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Back to school: How to help kids get used to wearing masks

Back to school: How to help kids get used to wearing masks
Kids aren’t typically at high risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

With many states considering reopening schools from next month, it is important to teach kids how to wear masks properly.

Written by Longjam Dineshwori |Updated : August 14, 2020 5:52 PM IST

Social distancing, hand hygiene and wearing mask are the best preventive measures to protect yourself and others from the COVID-19 infection until a vaccine arrives. Wearing a face mask is not a new thing for those working in the healthcare sector. But it can become pretty uncomfortable with others, who are not used to donning it. Given the present health crisis, people are being compelled to adapt to the new normal of wearing masks in public places. While adults can learn to get used to it, it can be a little tricky for kids. With many states considering the reopening of schools from next month, it has become more important now to make your kids understand the significance of wearing a mask during the pandemic and how to use it properly.

As children will be required to wear a mask at schools, we thought of helping worried parents by offering some experts tips on making kids comfortable with face coverings.

Let them know the benefits of wearing a mask

Don't persuade or force them to wear a mask. Instead, encourage them to do it by themselves by explaining to them the benefits of using face coverings. Use simple and age-appropriate language while talking to your kid about the ongoing pandemic. Tell them that this is the need of the hour and that we all have to fight it together. Also, let them choose their own mask so that they get excited about it and feel a sense of ownership.

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Make them start practicing from now on

Don't take the practice session too seriously or make it a compulsion for your kids. Do it in a fun way. For example, give them a mask or fabric and let them put it on their toys (stuffed animals could be the best models for their experiment), before trying on themselves.

Show them how to wear it correctly by doing it yourself. Children often copy what their parents do, and so if don't wear a mask, it will be difficult to convince them to take the preventive measure.

But ask them what they think about this new normal and what issues they face while donning the mask so that you can look for other ways to make it more comfortable/ less uncomfortable.

Are masks safe for small children?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) just released new guidance that says all children who are 2 and older, including those with underlying health conditions, can safely wear masks.

Masks can keep your kids safe from infections, especially when they are around other kids. It can also reduce the spread of COVID-19 AAP said.

Like adults, kids can wear the mask as long as they need to according to experts at the AAP.

Parents have many concerns about making kids wear face masks. Some people think that face coverings can make it harder for kids to breathe, or interfere with their lung development, or they may become less attentive in school. These are all myths, according to the AAP.