Mum, let your newborn sunbathe for 30 minutes a day

Mums like to keep their newborns in the shade when the sun is shining.  It’s a natural instinct, but just 30 minutes of sun on baby’s face every day could make a big difference to their health.

Getting some sunshine in the first year of life is key, and the same goes for the mum-to-be who should be doing a little sunbathing before the birth, and especially during the second trimester.  Like baby, she should also be getting at least 30 minutes of sun every day during the summer months.

Researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have been looking at the impact of sunshine on multiple sclerosis (MS), although it can protect against a range of health problems.  For their study, the researchers recruited 334 children and adolescents, aged between four and 21, who suffered from MS, and who hadn’t suffered a relapse or experienced their first relapse in four years.

During the three years of the study, 206 suffered a relapse—but it happened in only 34 of the 75 children who had had 30 minutes to an hour of sun exposure in their first year.  Sun exposure reduced the risk of relapse from 65 percent to 45 percent, the researchers estimated.

Mothers who also had sun exposure while they were pregnant reduced the risk of MS relapse in their child by 32 percent.

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