Page 3 | Can you get a two year old to wear a mask?

Cornettoninja · 02/01/2022 15:16

@Svara

The best way to protect a child is to give them as normal childhood as possible, masking them teaches them to be fearful.

That’s just not true is it? Children follow our lead; if the adults around them make it an issue then they’re likely to be negatively affected. So things like adults going on about wearing a mask being abuse will colour their outlook.

Piccalino3 · 02/01/2022 15:18

I'm actually shocked that 2 year old are mandated to wear masks ever. I have a 2 year old and it makes me want to cry. Which States in the US are requiring this?

MajorCarolDanvers · 02/01/2022 15:19

People should really educate themselves on child abuse before flinging the term around so flippantly.

Onatree · 02/01/2022 15:19

As the parent of a little one turning 2 next month there’s nothing that would make me mask her. Myself and spouse absolutely - and at every required minute throughout this pandemic, but not our littles.

Metallicalover · 02/01/2022 15:19

@blablablablablablablabla
children have smaller airways, if you stick a very well fitted FFP3 on their face it's very hard to communicate, they cannot take it off if they're uncomfortable or struggling to breath! It's common sense!

Cornettoninja · 02/01/2022 15:20

it isn't natural human behaviour

I think you mean normal not natural. A lot of our normal behaviour is unnatural.
I'm trying to work out why this distinction matters?

@littlepeas well where do you draw the line? It’s not natural to use an asthma inhaler, it’s not natural to send your kids to school, it’s not natural to bind yourself legally to another person, it’s not natural to surgically remove an appendix. Natural and normal aren’t interchangeable are they?

Lairymary · 02/01/2022 15:21

You say it's because you want to get on a 1 hour flight. To reassure you a bit, my 2 year old has been on 5 x 2 hour flights since the pandemic started. Not once have they (or myself) caught Corona virus. On the last flight we had a chap that was very visibly suffering with a bad cold (presumably as it was uncomfortable for him ) he wasn't wearing a mask the whole journey. We didn't catch his cold either. The airline say that they filter the air every 2-3mins. However everyone's masks come off at snack time anyway!! I think it's very sad that you are even considering it.

ElectraBlue · 02/01/2022 15:22

Why on earth would you want to do that? ...

drspouse · 02/01/2022 15:23

So all the 2 year olds wearing them at day care in the US have been abused ?
Lots of US states have unsafe ratios such as 10:1 for two year olds, so yes it's possible for something to be both daycare policy and abusive.

monsterflake · 02/01/2022 15:28

My son has asd and if someone tried to force something over his face he would lash out then just rip it off anyway. He's 8 and at school so I couldn't just keep putting it back on. I think they say children of a certain age or with disabilities are exempt for a reason. If someone doesn't understand covid etc and the risks, having something that is restricting their breathing and personal space is distressing. Especially as its apparently OK (or it was, I don't know any more) to remove masks to eat and drink in public places. Masks aren't practical as a long term solution. Excuse the rant I'm just fed up with conflicting advice everywhere as I assume lots of people are.

Svara · 02/01/2022 15:29

That’s just not true is it?
Yes, I believe it is. You are teaching a child that they need protecting from a virus, that teaches them that it is something to fear.

LuchiMangsho · 02/01/2022 15:30

It was over 3 in the US state I was in. They weren't masked in daycare but when there was an outdoor masking mandate, he could happily wear it on the walk there, or to the park. No one was abused. I also live very close to a major pediatric hospital that specialises in cancer treatment for kids. Many of those kids were masked long before COVID was a thing. This whole thread is very dramatic.

littlepeas · 02/01/2022 15:34

@Cornettoninja

it isn't natural human behaviour

I think you mean normal not natural. A lot of our normal behaviour is unnatural.
I'm trying to work out why this distinction matters?

@littlepeas well where do you draw the line? It’s not natural to use an asthma inhaler, it’s not natural to send your kids to school, it’s not natural to bind yourself legally to another person, it’s not natural to surgically remove an appendix. Natural and normal aren’t interchangeable are they?

Ah ok. I wasn't sure what you meant within the context, as masks are neither natural or normal.

InFiveMins · 02/01/2022 15:36

Masking up a 2 year old is utterly pointless. What are you afraid of OP??

PinkSyCo · 02/01/2022 15:36

I had a battle getting my kids to keep their hats and gloves on at 2 let alone a mask! On another note I would feel really sad if I saw a tiny child masked up.

Lovemusic33 · 02/01/2022 15:37

Why would you want to make your 2 year old wear a mask? Sounds like cruelty to me. There’s no reason for them to wear one. The worlds gone crazy 😬

littlepeas · 02/01/2022 15:40

Just realised that cottonninja was being pedantic/correcting my use of language and not actually making any comment about whether it is normal/natural for human beings to cover half of their faces .

