Do your kids frazzle at festivals?

When you go abroad, lots of sun cream is an essential. But do you always pack sunblock when heading to a festival? This year’s sun-baked Glastonbury finally put to rest the notion that every festival is an inevitable mudbath. Long scorching days in teh outdoors seem healthy but without proper protection from the elements, can cause short-term pain and long-term damage, epecially for delicate children’s skin.

New research from Nivea Sun shows that many parents don’t worry about sun damage to their kids’ skin from the UK sun. A startling one in five parents believing the UK sun is less damaging than the sun abroad. Nivea polled 1500 UK parents, and found that around 40 per cent of parents do not use suncream on their families during the UK summer. 

These figures are quite alarming, says Nivea brand manager Richard Duplock: “We want to encourage parents to protect their children when out in the sun to reduce the risk of long term skin damage.”

While the UK isn’t famous for its sunny, clear blue skies, there is still a risk of sunburn even on cloudy days, as up to 80 per cent of the sun’s rays can penetrate through light clouds.

• Worryingly, one in five parents don’t realise their children’s skin is sensitive to sun, and over half of all parents surveyed are unaware that repeated sunburn can cause long lasting damage to their children’s skin.
• 77% of parents don’t think pink or sore skin necessarily means sun damage, and
• over 1/3 of parents are unaware about the damage caused by peeling, red skin or blisters.
• Around 56% of families have experienced sunburn 1-3 times in the past 2 years.
• Part of the problem is that 1 in 3 parents believe suncreams provide complete 100% protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

“Children’s skin is sensitive to sun damage so parents need to choose a higher Sun Protective Factor (SPF) for kids than they do for themselves, and apply it very liberally,” says Professor Antony Young from King’s College London. “Take into consideration their age and skin tone – children with fairer skin need higher protection and a baby’s skin is extremely sensitive to the sun.” Despite this advice, 70% of parents don’t consider their kid’s age or skin tone when using suncream, with many using the same SPF for all the family.

So, our advice for a sunburn-free sunshine festival is:

• Bring lots of sunblock, including water-resistant and specialised hi-factor children’s versions.
• Don’t forget to keep topping it up throughout the day.
• Don’t forget shoulders, ears and Dad’s bald patch!
• Keep tiny babies out of direct sunlight at all times.
• During the hottest part of the day, either return to your tent for a siesta, or have a leisurely lunch in a tented cafe, or the kids’ tent.
• Take a UV beach shelter out to the arena.
• Wear UV-resistant sunglasses.
• Sunhats are a must for all ages. Try ones that tie beneath the chin to avoid losing them.

Also, don’t forget to take lots of water around with you, and all members of the family should drink enough to fend off dehyration. Beer and coffee are diuretics, so actually make you less hydrated.