Sun Safety: There’s Still Lots of Summer Left!
Article by Sue Sinclair, sharing her sun safety tips.
The Slow Road into Summer
After a ridiculously long winter and what many people have coined “Junuary”, how lovely for summer to have finally found Vancouver. Go figure I’m halfway around the world and have only seen le soleil for about three to four days out of the last month or so. It’s somewhat ironic then that I’d be writing an article about sun safety when I’m popping Vitamin D tablets due to our lack of warm sunshiny rays. Having grown up in Winnipeg and having a husband from Slip-Slop-Slap Australia, I’ve got a pretty darn good idea of what to do when it comes to protecting yourself from the sun, though. Gone are the days of sitting in my parents backyard tanning myself with baby oil.
As it happens, I’m currently en route to Tenerife in the Canary Islands where the forecast is for 0% precipitation, clear skies and very warm temperatures. As welcome as this sounds after months of wet and cold weather, we will be taking several precautions to ensure we are practicing sun safety. Limiting exposure is likely our best bet, particularly during the sun’s strongest hours. All the same, it will be hard to contain the children who went ga-ga over the pool at the hotel we are staying in. We’ve been bundled up in long pants, multiple layers, outerwear and carrying umbrellas for so long, it will be very nice to don some shorts, skirts, dresses and flip flops.
Stepping up Our Sun Safety
In anticipation of our stay off the coast of Africa, we packed our wet shirts and hats for the kids and ourselves and we tend to leave our hats on even when we are in the ocean or pool to make sure we keep our head and face covered up as much as possible. Not knowing what we would find in the way of organic sunscreens here, we took no chances and brought our beloved Green Beaver lotion and our Badger face stick with us and will lather up before we venture out and reapply after being in the pool. We only wish Green Beaver’s new spray sunscreen had been available so that we could bring it, too.
Hydration is also a key, and again we brought our water vessels with us in the way of our kleen kanteens and our vapur bottles. The kids seem to instinctively want to drink water most of the time. Still, we are definitely going to have to remind them to keep drinking and increase their consumption now that we are in a place where the sun shines.
No matter where you are in the world, the same sun safety measures apply. So let the sun shine in, face it with a grin, keep your beach bag stocked with these essentials and everyone will win.
Raspberry Kids
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Sue Sinclair is the Chief Executive Mom at Raspberry Kids, a local Vancouver lifestyle store where you will find fresh, healthy and fun products for little ones and families. She’s also a very proud Vancouver mom of two Vancouver Kids.
