officers on Brighton beach and is now recovering in hospital news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8703596.stm
It seems to me that we seem to 'catch'the sun an awful lot quicker than when I was younger and so all parents need to be extra vigilant when it comes to looking after their babies and young children and protecting them from the sun. I remember many years ago when my family were very young and we went on Euro Camp to France http://www.eurocamp.co.uk/ The sun shone and we had a wonderful time except that my son who is fair skinned got sunburnt- even though I smothered him in sunscreen and covered him up in T- shirt and shorts. That evening he complained of feeling hot and sunburnt and I put caladryl on his back- (not sure why I didn't use Calamine!) The instructions said not to put it on broken skin, which it wasn't, but within seconds he was screaming and we had to run to the communal showers to cool him down. The next day his back had calmed down but he retained a butterfly like mark on his back which scabbed over just like a true burn. I worry to this day about the damage that might have done and pray he never gets melanoma. So, I suppose the moral of this tale is that you have to be extra extra vigilant when taking your babies and young children into the sunshine. Keep them covered with T-shirts, shorts and sun protective swimwear http://www.sun-togs.co.uk/page.home . Use at least factor 30 sunscreen and smother your babies and children in it. Keep your babies in the shade and use umbrellas and hats at all times. Remember, their skin is a lot more sensitive than an adult's, but the effects of sunburn can last a lifetime