JustUseTheDoorSanta · 02/01/2022 15:41

2 is much too little for a mask; it's not just that an FFP2/3 mask would be too constricting but there is a huge risk that at 2 the motor skills aren't good enough to safely remove the mask in the case of breathing difficulties. It's much better that a child fiddles and takes the mask off than risk suffocation. It's important that the child needs to choose to wear it or not (with no being absolutely fine), so it's really going to be of limited value over long periods because the child will take it off (and if they can't it's unsafe!).

A simple cloth mask for brief periods such as doctor waiting area is fine for a 3 yo, maybe nearly 3 of the child can take it off, but the mask needs changing often when it gets licked. For a plane, if you are particularly concerned then you could have a cloth mask in very busy parts of the airport only plus for getting on the plane, then just put the overhead vents on in her seat and that airflow is enough protection. You'd need to check she can safely and quickly remove it carry lots of spares and be prepared she may just not want to wear it.

If nursery said DS had to wear one then we just wouldn't send him in, and it must be hugely damaging to developing language skills for those kids who are forced into this in the USA. Things can be criticised they occur elsewhere; I didn't approve of Spain not allowing children outside their flats for months back in 2020 either. Children are at lower risk from covid than adults; any impacts on them should be minimised as far as possible.

TenLittleDinos · 02/01/2022 15:42

Never tried and don’t intend to. Fucking madness.

JovialNickname · 02/01/2022 15:43

Why would you want to do that to your toddler?

Mulhollandmagoo · 02/01/2022 15:43

I wouldn't ever use any mask on my 2yo, purely because she wouldn't keep in on or leave it alone so defeats the object of them, I would also think an FFP3 mask would be a bit unsafe for such a young child? And not really necessary as everyone on planes will have tested before getting on the plane?

If you really do insist on a mask though I'd use wither a surgical one or a cloth one.

PurpleFrost · 02/01/2022 15:43

I live in Thailand and it's mandated that everyone over 2 wears a mask when out in public (even outdoors) except when eating or drinking. It's enforced as much by social expectation as anything else, I've never seen anyone TELL anyone to wear a mask in the street, but it is the done thing. You certainly can't enter a shop without one but how strict it 'feels' has changed with the ups and downs of each wave.

My youngest was born into covid and seen everyone around her, including siblings and other small children, wearing masks. She actively sought out wearing one by the time she was 18 months old. We have let her as she will probably need to wear them when she turns 2 (masks will not go away quickly in SE Asia!)

She just has thin paper ones and can easily take them off herself, but you'd be surprised how well a very young child can wear a mask if that's all they've ever known. I'm not saying it's right (it's pretty sad that she knows the word 'mask' when she is just learning to speak!) but in answer to the OP, yes, a 2 year old CAN wear a mask but I think it would be very difficult to make a child who isn't used to it suddenly start wearing one. If you want to use one on a flight, definitely introduce it earlier, make it something to play with and reward proper wearing etc. I don't know how to advise really, as my children have all worn them when out and about throughout covid and all the children here just learnt together and improved with practice!

For me, there is no point worrying about whether my children should or shouldn't be wearing one. It is just life here. They had never worn a mask pre-covid (neither had I) but they have to wear one if they want to leave the house, to go to school etc. We are lucky that they are able to play outside without masks, as we agreed in our compound to accept this risk as a group.

It isn't child abuse
Even before covid it was culturally normal here for small children to wear masks to protect against pollution when the air quality was especially bad, and also if they're just under the weather. It might seem alien to Brits but here, we are the ones considered gross and disrespectful if we DON'T wear a mask when we have a cold or whatever.

RickyZooom · 02/01/2022 15:44

Is your LO especially vulnerable? Otherwise I don’t see any reason to make a toddler wear a mask. You’ll do more damage trying to make them wear it than “saving” them from Covid.

KeyWorker · 02/01/2022 15:45

Where are you getting a 2 year old mask fit tested for FFP3? Where are you getting yourself mask fit tested for FFP3? Unless that type of mask fits 100% you may as well not bother using it. Also, you can’t take them on and off and re-use.

UpToMyElbowsInDiapers · 02/01/2022 15:47

This thread is bonkers. My 2-year-old masks up just fine to comply with regulations where I live in Canada, though I’m glad he doesn’t need to wear it all day at daycare.

It hasn’t made him fearful (oh how I wish that daredevil would develop the odd bit of fear!), his language acquisition is on par with most 3.5-year-olds, he doesn’t fiddle with the mask constantly for the short 30-or-so minutes he needs to keep it on, he certainly isn’t being abused. His 4-year-old sister is competent enough to put it on him and make the requisite adjustments. I ask him to put on a hat, he puts on a hat. I ask him to put on a mask, he puts on a mask. Out we go, no drama. Let’s all calm down. 😂