With pretty much all classes taking place back in schools, many people worry about the transmission of COVID-19, especially with the recent Delta Variant on the rise. People are particularly worried about their kids since the FDA still hasn’t approved the vaccine for children under 12. If you are one of those anxious parents, here’s a guide on how to keep your child protected from COVID-19 to help you rest easier.
Strongly Encourage Mask Wearing and Social Distancing
If you’ve been parenting for a while, you know that getting your child to do something habitually takes a lot of time and effort. You can’t just tell them to pull their mask up once and expect it to stick. Whenever you’re around, be persistent about making sure they keep their mask on over both their mouth and nose.
Don’t try to shortcut it by attempting to scare them into using it. It may appear to work, but it may cause more issues—even to the point of certain phobias—down the line. Just be patient and be that bug in their ear, constantly reminding them. If you do that, they’ll eventually remember to do it when you’re not even around.
The same goes for social distancing. The key here is to make sure that your kids know to keep a distance from people they don’t know, especially if they look like they might be sick.
Wash Them and Their Things Regularly
Hopefully, you’ve already taught your kids how to wash their hands regularly. If not, the strategies above will help with this too. Unfortunately, though, washing your hands isn’t enough. COVID-19 can pass through contact with other parts of your body as well.
That’s why it’ll be a good idea to bathe your child often and clean their clothes and other accessories as often as you can. For example, if your child has a kids’ smartwatch that they always like to wear to school, establish a routine of taking it off when they get home and thoroughly cleaning each part of it. You can also change their clothes when they get home to get them away from all the germs they picked up in school.
Take Them to the Doctor if They Show Any Symptoms
By far, the most important thing to do to protect your child from COVID-19 is to take them directly to the doctor’s office if they start showing any of the symptoms. Granted, COVID-19 does share some warning signs with other common illnesses, too, so it’ll be up to your discretion as a parent. However, you can never be too careful when it comes to your child’s safety. The sooner you know what it is, the sooner you can work through it together.
