Wearing face masks has become part of our daily routines as we venture out in public, but now it’s becoming the new normal for children in schools. Wearing a face mask to school and in public places may be a bit of an adjustment for your child, but we have a few tips and solutions that can help make the transition easier.
Choosing a Face Mask
When choosing a face mask for your child, it’s important to make sure it:
- Has an adjustable nose wire
- Is made up of 2 or more layers with a pocket for a filter
- Completely covers the mouth and nose area
Let’s face it, one mask is not going to fit everyone the same. Try trial and error and purchase a few different face mask brands for your child to try out at home. Let them wear them around the house to ensure the masks feels comfortable on their face, and does not slip off as they speak.
To help encourage your kids to wear face masks, find colours and patters they love! Involve them when purchasing their face masks. This way, they will be more inclined to wear something they helped pick out. As well, teach them how to put on and take off their face masks. They should be washing and sanitizing their hands before handling their face masks, not touching their faces throughout the day, and not sharing their face masks with others.
With face mask wearing come a few things like foggy glasses or ear pain. The solutions below may help alleviate these issues to make mask-wearing more comfortable for kids.
Snug Fit
If your child’s face mask is not fitting quite as well as you had hoped, an easy solution is to simply crisscross the mask straps before looping them over the ears. This will ensure a tighter fit against the face.
Foggy Glasses
If your child wears glasses, they will understand the frustration of having them fog up right after putting on a mask. To prevent this, try tucking the mask underneath the glasses and pinch the wired nose rim tight so that it fits snug against the nose and face.
Another trick is to use some dish soap to clean the lenses. Make sure you use it on both sides of each lens. This leaves a transparent layer that prevents the temperature changes that cause fogging. BONUS: The lenses also get a cleaning!
Ear Pain
Wearing a mask constantly can eventually lead to ear pain, especially when the straps are looped around your child’s ears. You can fix this by wearing it so that the mask straps wrap around their head instead. Simply attach one hair tie or elastic band to each mask strap. Secure the elastic bands together by looping each of them to a paper clip. London Drugs also sells mask extenders.
Hopefully you found these tips helpful to assist your kids in adjusting to wearing face masks at school. If you’re looking to stock up on more face masks, we’ve got you covered! Browse our full selection of reusable and disposable face masks here in the PPE section of our website.
