Kids are god’s precious gift to their parents. Parents would do anything to make sure they are safe from any harm, and that is not an easy task especially when during a pandemic. The Coronavirus pandemic is a worry to everyone nowadays but it is one thing to worry about yourself and totally another thing to worry about your dear ones.
The Coronavirus or COVID-19 is a virus that causes flu-like symptoms but more severe and can progress to respiratory complications. However, it causes milder disease in children. It is not known why but that is good news. That doesn’t change the fact that it is still a threat and we are here to tell you how to avoid it.
Tips to Protect your Kids from Coronavirus:
Regular Hand Wash:
The Coronavirus has been reported to live on surfaces for 3-12 hours. So your child’s hands might get infected with the virus if she or he touches a contaminated surface.
The most protective method is that they wash their hands before and after they eat, play, or perform any other activity. This should be done with any type of soap for 30 seconds.
Tell Them to Avoid Touching Their Face:
The virus does not live in the air for a distance of more than one meter. This means that it will infect your child more probably if he touches his face with his infected hands than his presence around sick people. So tell him or her to keep their hands off their face and even create a reward system to keep them motivated.
Remind Them to Keep a Safe Distance:
Although it is best to stay home, children may accompany adults in grocery trips or play with siblings or relatives or even neighbors next door. So you should be sure to let them know and understand clearly the symptoms of the disease and that it can spread to them at an arms distance.
Advise Them to Avoid Crowds
Explain to them how the Coronavirus spreads fast and that keeping a distance is one of the main mechanisms of preventing the disease.
Tell them that it is better and safer for them to skip school, playgrounds, birthday parties, and any other gathering that might come up. Try to cheer them up with other home activities.
Explain the Situation Clearly
Your child will hear about the COVID-19 in school or read about online, and not everything she or he will hear would be true. This will cause them to be unnecessarily worried and might severely affect their mood. So we advise that you check in with their child, ask them what they heard and make sure it’s true.
Be Present and Listen to Their Concerns
Rumors are going around the place and most of them exaggerate the current situation. This may lead your child to feel an unnecessary fear.
Keep an eye on any change in their behavior that may suggest anxiety. Tell them that you are here and they can come talk to you anytime and about anything. Make them feel safe at all times.
Make a Schedule to Keep Them Busy
Since school, sports, and all activities are canceled, your child may be feeling down and bored. This stress will affect their immunity negatively making them more vulnerable to the Coronavirus.
Keeping them with activities as drawing, talking, or building projects will keep them distracted and lift up their mood.
Act As a Role Model
Children can easily be affected by the mood of the room. If the adults seem worried or act nervously, that will cause them to be worried and act weirdly.
Now with everything made clear, we hope you stay home to stay safe. Wash your hands every 3 hours and before and after anything you do especially eating and touching your face.
Final Words:
Keep your house clean and follow government protocol and hopefully, you will pass this pandemic safely with your family. This quarantine is hard to keep up with but always remember that this is a temporary phase and that you are not only protecting yourself but your whole country.
