Have fun in the sun, but make sure you choose the right sunscreen that doesn’t harm marine life - Hayley Matthews

With the nicer weather now here I've been really careful about getting my boys to wear sun cream during the day, especially if they're outdoors playing at school and nursery. However, they're not the easiest to apply it to.

Choosing the right sunscreen for your kids can also benefit marine life

On a few occasions the cream has gone in my eldest son’s mouth and our youngest son has demanded I wipe it all off with a baby wipe! Both complain a lot.

Despite all the moaning, I still try vigilantly to get them covered in a sun protection factor. I think it's really important to get into a good habit with sun cream, especially for young ones, because once your skin is burnt it never feels the same and we've got to take care of it.

I have been partial to giving in to the temptation to lather myself in factor two carrot oil when the rays get a little warmer, but we need to remember that our children have sensitive skin and they're more prone to sunburn.

I had a bit of a fright recently when, even though my eldest son was wearing sun cream, that night he had a huge ring around his neck and it looked like it was sore. He'd been out playing rugby.

Even when we put sun cream on our kids it's so important to keep reapplying because they're much more prone to sunburn than us old leather-skinned golden oldies.

I am quite particular about my sun cream, however, and always go for the more chemical-free and less toxic ones.

They don't smell like your traditional creams and my eldest son has been complaining of the smell, which I have to admit does remind me of damp seaweed.

So to keep him happy I've switched to Green People, which is a more natural and organic sun cream and vegan-friendly too!

It absorbs fast and is easy to deliver effective sun protection when we're running out the door and it doesn't smell like seaweed!

My eldest son also has eczema and most creams irritate his skin, so this one has been a good find as it doesn't cause skin irritation or prickly heat.

And you'd probably be surprised if I told you it's not just us that we need to keep in mind when choosing a sun cream, because they can be damaging for marine life too.

I find it crazy to think that what we use to keep us safe from harmful sun’s rays is harming marine life in our seas. If the chemicals damage marine life, what's it doing to us?

It's worrying that scientists have discovered how some of the chemicals found in sunscreen and other personal health products threaten the health of coral reefs and marine life.

And keeping in mind that they are one of the most valuable ecosystems on Earth (they provide billions in economic and environmental services), I think it's worth researching your sun cream and paying a few pennies extra for a less chemical- laden product.

So if I can come to a compromise with my kids to use my sun cream that's made with 70 per cent certified organically grown ingredients and is sustainably sourced and they have nothing to complain about, then we're all happy - as long as the sun stays out!