Toddler mask reaction

[Whosaysyoucanthaveitall]

I have no problem wearing a mask, I think it’s a social responsibility - even if they don’t prove to have a medical impact if they make another person feel more secure, it’s worth a few moments of overheating.
But I feel an overwhelming sadness that this is the world that my DD is living in. She’s just turned two and has been trying on masks when she’s been playing. Today I was about it pop into a shop carrying her and she touched my face to show me I need to put a mask on. It’s great that she finds it normal, I guess I’m just sad she has to think that!
Am I the only one?

why is that sad?

DS is the same (20 months), he's taken one of my fabric masks and put it on his dinosaur. He is obsessed with hand sanitiser dispensers 'wash mummy' ..... It's worries me but I don't see how it's possible to avoid it other than not making a fuss about it.

My concern is that it'll develop into compulsive hand washing behaviour and thinking about germs/things being dirty if it all goes on too long

@KarlKennedysDurianFruit my daughter is the same with hand washing, it’s her favourite game and she loves sanitising her hands when she goes into shops and restaurants. She’s now going a step further and sanitising her cheeks . When she has wrinkles when she’s 30 I’ll know why!

I hear you. My DS is almost 3 and now asks why people aren’t wearing masks on tv. He wasn’t bothered about me wearing a mask in shops and on the bus initially (probably quite liked the novelty) but now if he’s a bit grumpy he cries and screams take your mask off off mummy. It’s just a bit grim tbh.

Toddlers have to listen to bombs falling, go to bed hungry with little chance of enough food the next day. Of course it's not what you planned for your child but if anything it should make you see how lucky we are, we've lived in a privileged bubble for so long. These are only fabric masks, we are not putting on gas masks and waiting for the bomb to drop. Rather than feeling sad use it as a chance to count your blessings.

It’s great she’s so resilient. We underestimate children sometimes.

Hand hygiene is a good thing and not something toddlers are normally good at, as long it doesn't get obsessive.

@Morfin I hear what you’re saying but I actually grew up in a war zone, where I didn’t sleep at night at a young age because I was afraid soldiers were going to come and take my dad. Bombs, soldiers and war were a common theme until I was 18. Childhood fears take a very long time in adulthood to get over. I’ve lived through the impact of not having a blessed childhood.
Obviously being Covid secure is nothing in comparison, but as a parent it saddens me to see something that could lead to issues in later life.

It's completely normal for children's play to reflect the world around them. It's their way of making sense out of it, so of course they'll play at putting masks on and washing hands. My ds (7 so not a toddler) spent ages playing at making a vaccine and injecting all his toys. I was a bit by that but was reassured that processing things through play is very healthy.

I was concerned about this so made a big joke of it “doesn’t mummy’s mask look funny!” etc, but might have gone a bit OTT as now she points and laughs at practically everyone wearing one.

As Morfin says, it could be so much worse. My DD 16 has had her whole life cancelled this year, GCSES, prom, holidays etc...and I can't get upset about it (obviously I feel for her but she is also v realistic about it all). People in other countries are dealing with a pandemic on top of an already unimaginably difficult life. It's a situation we're all dealing with and that won't last forever. It's really not that sad to wear a mask.

@ChristmasinJune that is so sweet that he’s playing at making a vaccine!!

Just seen you're update. But still think kids are resilient and they will be fine!

*your

I did stop and think this for a minute when my two year old made herself a pretend mask out of play doh yesterday.

But it's their way of making sense of what's going on in the world. It doesn't have to be big and scary unless we react that way.

[quote Whosaysyoucanthaveitall]@ChristmasinJune that is so sweet that he’s playing at making a vaccine!![/quote]
He had a surprisingly good grasp of what to do too!!

Let's hope this is a distant memory for them all soon.

My 4 year old hasn’t even mentioned the masks once... like he’s not even noticed!!! I asked him what corona virus is today and he shrugged and said not sure!! He’s in his own world and having a blast or he’s very dim...!

My daughter was a toddler during the big Foot & Mouth outbreak. She put bowls and 'mats' (tea towels) by some doors & made us wash our feet. She also put Elastoplasts on the feet of a toy pig . She wasn't damaged by it; she was just reflecting her world through play.

I feel really sad that young children are now living in a world where wearing a mask will be the norm . Facial expression is so important for everyone and it is how young children learn about feelings ie happy face ,sad face,angry face etc . My 7 month old grandchild burst into tears today when I put my mask on to go into a shop . Agree that children in different parts of the world have experienced far worse but I can only compare with what was normal less than a year ago here in the uk ...so yes I do feel sad .

I understand your concern and have weighed it all up in my own mind too. I think it all depends on our own attitude about them. My kids wanted to wear mine so I got them some with little unicorns. I don’t see that any different than them wanting to wear my high heels or lipstick. At the end of the day it’s about teaching them about social responsibility and safety. Is it any different than teaching them to look left and right when they cross a road? It’s something that keeps them safe but I don’t think my kids have nightmares about crossing the road.

Meh. There was a time when people though washing your hands at all was over the top and ridiculous. I think it's good kids are growing up with the understanding of contagious pathogens. DH parents dont understand that if you have d&v or flu you can pass it onto others, they just cant comprehend that it can pass between others, which means they get ill more and people they know get ill more.

I think it is sad there's a pandemic. But it doesn't follow your child needs to be sad themselves, and masks are just masks to a toddler.

The masks themselves are no.more traumatic than seat belts. The things we know about why masks are needed make them more upsetting for us as adults. But your DD doesn't know about covid deaths, hasn't seen the news images from ICU.

I hope in not too long you'll have a day where you put the masks away with your DD and say 'we don't need to wear these any more'.

I know exactly what you mean. It's not awful on the grand scale of things but it's sad. Like going shopping is sad now because you have to remember to keep your distance from people. It's sad that my 2yo knows she has to wear a mask on the bus. There are many sadder things in the world but this one is still sad.

[quote Whosaysyoucanthaveitall]@Morfin I hear what you’re saying but I actually grew up in a war zone, where I didn’t sleep at night at a young age because I was afraid soldiers were going to come and take my dad. Bombs, soldiers and war were a common theme until I was 18. Childhood fears take a very long time in adulthood to get over. I’ve lived through the impact of not having a blessed childhood.
Obviously being Covid secure is nothing in comparison, but as a parent it saddens me to see something that could lead to issues in later life.[/quote]
But someone suffering trauma isn’t comparing the situation to others’ - historically or in other countries - they don’t know necessarily what other people are going through. If something is traumatic for someone, it’s traumatic, regardless of what other people have lived through.

Obviously as adults we know we (children especially) are at much lower risk from Covid than those who lived through the blitz or whatever were. But the message on TV for a long time was very threatening, and everywhere you go there’s signs and sanitiser and masks and children are being told this is necessary to keep them ‘safe’. It feels quite unsettling walking round town etc, and lots of people on here still seem to be terrified of going out - presumably this fear is being transmitted to their children in some cases, knowingly or not. A y6 child I taught physically flinched if anyone came within 2m of her as they walked past. I do worry that children will grow up with an unhealthy attitude to germs, increased levels of OCD etc in the community etc. Good hand hygiene: good. An obsession that everyone else is dirty and may make you ill by walking past you: bad.