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We are so grateful to our generous community for the outpouring of donations to the SewHelpful campaign! With your help we collected over 14,000 cloth masks to give to children, youth and families at CHEO.
We are no longer accepting donations at this time. If you have any questions, or would like more information about child and youth face mask patterns, please contact our SewHelpful team.
We asked CHEO’s Dr. Jason Brophy, a pediatric infectious diseases physician, to share some tips and information on wearing face masks, including how and when kids, caregivers and families in our community should wear them.
Here are Dr. Jason Brophy’s tips:
Recently, public health agencies, including Ottawa Public Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada, have recommended that Canadians should wear masks in public when physical distancing can’t be ensured or maintained. How will wearing a mask help avoid spreading COVID-19 and what does this mean for families?
As more research is done on COVID-19 and how it is spread, we are learning new information. We already knew that the virus is transmitted through our nasal and respiratory secretions, usually by sneezing or coughing on people directly, or by secretions going on surfaces that other people touch and then rub into their eyes, nose, or mouth. We now know that people can transmit the infection in the 48 hours before they show symptoms (pre-symptomatic transmission) or when they have the infection and show no symptoms at all (asymptomatic transmission).
With this new information in mind, Dr. Tam, Chief Public Health Officer, and other public health agencies are now recommending additional ways to reduce spread in the community, namely that people can wear a mask when they are not able to practice physical distancing to reduce the chance of spreading infection by a person who doesn’t know that they have it.
Wearing any kind of mask is an action like physical distancing that we can all do to help each other reduce the community spread of COVID-19. There is no evidence to strongly recommend this practice, but it is a common-sense recommendation to reduce spreading germs, like washing your hands and covering your cough or coughing into your sleeve.
Should children be wearing a mask? When does it make sense to have them wear one?
We know that kids are more likely to have mild or asymptomatic infection compared to older adults, so it may be a good idea for them to wear masks in public. Kids can wear a mask, if they are comfortable with it and can wear one properly. The goal is to reduce the risk of transmitting their secretions, so if the mask leads them to touch their face more than they would otherwise, then it won’t achieve the goal. Children younger than two years of age aren’t recommended to wear masks, and children two to three years of age may have difficulty wearing them.
It’s not necessary to wear a mask at home in your usual environment, but it would be recommended when out of the house in places where it’s difficult to practice physical distancing (like public transportation, the hospital or doctor’s office, or grocery store, if a child absolutely can’t be left at home).
We’ve heard that masks help prevent the spread of the virus, but don’t necessarily prevent those wearing it from getting sick. If a child has been at home physical distancing, do they need to wear one?
At the beginning when the epidemic arrived in Canada, it was almost entirely affecting those who had travelled. But now, we are seeing community transmission in most larger cities and beyond. Even if the child hasn’t been in contact with someone who is sick, they might still have touched a surface when outside the home that was contaminated and that could have given them the infection. This pandemic will go on for a while, and so it is good to get used to practices that will protect us all over time.
Should a child wear a mask when they’re playing outside or out for a family walk?
There would not be a need to wear a mask if the child is able to practice physical distancing when outside. If the child might be touching surfaces when outdoors (picnic tables, play structures, door knobs), then putting on a mask and washing their hands before going out would potentially reduce the risk of spreading an asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic infection.
If a child doesn’t want to wear a mask, should you make them wear one anyway?
No, a child shouldn’t be forced to wear a mask. Explaining the reason for wearing a mask – that doing this will help everyone stay safe and healthy – may help convince older children of why they should wear a mask. If a younger child is scared of wearing a mask, there are things we can do to help them be less scared:
- the parent should wear one to normalize mask-wearing
- show the child how to put a mask on their stuffed animal or doll
- look in the mirror while putting on or wearing the mask
- decorate the mask so it’s personalized or fun, or make masks together as an activity
- show pictures of other kids wearing masks
- practice wearing it in the house before going out in public with it on
What type of mask should kids and adults be wearing?
Dr. Tam was very clear that the public should not be using medical masks – those are in short supply and are very much needed in hospital and long-term care settings. Homemade or purchased cloth masks are what are recommended for the public. Try to find or make the right size so that it covers the child’s nose and mouth, and stretches from in front of the ear around to the other side.
Kids should wash their hands before putting it on and after removing it, and should avoid touching the mask while they wear it. If they do touch it, they should wash their hands again afterwards. Masks should be removed and washed when they become soiled (e.g., if a child is sneezing into the mask and it gets wet), and otherwise should be washed daily with detergent in hot water.
Are there potential dangers to wearing a mask?
A child younger than two years of age should not wear a mask, and children with breathing difficulties or a cognitive impairment that makes them unable to remove the mask without assistance should also not wear masks. Parents should feel comfortable that they can still monitor their child’s breathing and if a mask prevents this, then it should not be worn.
If a child is wearing a mask and is touching their face more often to adjust it, should they continue to wear it?
Every child will be different with respect to how they react. If a child touches their face more while wearing a mask, then it is not achieving the goal of reducing the risks of spreading COVID-19 and should not be worn. Getting a child accustomed to wearing a mask at home before wearing one in public may help reduce the tendency to touch their face.
How long will we need to wear masks for? Would my child need to wear them at school or in public in the future?
This is certainly possible, although it is hard to predict all the ways in which our lives will be changed going forward. In many parts of the world, wearing a mask when ill with a cough or cold is common practice to reduce spreading it to others, so it may become a practice or recommendation for us here in Canada as well.