As we all know,
coronavirus, COVID -19 has stormed the world infecting lakhs of people,
numerous died and leaving the rest in fear. COVID-19 was
declared as Pandemic by WHO earlier this year and since then many countries
have been under lockdown. It affects all age groups though people with certain
existing diseases are higher at risk. Furthermore, the topmost concern of every
parent is to protect kids from Covid-19 and it is highly recommended to keep them
safe in the house with regular practice of all the preventive measures.
Protect kids from COVID-19 pandemic spread
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| Protect kids from COVID-19 pandemic |
It is extremely important for all of us to follow
the health guidelines to stop the spread and protect kids from this pandemic:
Wash hands
often - Make sure children practice washing hands with
soap and water at least for 20 seconds in small intervals.
Clean and
disinfect mostly used surfaces - Clean
common areas of the house like tables, windows, doors, door handles, remotes,
switches, toilet seats and sink with disinfectant liquid to avoid the spread of
virus inside the house.
Practice
Social Distancing - Children
are not going to school or in the open play area and therefore, face low risk. However,
it is also important that they should not invite kids from nearby to play.
Maintaining a 6 feet distance from all is really important.
Face mask - Covering the mouth and nose is mandatory if there is a need to go outside the home. Children
can wear a cloth face mask or 3 layered face masks for protection.
Multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children
Earlier in the year 2020, parents were relieved to
know that COVID-19 was sparing children as most of the kids had mild or
asymptomatic cases. However lately, some children are developing the multi-system inflammatory conditions as a complication of Covid-19. This complication is
rare and researchers are still finding the connection between MIS-C and
Covid-19. Symptoms of MIS-C are –
persistent fever,
rash,
change in skin color,
conjunctivitis, or
abdominal pain.
If any of the symptoms are noticed, it should
be immediately reported to a pediatrician for the next steps. However, symptoms
may vary and if the child complains of acute chest pain, bluish lips, inability to
stay awake, breathing issues, confusion, and similar signs then it needs to be taken
seriously and consulted immediately.
To prevent MIS-C and to protect kids from
COVID-19, ensure that children should not go out of the house during this
pandemic crisis, closely monitor if any child has a fever, and keep in touch with
pediatric. According to researchers across the world, parents should make sure
that all the required vaccinations have been given to their child because the
diseases that can be prevented with vaccines are more dangerous than MIS-C.
Corona Stress among children
During this coronavirus situation, the children,
like adults, are also suffering from depression and anxiety. These innocent,
growing minds are being greatly impacted by this pandemic situation. Therefore,
special care is necessary while having a conversation with little ones. Here
are a few tips which will help to deal with the stress which children may be
going through during this time:
Answer their
questions
It is important to answer their innocent
question and pass on the necessary information to them. By doing this, they
will not get panic or confused about what is happening around them. Let them
know why it is important to take preventive measures.
Ensure kids
socialize while staying at home
Since children cannot go out and meet
their friends or relatives, maybe they miss their social circle. So, arrange
calls or video calls with their friends to keep them happy.
Create time
for a strong bond
Usually, we remain busy in our lives that
sometimes we miss giving quality time to children. So, this is the best time to
renew the bond between you and your child. Play games with them, indulge in cooking,
painting, or dancing and other interesting activities with them.
Don't let anxiety
capture you
A situation like this may depress you too. However,
let not your emotions affect your kids. Children see, learn, and imbibe from
their environment. So, there are chances that they may pick negative emotions, stress,
etc., from you.
Related post- Quick Stress Busters for kids
Related post- Quick Stress Busters for kids
Enquire about
them
Utilize this time by asking them what they want to do, their
interests likes or dislikes. Allow them to express their emotions and views.
This will put them at ease and stay stress-free.
Appreciate
kids often
Whenever your kids help
in any of the household chores, follow the cleanliness rules or behave well, appreciate
them wholeheartedly.
What you will
show, you will get
Children are great observers. In case,
you do not follow good habits like having a schedule, regular workout, or healthy
eating routine, the kids are likely to follow the suit. So, before you preach them
anything, see are you practicing the same?
Exercise together
Taking
care of health and building immunity is what everyone needs today. Engage children
in an exercise routine and doing it together will be great fun indeed!
Include Storytime
Children love to listen to stories, take out a few minutes in
a day for storytime sessions full of expressions and sounds. Why not have some
puppets to make it more interesting?
Make a
distance with electronic gadgets
It is
important to have a gadget-free time. Therefore, keep aside all those
electronic gadgets and just be in the family moments and capture these lockdown
moments to cherish later.
