Backpack Essentials: Sandwiches & Sunscreen
As you know, I’m a newbie school mom. YES!!! Ryder is officially one of those cute little kids you see running around a neighbourhood school yard. Cue the “ooohs!” and “awwws!”
However, a newbie school mom, roughly translated, also means that I have NO idea about:
1) Parking lot etiquette. Do I smile at the other parents? A polite nod hello? Or do I rush up and introduce myself, apologizing in advance if Ryder pinches their darling little girl?
2) Teacher etiquette. K, some of these ladies look like gals I’d like to hang with. Do I tell them, “Call me Lena, please” – and ask the French teacher where she got her highlights? Or do I solemnly nod and keep it totally professional?
3) Snack etiquette. Ryder likes to nosh on strips of raw green pepper, sliced pickles and radishes. Would I be messing with his social life if I sent along his favourite snack foods? Perhaps I should stick to grapes and Goldfish Crackers?
(It’s plain to see that I have a lot of questions around etiquette. Yes, I tend to be overly concerned about what others think. Hopefully as Ryder settles in, so will his Mommy.)
One of the things this newbie school mom is incredibly thankful for: the school’s “Backpack Essentials” list. It allows me to ensure I’ve sent Ryder to school prepared and ready to get to work sit in the circle and play with pom poms. The list was fairly straight forward – a snack, outdoor shoes, etc – but I was quite surprised to see this:
“A bottle of sunscreen and a hat for outdoors.”
I mean, WOW – it never would’ve occurred to me in a million years to send (or apply) sunscreen before and during school. I equate sunscreen with summertime, not school days! And besides, don’t children spend most of their time indoors?
Turns out, yes, they do spend a lot of time indoors, but when they are outside – especially during lunch/recess breaks – they happen to be outdoors at the time when UV rays are at their strongest. With the temperature still hovering around 30°C with the humidity in Toronto, I don’t have to tell you that an unprotected child can burn in less than 15 minutes. In fact, children are exposed to UV rays all year round (even in winter when it’s freezing cold outside). Hence, even though the kids have traded swimming trunks for school threads, sun protection must be at the forefront of safe outdoor play – which includes school yard fun, too.
And here’s a scary little bit of information: It’s no secret that the skin of babies and young children is sensitive and vulnerable to the sun’s rays. The Canadian Dermatology Association recommends keeping young children out of direct sunlight between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun’s rays are most intense.
REALITY: Almost all of the time spent outdoors for children attending school is between these peak UV hours.
So what can you do? Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen designed specially for babies or young children with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 60, and make sure it’s waterproof, hypo-allergic and non-irritating. Many sunscreens come in a variety of formats to choose from: whipped mousse, continuous spray or lotion.
To get the most out of your sunscreen, apply it 30 minutes before going outside so it is fully absorbed by the skin. Make it part of your morning ritual with the kids – before the shoes go on, protect their skin from the sun. Apply liberally, and don’t forget to apply to the ears, nose, and all other areas that are vulnerable to UV rays.
Finally, send along another bottle of sunscreen for reapplication before lunch/final recess if your child’s school permits it. Show your child how to apply the product (I suggest using the lotion – unless you want them to make mousse cakes or trigger the spray until it’s over) – or, if they’re younger, ask if their teacher will help apply it before sun exposure.
Ryder is only in school half days this year, so I’ve decided to give him a generous coat of sunscreen before we leave for school, and leave it at that. I’m really, really glad it was on the “what to pack” list – had I not seen it, it likely would have never crossed my mind.
Tell me: Do you protect your child with sunscreen before/during school?
I apply sunscreen in the morning for my school age daughter. I don’t send one to her school though. When she is at daycare, we do have to send one. I spend so much on sunscreen, one for each kid at daycare and one for home, three in total.
Ryder looks so proud to be going to school. How was his first day? Did he/you cry?
I can certainly imagine how much sunscreen a mama of three must go through! Good for you for keeping on top of it, though – it’s so important to keep them well protected. And Ryder absolutely cried on his first day, and so did I (I just didn’t let him see me fall apart). It was really new for him since it was the first time he’d ever been “on his own” in 4 years, but he’s better every day, and the teacher was really pleased with his social progress. Thanks for asking!
Correction: mother of 2! Three would drive me over the edge. lol! The sunscreen at home is for the weekends.
Haha yes I re-read your comment and understood it the second time around. And I’m with you – three would definitely drive me batty!
Ah, back to school. Did the same on Sept 4th, took my 8 year old back to Elementary School – Grade 4. He is adorable with his big smile. Seemed happy to go back to see his friends. Always am prepared with bandages/hat/lypsyl/sunscreen/little mittens. Now where are my house keys ?
LOL I love it! I feel exactly the same way when walking out the door with my little guy :)
It’s great that the school is encouraging parents to send sunscreen. We can’t do that at Aidan’s school, I can only apply it before he goes to school. It is something that I never thought of, until he started going to school. It’s so important!!
And with regards to the snack situation, send him with what he likes! The parents might actually thank you for setting good examples for their own children (it’s happened to me!) Aidan goes to school with a container of bell pepper slices every single day, and always has fruit with it too. He loves the stuff, and I love filling his tummy with it :)
Thanks for your advice ;) Sending him with green pepper strips on Monday!
I gave up on sunscreen-ing the kids by senior kindergarten. Now it’s only when they are on full-day-at-the-beach type of field trips.
Interesting! Any particular reason why Caroline?
Oh sunscreen is so important! Having to reapply gets annoying though haha
Yes, it does :) But like you said, it’s important!
My daughter’s school sends home a note in the spring-time when it starts to warm up reminding us to put sunscreen on our kids and send them with a hat on hot days. Never at the beginning of the year though. But, we live in Northern Ontario so we don’t have to worry too much about the kids coming home with a sunburn. I mean, we’ve got a seeeeeerious lack of vitamin D here! Currently, as I send my kid to school this morning, it is 4 degrees, there is frost outside, and I am more worried about remembering the touqe and gloves!
Oooh that does NOT sound like my kind of September :( Glad the school sends a reminder though!
I never really thought about sun screen for school. It’s a good thing to do
It absolutely is Denise!
Neat post!