Children and masks.

[QueenofmyPrinces]

Is anyone using masks for their young children?

I’m referring particularly to children aged 5, 6, 7 etc

I don't know how the masked up children will process being in non-masked schools come September.

I doubt very much it will even cross their minds unless an adult mentions it. As I said my dd wears a mask once maybe twice a week for 5 minutes when we pop to a shop. The rest of the 167 hours and 50 minutes are mask free so I doubt there will be any thought going in to it.

I think because test and trace say that Close Contact (so at risk of picking up the virus) is defined as being within 6 feet of someone for a minimum of 15 minutes, I find it hard to understand why young children would pose a risk to others, especially when they are very unlikely to even have the virus.

I can’t think of a situation in a shop where my young child would be constantly near someone for more 15 minutes.

Does anyone think mask wearing will at any point be enforced in schools?

I can’t see how the Government can say that even if you walk into a shop to pick up a take away you have to wear a mask, but it’s perfectly fine for 100’s of children to be around each other 7 hours a day, alongside the teachers and all the other school staff members, and not wear masks.

If children were required to wear masks then I know my son would have no problem wearing one - bar the usual childhood moans I imagine

I have a feeling that mask wearing is going to be around for a very long time and there’s no way of knowing if schools fully returning with no masks being worn will cause more outbreaks. I really hope not but we will all just have to go with the flow I guess.

We have told mine that staying in (during lockdown), staying 2m away from people, wearing masks, washing hands, coughing into your elbow etc are all things that we can do to reduce risk of covid spreading - but can have potential downsides as well - even washing your hands too often can be a problem if they’re getting sore etc. So the right thing to do depends on the risk at any particular time / place / to any particular person and also the downsides of doing the thing. At the start we all stayed in the whole time because a)lockdown and high levels in the community and b) my younger daughter was shielding. Now we need to go out - and they will need to go back to school in September - we explain this by explaining changing risk and that the downsides of not going out (mental health, isolation etc) now outweigh the risks of going out by a lot.
Mask wearing in shops etc - doesn’t hurt us, doesn’t change what we can do there. Mask wearing in schools would because we can’t talk to other people as easily etc. So also we don’t wear masks if seeing friends. But we would if their personal risk was different and they wanted us to. And on balance we’re going to do anything we can that reduces risk (or might) but doesn’t have a bad effect to balance. Brief mask wearing in shops absolutely in that category. That’s how we also explain other people not doing it e.g. because of sensory issues - we can do it without a bad effect for us, lucky us, but not everyone can - but that’s ok, even just some people doing it reduces risk for everyone so don’t worry

There’s also something about rules and respect - so if we go into a shop we’ll respect the shop rules and requests (and I know < 11 can be exempt), if we go to someone else’s house / garden and they ask us to wear a mask we will without questioning it because we respect that person. School can set its own rules about mask wearing and well respect those too.

It’s not massively simple but my kids have understood this and seem happy with it

Which shops is it again, op which have dropped social distancing measures? So that I can avoid them.

I think what she means is they are not being so heavily policed. It seems people can't manage unless being guided through step by step. Can't imagine 2 metres unless it's clearly marked on the floor. With a bit of care it's easy to still keep your distance from others and till are set up with the screens etc. I put down my shopping and step back without being asked and hang back if someone is at the bit of the aisle I need. People do need to take some responsibility as stores can't continue to spare the staff to walk everyone through it.

Tesco don't have a one way system now but then Morrison's never had one in the first place. Asda still does.

Tried putting a mask on my one year old at home and he immediately ripped it off 😂 I can’t imagine a world where he’ll ever need to wear one but never hurts to get him used to it. He also tries to rip mine off if I’m holding him.

I agree with some previous posters that I find the whole thing a bit sad for children. It’s not a massive deal, but it does create quite a sinister “no one is safe” atmosphere. I’ve always enjoyed older people chatting to DS when were out and about, I’m assuming by the time that’s a possibility again he’ll be completely out of the cute phase where they’ll want to. A shame really.

You're not supposed to put masks on under 3s so I wouldn't put it on your 1 year old

I think it’s under 2? No harm in seeing his reaction.

If they're not legally required for under-11s in the UK in shops and other enclosed spaces, then I had assumed it was because the Government advisers were working on the theory that under-11s are not going to be spreading the virus through breathing because they're not going to be face to face with most adults? And certainly not for more than 15 minutes.

