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Well this is my first "article" I must say I am very nervous about posting it, but I guess here goes.... 
I was with my son at the park the other day when I noticed the complete lack of sun protection that parents use for their children
these days. I was especially surprised to see that even in the northern mallee district of victoria that I live in, parents would be so ignorant to the conditions and risks that they are exposing their unsuspecting children too. I would have thought with Australia having the highest rate of skin cancer in the world this would be enough reason to be proactive in the teaching your children about the importance of sun safety to avoid the mistakes of past generations.
Ever since my son was a very young age, I have always made sure that he wears his hat to go out side, he is always lathered up with 30+ sunscreen, as you need to remember that even if the day is overcast and not so warm the UV rays are still there and it is the UV rays that cause the most damage. He has always worn a "rashie" while swimming with a minimum spf of 50
With the wide range of products on the market (to suit all budgets...) there really, I think, is no excuse for such ignorance. I have recently enrolled my son into a new daycare facility and was impressed with the "sunsmart" policy that they have and I believe now that most, if not all childcare centres, Preschools and Primary schools have implemented the same sort of sunsmart policies, and for that I congratulate them.
With having said this I urge parents to become pro active in teaching their children sun safety and minimise the risks of skin cancer later in their life.
I recommend the following items and tips to becoming sunsmart..
1. 30+ Sunscreen (water resistant types last alot longer on the skin)
2. A wide brim hat that shades both the face and neck
3. Sunglasses to protect their eyes
4. A rashie (long sleeve is usually best) to swim in
5. Avoid staying out in the sun for long periods of time, especially in the "peak" times 10am to 2pm AEST and during daylight savings 11am to 3pm
6. If you are going to be outdoors make sure you have a good supply of water available to avoid dehydration
7. Make sure you reapply your sunscreen every couple of hours
8. Also make sure if you are going to be outdoors for extended periods of time that you have plenty of shade to rest in. If no shade is available you can now get these wonderful Pop-up sunshelters/Cabanas that are fantastic for all types of terrains, beach, river maybe even the backyard.
9. The best way possible to get your children to get into the habit of doing all of these things I think is "lead by example", if you are doing these things as well, it will make it alot easier for this to become a habit for your children
I recommend that if you are interested in learning more about the statistics or being sunsmart in general visit these websites they are both interesting and informative
www.sunsmart.com.au
www.cancer.org.au
Thanks for your time and I hope that I have helped out in some way.
Chelle
(January 2007) (
