Protecting and maintaining social distance has become the most important thing in people's life and work.
Parents are confused about their children wearing masks.
Huang answers them one by one here.
Does the baby need to wear a mask when going out or seeing a doctor?
Generally speaking, children under two years old are not recommended to wear any kind of masks.
Because the younger the child, the smaller the chest circumference and vital capacity, the narrower the respiratory tract and the higher the airway resistance. Wearing a mask increases the burden of gas exchange between the baby and the outside world.
Babies under two years old can't take off their masks with assistance, which is easy to cause suffocation.
The younger a child is, the worse his self-control ability will be. If he wears a mask, he will have more opportunities to touch his face and pull the mask, thus increasing the chance of infection.
On what occasions should children wear masks?
When children participate in indoor sports and outdoor sports with close contact with others;
When it is impossible to keep a safe distance from others, such as in a convenience store;
On an airplane, bus, train or other public transport;
There are sickly children at home. Members who have not been vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine at home should wear masks to prevent the spread of the disease at home.
How to help adapt to children?
Children may be afraid to wear masks at first, so we can find some ways to adapt them:
Put a mask on the child, look in the mirror and praise how cute the child is.
Put a mask on the child's favorite plush toy.
Stick funny cartoon sticky paper on the mask.
Show your children pictures of other children wearing masks.
Practice wearing a mask at home to help children adapt.
What kind of mask is suitable for children?
Surgical masks are the first choice for children to wear.
Only high-risk children (immunocompromised or susceptible to infection) are recommended to wear N95 masks. Covering surgical mask on N95 mask will increase the potential risk of seal leakage between face and mask.
Children should not wear N95 mask for sports.
Because children's noses are relatively low, it is suggested to improve surgical masks in the following aspects, which can better fit children's faces, cover their mouths and noses, and basically leave no gaps, thus reducing the risk of contact pollution and exposure to the environment.
An ordinary surgical mask B folds the mask in half, C ties a rope at the root of the mask, D inserts the edge of the mask, E opens the improved mask, F puts on the ordinary surgical mask, G puts on the improved surgical mask.
Remember to wash your hands before and after wearing a mask and tell your child not to touch it once. When you get home, take off the mask from the back to avoid touching the front of the mask.
Will wearing a mask affect children's lung development?
People have been worried that masks will reduce oxygen intake and lead to hypoxemia. In fact, the mask is made of breathable materials, which will not block the oxygen that children need, but also block the spittle and droplets that may contain viruses.
Masks will not affect children's ability to concentrate or study at school. Most children over 3 years old can wear masks safely for a long time.
The mask will not hinder the normal discharge of carbon dioxide in the human body. Carbon dioxide molecules are very small, even smaller than droplets, and cannot be intercepted by breathable materials such as masks. In fact, surgeons wear masks all the time, and they don't see any harm.
involve
Effect of N95 mask on children's lung function. j Pediatr 202 1； -: 1-5
Re: Esposito et al: Do you want to put a mask on your child to overcome coronavirus pneumonia-19. European journal of pediatrics 2020 6
Https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/coronavirus pneumonia-19/pages/cloth-face-covers-for-children-during-coronavirus pneumonia-19.