UK says under 3
young children under the age of 11 (Public Health England do not recommended face coverings for children under the age of 3 for health and safety reasons)

"Tried putting a mask on my one year old at home"

Please don't put a mask on your one year old!!!

yes 4 year old here.
told ronwear one for hospital.appointments.
also he has worn on public transport
there's no risk if awake

Please don't put a mask on your one year old!!!

Why? What exactly is going to happen to my one year old with him sat on my lap and trying a mask?

I have a few friends who’s 2+ have had to wear them to see the GP / one in A&E. I’d prefer for him to be slowly introduced then suddenly get to two and need to wear one.

My three year old has a dinosaur one. I asked him to try it at home and he refused, saying he lived here so doesn't need to 😂but said he would wear it the next day at the zoo. I wasn't sure if he would and wasn't going to make him do it, by when we were inside paying and in the shop, he was happy to put it on, he didn't fiddle and took it off as soon as we got outside. Kids are very adaptable, he doesn't seem scared of anyone in masks but he hasn't seen any of the "scary" type ones.

If they're not legally required for under-11s in the UK in shops and other enclosed spaces,

They are required in parts of the UK. Just not in England. Here in Scotland children age 5 and over should wear them.

They are required in parts of the UK. Just not in England. Here in Scotland children age 5 and over should wear them.

Will this apply to schools too?

I assumed England said no masks for under 11’s as they won’t be wearing masks in school anyway - ergo, it wouldn’t make sense to say they have to wear them out of school but not in school.

DDs 6 and 8 wear them.

They are happy to wear them and have no heath conditions that mean wearing one would be detrimental to their breathing.

Children are usually asymptomatic, so they could be potentially saving lives by wearing them.

We don't know what's happening about schools yet. Decisions are being announced on Thursday re returning on the 10th. As far as I know no they won't wear masks.

I don't like seeing young children in masks. I just had to pop to a shop, two no older than 6 had fabric ones on but we're constantly touching them, pulling them down and back up and then touching everything.

The other about 10 spent half the shop with it under her chin.

I wonder if some parents are of the false belief that the mask will protect the child.

Mine (4 and 7) have them. They asked for them. They're in the design of their favourite characters. They don't legally need to wear them, but if they're happy to, I don't see the harm.

No. My ds is under 11 so doesn’t have to wear one but I wouldn’t make him anyway. I’m only wearing one so that I don’t get any shit from shop workers or interfering busy bodies. I don’t believe they work and fully resent the idea of being told to wear something over my face. So I sure as hell wouldn’t force children to wear one.

I don’t believe they work......

Can I ask why you think this?

Me and a large number of my colleagues (nurses and doctors) are pretty dubious about them too. We wear them at work now because we have to but when the pandemic was as its worst we didn’t have to which is why I think that’s why we are a bit nonplussed about them because if they really did help stop people from getting the virus then we would have been instructed to wear them from the off-set.

Not just my colleagues, but other nurses I know, also find the rule of wearing masks whilst doing the weekly shop a little bizarre.

Maybe as nurses we have a different perspective though.....in general I think we are less concerned by germs because we spend all day surrounded by them.

Regardless of our personal feelings, we all wear them in shops because we have to, but I certainly don’t feel like I’m suddenly protected just because my face is covered and I don’t particularly it makes other people safer either.

If test and trace say you have to be within 6ft of someone for at least 15 minutes in order to risk contracting the virus, then I’m not sure how me waking past someone in a wide shopping aisle, for all of 10 seconds, is going to cause us to catch the virus off each other.

Like even when it was announced that masks would be mandatory, they said they wouldn’t enforce it for another two weeks. If it was such a big game changer then it would have been enforced much sooner than that. If the Government make the decision that mask wearing is mandatory because it plays a vital role in preventing transmission, but at the same time say nobody has to bother doing it for another two weeks, then it absolutely sends mixed messages.

Me, DH and the children are going out shopping tomorrow for the first time since masks were made mandatory and so they will be seeing everyone wearing them for the first time. My youngest is too young to really notice it or question it, but my eldest will no doubt have something to say about it.

If he asks why children aren’t wearing them I won’t be suggesting that he can if he wants, and instead I will just tell him that children don’t need them as the risks to them are very, very low.