Pro tips for protecting your children against Coronavirus

Coronavirus (also known as Ccovid-19) has infected nearly 97,000 people and killed more than 3,300 worldwide! Children seem to be less susceptible to the coronavirus, but they aren’t immune. Parents are understandably worried, considering that children spend lots of time in public places (school and public play spaces).

Dr. Kelly Fradin, a pediatrician and mother of two, shares her practical tips for guarding against the coronavirus below.

Continue to go about your daily life to the best of your ability

In 80% of cases, coronavirus diagnoses are mild. Because of the relatively low risk for most people, Fradin said families should continue living their lives as they’ve been, assuming their community hasn’t been instructed otherwise. That means continuing to go to school and hang out with friends.

 

Teach – and practice – good hand hygiene

There are still many unknowns about the novel coronavirus and how it spreads. But experts and public health officials agree that practicing good hygiene is critical.

Those measures include not touching your eyes, mouth, or nose with unwashed hands and covering your mouth and nose when you sneeze.

It also includes effectively washing your hands – something children struggle to get right, since they may get bored or not understand the importance of the practice. Most adults have a hard time with it, too.

Make sure children wash their hands when they come home, after using the restroom, and before eating, Fradin said. They should wash with soap and water for at 20 seconds.

Setting a timer on a phone or buying one you can set by the sink may help encourage your child to get through the process.

Don’t depend on hand sanitizer alone

Hand sanitizer isn’t as effective as washing hands with soap and water, and may not even get all the visible dirt off a child’s hands, let alone all the germs. Products like Purell also only work if they dry completely, which children may not be patient enough to wait for, Fradin said.

Rather than relying on Purell before having a snack on-the-go, Fradin recommends children wait until they get home to eat so they can wash properly. But if a child needs some fuel right after school and there’s no sink around, the mom of two agrees that hand sanitizer is the way to go.

Even children need to be reminded to avoid shaking hands

In an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus, places of worship and businesses have banned the practice of handshaking. It might not seem necessary to remind children to avoid this type of greeting, but handshaking happens at schools among young children, too. Some principals and teachers also greet students with the formality, Fradin noted.