07/25/2020
Here is a post from Forest Hills Pediatrics all about Masks. It is long but a good read. It is about how to get used to wearing a mask. Give it a try!
In preparation for school, we suggest you start practicing mask wearing for progressively longer periods of time. Here's one schedule we found helpful. It will have your child wearing their mask for 4- 60 minutes periods a day by August 26th. Feel free to modify it as needed. You can start sooner than next week too if needed! Remember, no masks under age 2 and only for those who can remove it if needed.
• Day 1, Mon July 27:
• Talk with your child about masking. Explain why it is important and how it can help keep everyone safe and healthy and help us get back to our previous activities, like school.
• Choose a mask from the wide variety of masks available. Kids may be more likely to try a mask if they have helped pick out the mask. There are so many different styles and designs to choose from-the goal is a piece of fabric that can cover the nose and mouth and stay in place with normal movement and talking. Some that we like are available at happymasks.com and bocogear.com.
• Wash the mask before wearing it.
• Avoid masks with an exhalation valve since those masks allow droplets to pass from the wearer to other people around.
• Day 2, Tues July 28:
• Now that the new mask is clean and dry, have your child try it on.
• Play around, talk, yell, jump up and down. Is the mask staying in place?
• If the fit is not great, there are strategies and products to help improve fit. There are straps that secure the ear loops behind the head instead of behind the ears. There are plastic cord lock/buckle pieces that make the ear loops adjustable.
• Try talking, running, jumping and playing in the mask again. If it still doesn’t fit well, you may need to try a different style or size of mask.
• Kids may not (ok, probably won’t) like the way the mask feels at first. This is ok. It doesn’t mean they cannot wear one. It would almost be odd if kids loved masking from day one. But maybe you’ll get lucky!
• If your child persistently complains about the feel of the fabric, check it and if it feels rough, select a different mask. There are masks made of t-shirt material, wicking athletic material, fleece, etc. The skin of the face is sensitive, so trying a few different materials may be in order.
• Day 3, Wed July 29:
• Now the work begins.
• Have your child wear the mask for 5 minutes of indoor activity 3 times today.
• Don’t stress if your child is constantly touching and adjusting the mask. This is normal. As time goes on, they will adjust to wearing a mask, and the touching and adjusting will get better.
• If 5 minutes is too long for your child, use shorter intervals, but try to get 15 minutes of cumulative mask-wearing time throughout the day.
• Day 4, Thurs July 30:
• Have your child wear the mask for 5 minutes of indoor activity 3 times today.
• Try to vary the activity. Maybe one session is while reading or having screen time, one is while moving around the house/active play and one is while having a conversation with another family member.
• Consider wearing a mask yourself during these sessions. Modeling is so important for kids. “Do what I say, not what I do” is rarely a good parenting strategy.
• Day 5, Fri July 31:
• Have your child wear the mask for 5 minutes of indoor activity 3 times today.
• You may have noticed the focus on indoor activity. Outdoor activities rarely require masks. Outdoor time at school will be a nice break from masking.
• Days 6&7, Sat/Sun Aug 1&2:
• No masks! Give your kids weekend breaks. They need to ease into this and have days to not even think about masks or COVID.
• Praise them for their efforts this week.
• Wash the masks.
• Use this time for make-up time if you missed any days from earlier this week.
• Weekend breaks are for this training plan-if your child is going out in public with you where they cannot maintain a 6 foot distance at all times or if you are indoors in public, they should absolutely be wearing a mask.
• Day 8, Mon Aug 3:
• Have your child wear the mask for 10 minutes 3 times today.
• Remember to vary the activities.
• If 10 minutes is too much, back off to a lower number as long as it is more than 5 minutes.
• Day 9, Tues Aug 4:
• Have your child wear the mask for 10 minutes 3 times today.
• Is your child touching and adjusting the mask less? If so, praise them. If not, don’t worry-they will get there.
• Reinforce the importance of covering the nose and mouth whenever wearing the mask.
• Day 10, Wed Aug 5:
• Have your child wear the mask for 15 minutes 3 times today.
• Consider a treat at this point for all of the hard work you guys are putting into this effort. Could be something sweet and frozen or maybe renting a new release movie at home.
• Day 11, Thurs Aug 6:
• Have your child wear the mask for 15 minutes 3 times today.
• Day 12, Fri Aug 7:
• Have your child wear the mask for at least 15 min and try for 20 min 3 times today.
• Shoot for longer times today, reminding your child that they are about to have a 2 day mask break.
