Sunlight for babies – US Govt 1933

Clipps from the PDF

The sun that tans the child’s skin helps him to grow normally.
It gives his body the power to use food so as to help build straight bones, strong muscles, and well-formed teeth.

A child needs the sun most when he is growing fastest—in babyhood and early childhood, he also needs the so-called “ bottled sunshine.” cod-liver oil. If the baby does not get enough sun and cod-liver oil, he may develop rickets; that is, his bones will not develop normally, his muscles will be flabby, and his skin will be pale, he may also be slow in teething and in learning to walk.

If the sun’s rays are to help the baby grow properly and to prevent rickets, they must fall directly on the skin and tan it.

The rays that tan the skin and prevent rickets—the ultraviolet rays—do not pass: through clothing nor through ordinary window' glass.

Every mother who wishes her baby to have robust health should give him regular sun baths from early infancy until he is old enough to play in the sun himself.
Sun baths may begin when the baby is 3 or I weeks old—in warm weather outdoors, in cold weather indoors at an open window.

Begin Sun Baths Early GIVE THE BABY A COAT OF TAN
The baby should get tanned all over, but the tanning should take place gradually.
Care should be taken not to burn him.
Some babies tan more quickly than others; some burn more easily.
Dark-skinned babies need more sun to tan them and to protect them from rickets than fair-skinned babies.

In warm weather sun baths should be given when the sun is not too hot—in the morning and late afternoon; in cold weather they should be given when the sun is warmest and the ultraviolet rays most intense—in the middle of the day.

A baby’s eyes will not be hurt by the sun unless they are turned directly toward it and are open. During the first month of life turn the baby’s head so that first one cheek and then the other is turned toward the sun and the eyes turned away from it. After this, if he lies with his feet pointing aw'av from the sun and his head slightly raised, the shadow of his forehead, eyebrows, and eyelids will shield his eyes.

SUNSHINE FOR OLDER CHILDREN
Now that so many children wear sun suits when the weather is warm, it is easy for them to get tanned.
Older children, as well as babies, need plenty of sunlight.
Get Children Used to Sunlight SPRING AND SUMMER SUN BATHS
Spring.—A baby born in the spring may begin sun baths by the middle of March or Ihe first of April in a large part of the United States—in the South even earlier. For his first outdoor sun bath let the sun shine on his face and hands for 10 to 15 minutes, with his cap pushed back or taken off. Each day lengthen the time—by 3 minutes for a fair baby and by 5 minutes for a dark baby. After the face and hands are used to exposure, roll up the sleeves. Soon the stockings may be taken off; then the dress, shirt, and band. After a month or two the baby should be getting half an hour of sun in the morning and half an hour in the afternoon, wearing only a diaper. Spring sun baths are best given in the late morning and early afternoon.
By fall the baby should be well tanned

Fall and Winter sunbathing
Longer sun baths are needed in fall and winter than in spring and summer, because in fall and winter the ultra-violet rays are weak. In cold weather a sun bath can be given indoors near a window opened at top or bottom, the baby lying in the patch of sunlight coming through the open space. By holding her own hands in the sun the mother can tell how warm it actually is. The room should be heated and the doors closed to prevent drafts. Watch the baby carefully and cover him if the sun goes behind a cloud.

At the first indoor sun bath let the sun shine on the baby's face, hands, and arms for 15 to 20 minutes; after a few days uncover his legs also. Lengthen the sun bath gradually until it lasts 1 to 2 hours. When the sun is warm enough, even the baby’s shirt may be taken off. In the coldest weather it may be better to give two short sun baths a day instead of one long one.

After a baby is used to indoor sun baths, he can begin outdoor ones very early in the spring.
On many sunny days in fall and winter the baby should be put outdoors in the middle of the day for a long sunning on face and hands.

PDF is attached at the bottom of this page

Interesting: The govt in 1931 believed, as I do, that even the winter sun provides benefit.

Is there really a UV winter
Heliotherapy treated children – 1926 shows chldren being treated by heliotherapy even with snow on the ground

See also VitaminDWiki

Items in both categories Infant-Child and Noontime sun and D are listed here:

Overview Pregnancy and vitamin D which has the following table May 2012

IU	Cumulative Benefit	Blood level	Cofactors	Calcium	*$/year**
400	Less Rickets (but not zero with 400 IU) 3X less adolescent Schizophrenia Fewer child seizures	20-30 ng/ml	Not needed	No effect	$3
2000	2X More likely to get pregnant naturally/IVF 2X Fewer dental problems with pregnancy 8X less diabetes 4X fewer C-sections (>37 ng) 4X less preeclampsia (40 ng vs 10 ng) 5X less child asthma 2X fewer language problems age 5	42 ng/ml	Desirable	< 750 mg	$15
4000	2X fewer pregnancy complications 2X fewer pre-term births	49 ng/ml	Must have cofactors	< 750 mg	$75
6000	Probable: larger benefits for above items Perhaps prevent 2nd autistic child clinical trials underway Just enough D for breastfed infant		Must have cofactors	< 750 mg	$85

The bright _ and dark _ side of the sun May 2012 -had the following nice sentences
The American Academy of Dermatology recommends leaning toward the phobic.
The academy maintains there is no safe amount of sun when it comes to skin cancer risk.
American Academy of Pediatrics (2011)
“Infants younger than 6 months should be kept out of direct sunlight and covered with protective clothing and hats.”
Most sunscreens actually increase the growth of skin cancer - May 2010
Overview Suntans and melanoma