Kids are difficult enough to dress even at the best of times, but adding face masks is a nightmare. Children will throw a fuss, complain, and in the worst cases, they will throw an epic tantrum. Unfortunately, there are things that have no choice, including how to stay safe during the COVID pandemic. Kids must wear masks when going out, so using a few tricks to get them to do so is warranted.
How to Get Kids to Wear Masks
The crux of the strategy to get kids to wear masks relies on making the experience palatable for them. You want kids to want to wear face masks, face shields, and the like. When they believe that it is their idea to do so, they’ll show less resistance to the idea.
High-Quality PPEs
One of the most effective methods of getting children to wear PPEs is to choose high-quality ones. Every single piece of equipment that they will be putting on their body must be excellent in every way. This means that they must not be itchy, made of cheap materials, or have poor designs to save money. This is as much about comfort as it is about protection, after all.
You have to remember that even wearing uncomfortable PPEs can cause your child to feel even more stressed than necessary. As if breathing through a mask was not taxing enough, doing so while the skin is irritated is a nightmare. Yes, making sure that your child is safe is a priority, but you can do this without the accompanying discomfort. By spending a little more on quality, you can make your child more willing to wear PPEs.
Cute or Cool Designs
Kids tend to be susceptible to visual stimulation, and show them things that look cute or cool gets results. With PPEs, you will find that children will be more willing to give them a try if they have excellent designs. If that doesn’t work for you, though, you can make the masks or face shield look great through DIY. Here are 35 Cool Face Mask Design Ideas to help you get started.
The point is to convince children that they want to wear PPE, and it’s their idea to do so. If they believe that they will be wearing face masks, goggles, and the like because they want to, they will. This will then make things a lot easier for you as a parent, and everyone wins in the end. It may not be the most straightforward method, but if it works, who cares?
Just the Right Fit
Though already brought up the matter of comfort, it’s worth expanding on a bit. This time, the main point is about the fit of the PPE and its effects. In essence, if the face mask, face shield, gloves, or hair net don’t fit, your child won’t wear them. Much of this has to do with preference, but convenience could be another factor worth looking into.
It’s worth noting that your child could be wearing the PPEs for several minutes or even a few hours. During that time, there could be many walks, climbs, running, and jumping around along the way. Your child will not appreciate their movement being restricted by pieces of equipment that are too big for them. So, if you are going to buy PPEs for your child, make sure they will fit.
As Short as Possible
The only reason you would want to make your child wear PPEs is to go out. As such, it would be best if you can make your excursion as short as possible. This will help prevent your child from becoming uncomfortable by wearing protective equipment for too long. If you don’t like wearing such things for hours at a time, imagine how it is for your child.
So plan your trip carefully and make sure that you won’t be stuck in traffic or something. Try to keep it under an hour if you can help it so that your child doesn’t become resentful. If they experience a bad trip while wearing PPE, they might become traumatized by it. When that happens, they will have a legitimate reason not to do it again.
Practice and Drills
If you make your child wear PPEs right as you are about to head out the door, they’ll be shocked. This could then be a significant reason for them to make a fuss and refuse to comply. To avoid this scenario, it would be best to have your child wear PPE at home for practice. The goal is to get them used to the idea of having protective equipment on their bodies.
Remember that many children are not good at handling change, and PPEs can be quite drastic and surprising. They will not want to be inconvenienced by wearing things they have never worn. If you try to force the issue, they will only grow to hate the idea even more. Then next time you need them to wear the equipment, they will make an even bigger fuss.
Explaining Beforehand
Children want to be involved in discussions, and even more so, if the discussion involves them by explaining to them what you aim to do beforehand and why they’ll be more willing to wear PPEs. It doesn’t need to be some deep dive into the complicated world of global pandemics, either. A simple overview of the dangers will be enough.
Getting Kids to Wear Masks
Kids will need to wear PPEs to be safe when they go outside, but many of them don’t want to. It’s fortunate, then, that there are ways for you to convince them. Through the right approach, designs, and quality choices, you can protect kids more effectively.
