Cate Blanchett has some very strong feelings about applying sunscreen to her 4-year old! In fact, she calls it the hardest part of parenting her four kids.
The Oscar-winning actress has been married to Australian director Andrew Upton since 1997 and together the pair share four children: sons 17-year old Dashiell, 15-year old Roman and 11-year old Ignatius as well as 4-year old daughter Edith. Cate had an interesting response when asked what she feels the hardest part of raising her large brood is.
“Trying to apply sunscreen to a 4-year-old,” she revealed to People. The 50-year old also added that sleeping with her toddler also presents it’s unique challenges. “[So is] being kicked in the head by all the small feet in my bed at 3 a.m,” she revealed.
Anyone who’s had to put sunscreen on an unwilling child knows that the struggle is definitely real. Luckily, there are a variety of strategies parents can employ to make this necessary step a little bit easier. For instance, according to Today, it’s easiest to apply sunblock to young children when they’re already strapped in their car seat. While it may not stop them from protesting, it will at least make it more efficient and less time consuming.
For older kids, the site advises that you should appeal to their vanity. Warn them that they’ll get as red as a tomato if they go sunblock-free. Of course, it’s also wise to inform them of the health side effects of not properly blocking out UV rays, like the possibility of developing a peeling sunburn or, even worse, melanoma.
Other tips include making sunblock application a ritual from an early age. Always advise your kids that it’s a necessary step they have to take if they want to play in the sun. Eventually, the habit will become so ingrained in them that they’ll be less resistant about it.
Even more, parents should consider other ways to protect their kids from the sun, particularly if they like to avoid sunscreen. Tell your child they need to wear long sleeves, pants, and hats if they hate sunblock. Don’t allow them to exit the shade if they haven’t done a thorough application. Or, opt to use a spray-on sunblock versus a traditional cream, as it can be quicker, less messy, and also more fun for kids.
It doesn’t matter how you get your kids to apply sunscreen so long as they’re wearing it!