Do your little ones wear masks?

[Heartofstrings]

Just curious. We went to the test centre on Monday. My 3 year old was wearing a mask - as were me and my husband. They asked us to mask the 4 year old too. Naturally, he refused (possible asd, sensory issues).

Covid negative. Awesome. Local diy shop today. Again unmasked 4 year old and masked 3 year old. Should I be trying to force the 4 year old? I feel he should be wearing a mask

100% no. Unless it’s a legal obligation then definitely not. Especially a child with special needs.

Both my 9 and 4 year old have been in school and pre school in the US with mitigation and masking and seem to have been able to hear their teachers perfectly well. Both have so far had really good school years. And we didn’t have a winter surge in our state as masking compliance is pretty high. I have to admit I don’t fully get the MN hysteria. Most of East Asia locked down, tested and traced, masked and then resumed normal life months and months ago.

My 4yo wears one. If we're going to the shop, pharmacy or whatever I'll ask before we leave if he wants to wear his, mostly he'll say yes. I don't force it, he has a couple of masks of his own choosing. The astonishing thing is that he doesn't actually fiddle or mess with it once it's on.

I'm glad he and staff at his school don't wear them.

My 7yo DT both ask to wear masks in shops as they see everybody around with one.
DS has ASD and on occasion he will get uncomfortable after 15min or so (pressure on the ear more than the mask itself, oddly) and we let him take it off.

Over 5s in Scotland should wear them. My 13 and 10 year old will but I can usually leave them at home when I go to the shop. DD8 and DS3 have to come with me, DD has severe speech delays and special needs so I don’t expect her to wear one and I don’t encourage my 3 year old to wear one but if he asks I’ll give him one.

My just turned 7 year old often wears one. I wouldn't force her to and don't think they do much good but she's a lot younger than everyone else in our family and feels like the odd one out without one.

The other day my 13 year old said she wishes we could wear masks forever so nobody would have to see her ugly face.

My 7 year old wears a mask happily. He understands that he has to when we're at the stables in the tack/feed/store rooms. I don't understand what the problem is.

I have a 4yo and a baby so neither wear masks. Ds1 is 5 in the summer and we're in Scotland so he'll need one for inside shops soon. I don't think he'll mind. I don't feel too happy about it though.

No and Dp and I are hot in adult mask wearing. However both tried because 8 year old is ASD and fixated on rule following. He struggled to understand why he didn't have to wear one but the adults did. We have learnt sometimes its better to let him work through with something so we tried a few times and he struggled with it so it just quietly went by the wayside. Ds2 is neurotypical but 5 years old and wants to do everything his older brother does so he tried to but when it inevitably got uncomfortable we didn't push it.

We generally don't take them into shops. However DP works away a lot in some months so as much as I tried really hard to prepare so I didn't need to go out I sometimes had to.

Its getting more and more irritating with people wittering about DC in shops unmasked and that they should stay away. Its not always an option. My 2 are unable to be left alone and sometimes things happen.

Yes. Both of mine do. They are 6 and 8 and have done right from the start whenever we have been out. I would not take them into a shop without a mask.

Yes. My 3 year old is autistic and manages fine because we got her bright colour nice ones,she watched me and we practiced at home. I help her put it on when we go to the shops (not going anywhere else!) and she manages fine. (We're not in the UK)

Oh and for her hospital appointments.

DC (4yrs) has a few kid sized masks and happily wears one in a shop. He did last year too when he was 3.5. Might sometimes fiddle a bit with it, but generally seems to forget he's wearing one. If he absolutely hated it though, I wouldn't force him to wear one at all.

There are a few occassions when I've got DC and need to pop in a shop and realise we don't have his mask with us and in that case I just take him in unmasked and we are more cautious about keeping distance etc.

My DS is almost 8 and doesn't. I gave him the choice, he said he doesn't want to wear one, and he isn't required to by law so that's that.

And I do take him into shops and public transport unmasked.

I have to admit I don’t fully get the MN hysteria. Most of East Asia locked down, tested and traced, masked and then resumed normal life months and months ago.

And I personally do not understand the US cult of masks. The latest science suggests that they are only marginally helpful but US CDC still seems to think it is by far the most important tool in combatting the virus. US health officials also go against the WHO advice and recommend masking for children older than 2 years (which, in my personal opinion, is an absolute madness).

It is true that the strategy adoped by East Asia was very effective. Masks were indeed part of it. However, if we look at the experiences of the Western European countries (or the US states with different approaches to mask mandates), the results appear very different. Masks made very little difference to the second wave. Countries placing excessive reliance on masks (from Czechia to France) are seeing the same spikes as their more relaxed neighbours.

Here is the most up-to-date summary of all research on masks.

www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/covid-19-face-masks-community-first-update.pdf

ECDC concludes that even medical masks have only got "small to moderate" impact on community spread based on "low to moderate" evidence. In my opinion, it does not justify masking children.

I'm not hysterical about masks at all. But DS, at age 7, is not required to wear one by law, so I'm not going to make him if he doesn't want to.

Absolutely not. My daughter is 4 and I will never make her wear a mask.

DD is almost 3 and I've never considered trying to get her to wear a mask (it's specifically recommended not to for under 3s, but now she is turning 3 it could come up as an issue). Personally my own attitude to masks is that I'll wear one myself whenever it's legally requried, but I don't wear it anywhere that it isn't required, so that's the approach I'll take for DD as well - so I wouldn't encourage her to wear one until she's 11 (and let's hope the pandemic is finally over by then!)

No, mine are too young. I do have to take them into shops sometimes

I had to attempt to mask my 3 year old when I took her for a test because she had symptoms, it said on the confirmation that everyone over 3 should be masked.

No other times though. I’m hoping by the time she’s old enough for it to be a requirement for her this will have gone so I don’t see the need to encourage it now.

Can’t say I’ve seen any children her age with masks either.

Mine (6 and 10) wear masks, all NT kids should. If we can't teach them to do this one thing for the benefit of others then there is little hope for them as a generation! It's a cotton mask FFS

My 4 year old wears one when in shops etc...... we don't force her to, we ask and she says yes. Never been confronted when she hasn't worn one though.

No. Never. Mine are 2, 4 and 10.

My youngest wears one at the hairdressers as I think it's only fair on the hairdresser.