Count your
blessings
This is the time when positivity is much
needed. At the end of the day, do an activity with your child to count what all
things were positive today. Gratitude is the attitude to stay positive and
happy!
Eat healthy
foods
Educate children about the importance of
nutritious and healthy food and have a family mealtime so that they will learn
to eat healthy food.
Home
schooling
Most of the children may have online classes
from the school. Try not to miss out on any session. This will help them to be in a
normal routine.
Feelings
chart
Create a feelings chart and paste it into your
house. This chart must include expressions of all the feelings like happy, sad,
crying, or angry, and tell your child to express his feelings through the chart.
That’s an amazing way to vent out emotions in a positive manner.
Stress buster
toys
Children may feel stressed out and feel bored
or angry. A stress buster toy will make them feel happy. For this take a
balloon and feel it with rice and tie the knot. Ask your child to squeeze it
this will help them to feel better and relaxed.
Indulge in age-appropriate games with kids
Choose games and activities as per the age of your kid. While you may sing,
dance, build blocks with toddlers, you can play hopscotch, treasure hunt, etc.,
indulge in no-fire cooking, gardening in the backyard, etc., with older ones.
Follow Ayush Ministry, India guidelines to fight COVID-19
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, entire
mankind is suffering and there is no specific vaccine yet. According to the ministry
of Ayush, India, developing immunity will play an important role in everybody's
lives. As we all know, prevention is better than cure, it will be good to take
all the preventive measures at the right time.
Ministry of Ayush recommends a few preventive
measures to help mankind for having a stronger immune system. Follow these health tips to protect kids
from COVID-19, as well-
- Drink warm water during the day.
- Daily practice yoga and breathing techniques for at least 30 minutes.
- Spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, and garlic is recommended to be included in cooking.
- Drink herbal tea (Kadha) made from Tulsi ( basil), Dalchini (cinnamon), Kalimirch ( black pepper), Shunthi (Dry Ginger) and Munakka (Raisin) - once or twice a day. You can add jaggery (Gur) to your taste, if needed.
- Apply sesame oil, coconut oil, or Ghee in both the nostrils in the morning and evening.
- Inhale steam regularly to avoid corona germs inhabit in your throat.
Related post- How to deal with Anger in kids
FAQs
Q - Should kids wear face masks?
A - Children under 2 years of age need not wear a face mask. Children above 2 can wear a face mask only when they are not able to maintain a social distance of 6 feet and when they are outside of the home.
Q- Are sanitizers safe for children?
A - Sanitizers are safe for children to kill
bacteria on their hands. However, swallowing is not safe at all as most of the
sanitizers are alcohol-based.
Q - Frequent hand wash can harm children's skin?
A - Frequent hand wash can make their skin
dry however, it is a very important preventive measure. So, to avoid any kind
of skin problem moisturize their hands after every hand wash.
References-
https://www.cdc.gov/
I love the fact that you've not just focused on the lockdown guidelines to protect children, but also added a detailed list of what you can do to help maintain good mental health for your children during these trying times. It was also good to see a positive psychology intervention mentioned too (counting blessings)
ReplyDeleteyes thanks, all this is important for healthy mind and body in such times.
DeleteKeeping an eye on the stress, anxiety and depression levels is very important and too often over looked. There have been signs of my kids starting to look depressed, so I’ve made extra effort to cheer them up.
ReplyDeletegreat, our intervention and participation is crucial for well-being of our kids!
DeleteReally very details information and useful tips to safeguard kids. Wonderful blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you so.much!
DeleteGreat post... very well written
ReplyDeleteThank you, do come back !
ReplyDeleteUseful stuff. Liked the tips and they are useful. Nice blog.
ReplyDeleteWww.lifest.live
Thanks Priya
DeleteThese are some great tips. I love how detailed all are. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteDarina from daramiblog
Thanks Darina:)
DeleteExcellent tips. It's so important that we protect the young, old and those who have weak immune systems by doing all we can to stop the spread of the virus. Getting kids into a routine of washing hands, wearing masks etc is so helpful because it means they know what to do without your interference.
ReplyDeleteReading blogs is very beneficial when you are trying to find some relevant information COVID-19 pandemic. For me, I find it helpful I don’t know what is your perspective about it.
ReplyDelete"Ensure kids socialize while staying at home" - such an important point than many overlook. Thank you for this awesome post
ReplyDeleteVery useful and timely information as at this time govt is relaxing lockdown and any lapse of precaution may affect very adverserly to everyone.
ReplyDeleteThank you:)
Delete