How do you get kids to wear a mask? It’s hard enough for adults to comply, from what we’ve seen! Recently, my family made the decision to take a family vacation to Hawaii. I can work from anywhere, and my husband is between jobs, so we figured, why not?! We dreaded telling family and friends for fearing judgement. Another story, for another day. Not only that, we dreaded wearing a mask on two 5 hour flights plus a 3 hour layover on the way here. But they did it, here’s how to get kid to wear a mask.
Mask wearing experience before the flight
I wasn’t sure my boys could do it because we hadn’t been to many public places with them. Like none! I had taken one of them to a wellnes appointment check-up, and the other nowere. They are 4 & 6, so it’s young enough to struggle with accessories and old enough for them to have to wear one. I hadn’t taken them to the store or other public places, because I hadn’t wanted to stress about the listening to me, while I’m already super stressed about sanitizing and my own mask wearing.
Getting kids to wear a mask prep for flight
Here are some tips that we used to help them prepare and keep having to wear them on the flight.
1) We had the boys practice while watching TV at home during screen time. This was the most helpful thing we did to help them prepare to wear a mask! During the flight, we knew they would be either sleeping (yeah right) or watching shows, so we felt this was the best way to prep them.
2) On plane, we had breaks every 30 mins to drink water and a treat every hour. A treat like, a small piece of candy, a snack or a cookie. It kept their energy and hydration up. However, although we took breaks to eat and drink, we kept them on while we were in the bathroom.
3) We traveled with plenty of disposable masks for the boys because they kept getting wet from the inside. I found these did better than the cloth masks. They would drop them and it’s difficult to sanitize while you have to wear them. If we hadn’t been on such a long flight, I would prefer them wearing a cloth mask of their choice. These are the disposable masks we used.
4) Hydration- I believe another key to getting kids to wear masks is hydration. A lot of the feeling of wooziness and hotness is from not drinking enough water.
5) Incentives- If you’re just heading to the grocery store or soccer, maybe find incentives chart to track good mask wearing practices! Remind the that #heroeswearmasks! Also kids are more willing to wear them if you let them pick out a really cool mask! 😉 Some options here.
Platic Face Shields For Kids
These plastic face shields are other options that we had ordered for the trip as an extra layer of insulation but they didn’t come in on time (not from this vendor). I think these are a great option for outdoor play or extra layer for indoor or enclosed areas!
Finally, I think there’s also a sense of responsibility even in their younger ages. The boys know people are sick and have felt how much their lives have changed. Cancelled school, no extracurricular activities, limited time with friends and family willing to see us. Even at 4 & 6, they feel the seriousness of the matter.
I will post a complete guide for traveling with kids during the COVID-19 pandemic soon! Safe journeys, some of my adult masks picks below. You can also check out Masksup Official for beautifully fitting masks for kids and adults and get 10% with code ZIBA! Finally, a previous face masks round-up here. Love, Z
