Erla,

My daughters, 7 & 5 yrs, (both ssw CAH) burn early in the season even when wearing spf 40 but a few days of sun exposure and their skin tans.  This is very much like my reaction to the sun and I am only a carrier of CAH.  They do not handle the heat very well and since we seem to live outside in the spring and summer, we combat this with lots and lots of water and sports waters with electrolytes.  If we keep them hydrated, they fair well outside.  We just have to make sure we press the issue of hydration if they are playing at a friend’s house.

To add something to Karen’s question about salty tears.  My girls have very salty tears.  In fact if they cry or sweat, they leave white tear or sweat marks.  The rim of their sun visors are often white.  They also crave extra salt (salt on EVERYTHING! and lots of pickles and pretzels with kosher salt) in the warm months.  We do not limit them, we figure they are eating what their body is telling them they need.  Their blood pressure has always been normal.  Our endo has assured us this is ok, as their fluid and salt intake is being replaced and their labs are fine.

Best wishes to all of you!

Tonia