The recent unseasonal weather has done nothing to dampen the spirit for bureaucratic edicts as some schools and early years settings have been warned about the danger of applying suncream to children.
On first read, these guidelines might appear to be prompted by the risk of allergic reaction to the cream, but the small print tells a different story.
Teachers in Derby have been advised by the city council to supply maximum factor suncream to spray on to children's skin but not rub it in, for fear of being accused of inappropriate contact.
Tricia Pritchard, professional officer at the Professional Association of Nursery Nurses, which is based in Derby, greeted the guidelines with disdain. 'The people sending out these directives do not understand practitioners' work - practitioners are far more professional than that,' she said. 'We have not issued a touching policy, but we urge everyone to use common sense.
Practitioners who look after babies have to change nappies and put on cream every day. Bans are just not workable.
'Many parents say they want their children to be protected and they want to trust staff and have their children look upon staff as trustworthy and kind rather than someone to be suspicious of.'
Jennie Lindon, psychologist and early years consultant, believes the guidelines are 'ridiculous' because schools and nurseries, after all, have to provide appropriate care. 'If children can't put on cream themselves then that's what staff should help them do,' she says.
Isolating men
Warnings such as the ones on applying suncream can create suspicion, says Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent. 'It's a horrible idea that we're going down this road. It is turning normal aspects of life into problems,' he says.
'The people inventing these rules must spend all their time thinking what could possibly go wrong. It gives the impression there are lots of predators out there who harm children.'
Male practitioners may be particularly anxious about accusations of inappropriate contact and this can make them refrain from cuddling or touching children. Peter Moss, professor of early childhood provision at the University of London's Institute of Education, says, 'My suspicion is that men are more wary than women and not as comfortable about contact with children. It is difficult to get it right - how to touch, what is appropriate, what could be misread? Some men avoid touch so that they are not put in the position of being on the receiving end of allegations.
'This is something that is not discussed in training. Colleges need to take it on board much more. Gender is a massively obvious question in this field. The problem is that such issues are only discussed if a man is working in the setting, which can put a number of men into difficult situations.'
Julian Grenier, head of Kate Greenaway Nursery School in Islington, London, agrees. 'It's important to discuss these issues as a staff team and not leave it up to the individual's judgement, which can make people feel unsure and isolated. The issue should be, how do we feel about this as a whole staff and what will we do?'
On her visits to early years settings Jennie Lindon has noted that it is not just men who are becoming worried about touching. 'There is a serious concern and over-reaction about touching,' she says. 'I have visited a few early years settings that have a wariness about cuddling, and some schools now have no-contact policies. This is explained as serious concerns about child protection and fear of being accused of inappropriate touching and sex abuse.'
Against instincts
But what about the children themselves? How do such guidelines and policies on contact affect them?
'Guidelines like this create an awkward relationship between adults and children,' says Professor Furedi. 'All our instincts tell us to cuddle, but rules like this can inhibit behaviour and then children pick up on it. Children can find themselves in the situation when they cuddle their mother, father and grandparents but only these specific people.
'There are many times when children appreciate physical closeness, but we could be giving off signals that a cuddle is private and only something to be done with certain people.'
Professor Furedi is also concerned that the quality of the daycare experience could be undermined if carers are unable to form close bonds through touch. 'If children's early years experiences do not involve physical contact, then it may be disorienting and affect the rest of their life.'
'How can children learn how safe adults behave, unless safe adults touch?' asks Ms Lindon.
'Children need males and females in caring roles and it is important that they see affectionate men. It is not OK to be suspicious of men. If male carers are wary of having contact with children, then children can translate that into thinking that men don't cuddle. Do we want children to take that idea on?
'If contact is removed and a carer's body language says they are wary of coming near the child, or there is not a welcoming arm or hug, then children will think they're not liked and the adult does not care about them.
'Some children spend a lot of hours in daycare and there is the danger that they may become emotionally needy if adults back off from them. Children can then be put further at risk and become more vulnerable to people who do want to touch them in a dubious way.'
Kate Greenaway Nursery School does not have a specific policy on appropriate touch, but staff are encouraged to interact with children in a respectful way. 'I think it might be a very difficult policy to draw up because once you start putting things in writing, more and more issues come up,' says Mr Grenier.
'For me, there are three key approaches on this. First, if parents are always welcome to come into a nursery setting, then they can see how children are comforted, lifted and handled throughout the day. Second, the child protection policy needs to state clearly what type of physical contact is inappropriate.
Third, there is the principle that touch should be initiated by the child. In other words, practitioners should not be going around scooping young children up in their arms and cuddling them. They should respect the child's space and autonomy - but when the child wants or needs a cuddle or a lap to sit on, the practitioner, like any good parent, should offer this.'
Close bonds
The fundamental importance of touch to young children cannot be underestimated. 'Physical touch has been shown to calm and bring emotional stability. As a species we need it, it's incredibly important,' says Ms Lindon.
'Touch says, "I care about you, I'm pleased to see you, I notice that you're upset, I'm listening to you, I am a safe place". This is crucial, up into the early years of school. Children learn through close, affectionate relationships.
If they are not able to make close bonds of affection then their emotional development is put on hold.'
Early years consultant Ann Lang- ston agrees. 'People are rightly anxious, and there are cases of children being touched inappropriately and we have to guard against that. But touch is significant for a child's emotional and physical well-being. We know, for example, that according to Dr Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami, "babies who are deprived of touch can experience severe growth delays".
'Touch in the context of care is very important, and we should teach people who work with children that appropriate touch is healthy, although it is always necessary to be respectful of a child's wishes.'
The role of touch in caring for very young children is recognised in the Birth to Three Matters Framework, and the term 'Snuggle in' is used to describe giving a warm and responsive attachment to a child through making physical contact, explains Ms Langston. 'It might be that the child snuggles under the carer's arm or wants to get on their lap, or some children just want to rest their head against someone,' she says.
'Stroking a cheek, holding a finger, stroking heads, giving a pat, blowing raspberries - all these actions are important as long as the child is happy.
They are ways with which close people interact with babies and children and are all features of what it is to be human.'