• Days 13&14, Sat/Sun Aug 8&9
• No masks!
• Check in with your child and see how they are feeling about masking. Is it getting easier? Would they like to try a different style of mask?
• At this point, consider getting more masks. Ideally, once school starts, your child will have at least 5 masks.
• Masks are like underwear and shouldn’t be worn more than one time between washings. And like underwear, discuss with your child that masks are not to be shared with friends, loaned or traded.
• Wash the mask(s)!!!
• Day 15, Mon Aug 10:
• Have your child wear the mask for 20 minutes 3 times today.
• Remember to mix up activities.
• Focus on working on talking in a mask this week. Your child should be able to talk for extended periods of time without losing the good fit of the mask.
• Day 16, Tues Aug 11:
• Have your child wear the mask for 20 minutes 2 times today and challenge them to increase the third session to 25 minutes.
• By this point, you should definitely notice less touching and adjusting of the mask. If your child is still fidgeting with the mask, talk to them about why they touch the mask often. If it’s a fit issue, try some of the strategies mentioned above, including considering a different mask. If they don’t know why they are touching it, consider a sensory toy (stress ball, fidget spinner) to distract their hands from the mask.
• Day 17, Wed Aug 12:
• Have your child wear the mask for 15-18 min 4 times today.
• Reinforce keeping the nose and mouth covered at all times, even when talking. A mask is not a beard or a mustache-it needs to completely cover both the nose and the mouth.
• Day 18, Thurs Aug 13:
• Have your child wear the mask for 20 min 4 times today.
• Day 19, Fri Aug 14:
• Have your child wear the mask for 20 min 2 times today and 25 min 2 times today.
• Days 20&21, Sat/Sun Aug 15&16
• No masks!
• Consider some more positive reinforcement for all of the hard work you guys are doing! Maybe a family hike or other outdoor activity?
• Day 22, Mon Aug 17:
• This week is about rapidly ramping up the time.
• Have your child wear the mask for 25 minutes 4 times today.
• Purchase a reusable plastic container or disposable paper lunch bags for mask storage at school when not in use.
• If some schools will allow it, command hooks attached to desks would also be a great way to store masks between wearing them.
• Day 23, Tues Aug 18:
• Have your child wear the mask for 30 minutes 2 times today and 35 minutes 2 times today.
• Keep the nose and mouth covered whenever the mask is on. Don’t pull it down to talk.
• Day 24, Wed Aug 19:
• Have your child wear the mask for 35 minutes 2 times today and 45 minutes 2 times today.
• Start practicing removing the mask and folding it so that the inside/face-side of the mask does not touch the outside of the mask. Once it is folded properly, it is ready to be stored, between sessions, in the container or bag you bought on Monday.
• When everyone is masking, contamination of the outside of the mask is less of a worry, but proper storage when not in use will lower an already low risk even more.
• Once in school, the paper bag should be disposed of every night and a new bag taken to school each day or the plastic container should be cleaned with disinfecting cleaner or soap and water every night.
• Day 25, Thur Aug 20:
• Have your child wear the mask for 45 minutes 4 times today.
• Day 26, Fri Aug 21:
• Have your child wear the mask for 50 minutes 2 times today and 55 minutes 2 times today.
• Days 27&28, Sat/Sun Aug 22&23:
• No masks!!!!
• Remember to give lots of praise for hard work and consider another round of positive reinforcement with a treat of some sort-maybe family game night with kids choice of games.
• If your child enjoys arts and crafts, decorating the reusable plastic container or the stack of paper lunch bags might be a fun activity.
• Day 29, Mon Aug 24:
• Wear the mask for 55 minutes 4 times today.
• Make sure the nose and mouth are covered whenever the mask is on.
• By now, your child should be able to comfortably talk, play, walk around and go about their daily indoor activities with the mask on.
• Continue to practice taking it off and storing it with minimal contact with the outside surface of the mask.
• Day 30, Tues Aug 25:
• Wear the mask for 60 minutes 4 times today.
• Now your child is ready to wear a mask at school.
• Some school days may involve slightly more mask wear and some may involve less, but this schedule should prep your child for extended proper wear.
Beyond the schedule:
• Continue to practice 45-60 minutes 4 times daily until school starts.
• Keep taking breaks on the weekends, as needed.
• Continue reinforcing proper wearing and storage.
• Build up a collection of masks your child likes. Continue to look for innovative designs that improve comfort and fit. You may also check with friends to see what they are wearing since kids (especially older ones) might prefer to look similar to their peers.
