As my family prepares to fly to the southwestern part of the United States for a vacation, I’m consumed with packing and preparing for the trip. A number one thought in my mind is how to best keep our baby cool in the hot temperatures while still protecting her from the sun’s rays. As we plan to spend some of our time sightseeing outdoors in temperatures in the mid 80’s to 90’s, this is a real concern.
Apparently, not every mother shares this concern. In a story that is sure to twist your stomach and cause emotions ranging from disbelief to anger, we hear about a mother who did not take precautions to protect her child from the sun.
A 29-year-old mother took her 5-month-old son on a vacation in England. The two spent the day at Brighton Beach during one of the hottest days of the year (temperatures reached the upper 70’s).
The baby was taken to The Royal Sussex Community Hospital by ambulance when local police noticed he was getting a sunburn. After reaching the hospital, he was found to have a sunburn on 40% of his body. The burn is expected to cause substantial pain and blistering.
What in the world was this mother thinking? With our society’s obsession with sun protection, you’d think she’d be clued in to the dangers of exposing a young child’s delicate skin to the sun. I’m all for letting children get a small amount of time of unprotected sun exposure, because it gives them necessary vitamin D; however, I limit this time to less than 15 minutes per day. One can only imagine how long this poor baby was in the sun before burning to the point of blistering.
No arrests have been made, but I have to think the mother will be charged with some sort of neglect, or at least issued a severe warning. I can only hope she learns her lesson and never repeats this mistake again.
All parents make mistakes, but this one seems inexcusable to me.
Related Blog:
Get your Daily Dose of Vitamin D