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It's your responsibility as much as the carer's
Although we traditionally think of January and February as being the hot months, September and October can often be sweltering and catch us all a little unprepared. So it's important to get into the swing of good sun care for your child (and yourself), whether he or she is at home, in child care or at school.
According to the Cancer Council, children and babies are at particular risk of sunburn and skin damage because of their delicate skin. Exposure to UV radiation during the first 15 years of life greatly increases the risk of developing skin cancer later in life.
Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. Almost 2 in 3 people who spend their life here will develop some form of skin cancer. There are more than 1800 deaths from skin cancer in Australia every year. In 2008 in NSW, melanoma was the most common cancer in males aged 25-54 and in females aged 15-29.
So it's incredibly important to instil the importance of being Sun Smart at a very early age. And if your children are in child care, do not rely on the child care centre or service to do your job for you. So as well as making sure your child is correctly clothed and has sun screen applied, it's important to get them in the habit of sun care as early as possible.
- Let them have a go at applying sunscreen in front of the mirror.
- Use a coloured sunscreen so they can see where they're applying it and where they've missed. Most brands now have coloured screens for kids.
- Teach them which are the particularly vulnerable areas, such as under the eyes, shoulders, exposed hands and feet.
- Instigate some basic rules like “no hat, no play”. This will also prepare them for child care and school regulations.
They'll soon be reminding you about applying sunscreen and telling you which bits you've missed!
That said, child care centres are also responsible for the health and safety of your child while in their care, and when you enrol your child into a child care service, expectations of their sun smart duties should be agreed.
Responsibilities of child care provider:
- To provide adequate shade in outdoor play areas.
- To regularly apply sunscreen to children who play outside.
- To provide regular water breaks for children to avoid dehydration.
- To remove any child from an outdoor area if they are displaying any signs of over exposure to the sun.
Parent responsibilities:
- To adequately clothe your child for sun exposure, i.e.
- Long sleeves or T-shirts that cover shoulders - NO SUN TOPS OR SINGLETS no matter how much your little girl wants to wear her favourite suntop!
- Sun hat with a wide brim all the way around OR a legionnaire style hat with neck protection.
- To generously apply sun screen (Broad Spectrum SPF30+ is a minimum - best is SPF50) before dropping them off at child care
- To provide additional sunscreen in their bags if required
- Provide adequate water for the day. Usually this will be provided by the child care service but in cases of excursions etc you must provide both food and drink.
There have been a few cases in Australia where child care providers have been negligent in providing kids with adequate sun care. It's not very common, but if you suspect or become aware your child is not receiving adequate sun care at child care and you have fulfilled your responsibilities, you must take it up with the management. Sunburn and sunstroke in children is very serious.
Is Your Child Care Centre SunSmart?
Early childhood services across Australia can also be awarded SunSmart status and acknowledged for their past and ongoing efforts around skin cancer prevention.
To learn more about the program in your state or territory call Cancer Council Helpline on 13 11 20 or visit the website. It's a valuable program for everyone.
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