No type in particular; this is a lifelong observation. I think the stuff we were using last summer was Coppertone, but we buy whatever brand we find on sale when we need it. The instructions on every sunscreen I've ever looked at say to reapply after a few hours, too.jmra wrote:What kind of sunscreen are you using? A generous coating of waterproof spf 50 should last all day. I used to spend 10 hrs a day on a flight line with a single application in the hot Southeast without burning and I am very light complected.MotherBear wrote:I'd like to know more about the nature of the field trip. If it was an outdoor activity in the sun all day, I can say from personal experience that one application of sunscreen wouldn't be enough for me. I burn easily and have frequently gotten burned due to forgetting to reapply sunscreen (usually at the beginning of the summer when I've gotten complacent). It doesn't have to be a water activity; a day at the zoo or a field day without much shade would do it too. When you figure in the time between when the girl left home and when she was likely getting the most sun exposure, applying it before school just isn't an adequate option. Usually about 4 hours is the limit, assuming water isn't involved. If sunscreen was applied even as late as 8 a.m., it'd be wearing off early enough that she wouldn't have protection from afternoon sun.
To be fair, I don't wear sunscreen every time I go outside. But if I'm going to be out in the sun for several hours at this time of year, I WILL burn if I do not apply and reapply sunscreen. My oldest has my complexion and is the same way.
But, if I felt that my child needed additional applications you can bet your bottom dollar I would be on the field trip applying that application myself.
To be clear, I wouldn't be suing the school over this, or probably even going to the media, but I would be talking to people about getting the policy changed or otherwise figuring out a solution. It's hard for me to say exactly what I'd do because I personally grew up mostly outside the school system and have never thought of it as a place I would be inclined to send my children. So my default solution is that I don't like their rules and we're just going to stay away from the whole mess. If I didn't have a choice or didn't like that choice, I'd have to get more creative. Maybe like you say, I'd be on the trip to take care of things myself (although there are few things I hate worse than running into school field trip groups, and not every parent has that option). Or maybe I'd be talking to the teacher, the principal, the nurse, the school board, or whoever has a say in this. Not being nasty, just talking to the people who can fix my problem. Sunscreen is considered pretty common sense these days, and the instructions on the product say to reapply, so it should be pretty straightforward. Do they need a note from me or from a doctor? I can do that. Is there a "safe" brand of sunscreen I can buy? If it works and doesn't cost its weight in gold, I can do that. There has to be a better solution than disallowing sunscreen.