Other Thoughts:
• This was designed with elementary aged kids in mind but can be modified as needed for older or younger kids. Remember, kids under 2 years old should not wear face coverings.
• Another note on teens: they may struggle with “maskne” which is acne related to masking. Using masks made with wicking fabric and an over-the-counter acne wash may help head this off before it starts. Benzoyl peroxide can also be helpful.. Acne is not a reason to refuse to mask.
• This schedule is not going to be perfect for every kid. Be flexible and adjust as needed. Even if your child cannot work up to 4 hours a day, every bit of progress they make before the start of school helps.
• Some schools may not mandate masks initially, but health experts anticipate significant school spread, so masks may become part of the response to outbreaks. Practice now so your child is ready.
• Remember that masking is not only important for the health and safety of your child, but also for the health and safety of the adults we entrust with the daily care of our children while at school. We need to protect our teachers, administrators and staff as well as the adults at home.
My Mask Schedule, Week 1:
• Day 1:
• Wear my mask for 5 minutes
• Wear my mask for 5 minutes
• Wear my mask for 5 minutes
• Day 2:
• Wear my mask for 5 minutes
• Wear my mask for 5 minutes
• Wear my mask for 5 minutes
• Day 3:
• Wear my mask for 5 minutes
• Wear my mask for 5 minutes
• Wear my mask for 5 minutes
• Day 4: NO MASKS!
• Day 5: NO MASKS!
My Mask Schedule, Week 2:
• Day 6:
• Wear my mask for 10 minutes
• Wear my mask for 10 minutes
• Wear my mask for 10 minutes
• Day 7:
• Wear my mask for 10 minutes
• Wear my mask for 10 minutes
• Wear my mask for 10 minutes
• Day 8:
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes
• Day 9:
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes
• Day 10:
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes (BONUS: try for 20 minutes)
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes (BONUS: try for 20 minutes)
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes (BONUS: try for 20 minutes)
• Day 11: NO MASKS!
• Day 12: NO MASKS!
My Mask Schedule, Week 3:
• Day 13:
• Wear my mask for 20 minutes
• Wear my mask for 20 minutes
• Wear my mask for 20 minutes
• Day 14:
• Wear my mask for 20 minutes
• Wear my mask for 20 minutes
• Wear my mask for 25 minutes
• Day 15:
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes (BONUS: try for 20)
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes (BONUS: try for 20)
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes (BONUS: try for 20)
• Wear my mask for 15 minutes (BONUS: try for 20)
• Day 16:
• Wear my mask for 20 minutes
• Wear my mask for 20 minutes
• Wear my mask for 20 minutes
• Wear my mask for 20 minutes
• Day 17:
• Wear my mask for 20 minutes
• Wear my mask for 20 minutes
• Wear my mask for 25 minutes
• Wear my mask for 25 minutes
• Day 18: NO MASKS!
• Day 19: NO MASKS!
My Mask Schedule, Week 4:
• Day 20:
• Wear my mask for 25 minutes
• Wear my mask for 25 minutes
• Wear my mask for 25 minutes
• Wear my mask for 25 minutes
• Day 21:
• Wear my mask for 30 minutes
• Wear my mask for 30 minutes
• Wear my mask for 35 minutes
• Wear my mask for 35 minutes
• Day 22:
• Wear my mask for 35 minutes
• Wear my mask for 35 minutes
• Wear my mask for 45 minutes
• Wear my mask for 45 minutes
• Day 23:
• Wear my mask for 45 minutes
• Wear my mask for 45 minutes
• Wear my mask for 45 minutes
• Wear my mask for 45 minutes
• Day 24:
• Wear my mask for 50 minutes
• Wear my mask for 50 minutes
• Wear my mask for 55 minutes
• Wear my mask for 55 minutes
• Day 25: NO MASKS!
• Day 26: NO MASKS!
My Mask Schedule, Week 5:
• Day 27:
• Wear my mask for 55 minutes
• Wear my mask for 55 minutes
• Wear my mask for 55 minutes
• Wear my mask for 55 minutes
• Day 28:
• Wear my mask for 60 minutes
• Wear my mask for 60 minutes
• Wear my mask for 60 minutes
• Wear my mask for 60 minutes
Way to go!
You are a mask pro!
Continue practicing every day and you’ll be ready to mask up whenever needed!
BOCO Gear is proud to offer our custom designed versions of our Face Mask consisting of a 2-layer fabric design with an internal pocket slit which could hold a filter.
