Jools Willis, a 37-year-old beautician from East Sussex, admits to spray tanning her 4-year-old daughter, Tate, to "boost her self confidence".

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The mum-of-four also says that two of her other children, son Chayce, 6, and daughter Darcie, 10, also have spray tans.

"Darcie is a dancer and when she does shows, the tan helps her under the stage lights. Beauty treatment help a child's confidence," Jools said, reports the Metro.

"Tate doesn't have spray tans for cosmetic reasons," she added.

According to Jools, Tate apparently has the spray tans so she can look like her big sister. However Tate has a different opinion, "I like having a spray tan because it makes me look good," she said.

Jools said that most kids that visit her salon wanting beauty treatments like spray tans want them to look like their mums. However she would draw the line at spray tanning 4-year-olds that weren't her own children.

"It is totally wrong to spray tan such young children," said Claudia Knight, director of child protection charity Kidscape.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, the American programme Toddlers and Tiaras has come under fire for showing a 4-year-old beauty pageant girl wearing lots of make-up and a fake bust and bottom. Miming to Dolly Parton, little Maddy Jackson also wore a peroxide blonde wig and a tight pink dress, showing off her "curves".

"I'm sure mothers who do this mean the very best for their children. But they are inadvertently playing into the hands of paedophiles, who treat children as sexualised beings," added Claudia.

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