New!: We'd like to help you stay up to date and to provide access to free tools like masks and free test kits to all who want or need them. Thanks to your interest, free masks and free test kits are now available to all in the United States. Thank you!
Please note this is not a government or medical advice site-- please see your doctor or local clinic if you have medical questions and consult your local guidance on school safety--Thank you!
Family Medical Guidance, News and Discounts
American Academy of Pediatrics
Tips to better communicate with children while wearing a face mask
-
get the child's attention before talking
-
face the child directly and make sure nothing is blocking the child's view
-
speak slowly and slightly louder (without shouting)
-
ensure a child is using hearing aids or using other hearing devices, if they have been prescribed
-
use eyes, hands, body language, and changes in tone of voice to add information to speech
-
ask the child if they understood; repeat words and sentences when necessary
-
reduce noise and reduce distractions
You can share these tips with your child's day care provider, preschool, and others who regularly interact with your child while wearing masks.
The Center for Disease Control
Tips on wearing and caring for kids masks
How to wear
Wear a mask correctly and consistently for the best protection.
-
Be sure to wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before putting on a mask.
-
Do NOT touch the mask when wearing it. If you have to often touch/adjust your mask, it doesn’t fit you properly, and you may need to find a different mask or make adjustments.
How to wash
-
Include your mask with your regular laundry.
-
Use regular laundry detergent and the appropriate settings according to the fabric label or
-
Wash your mask with tap water and laundry detergent or soap.
-
Rinse thoroughly with clean water to remove detergent or soap.
-
Dry your mask completely in a warm or hot dryer or
-
Hang your mask in direct sunlight to dry completely. If you cannot hang it in direct sunlight, hang or lay it flat and let it dry completely.
How to store
-
Store wet or dirty masks in a plastic bag
-
If your mask is wet or dirty from sweat, saliva, make-up, or other liquids or substances, keep it in a sealed plastic bag until you can wash it. Wash wet or dirty masks as soon as possible to prevent them from becoming moldy. Wet masks can be hard to breathe through and are less effective than dry masks.
-
Store masks that are not wet or dirty in a paper bag.
Snack and meal-time mask storage and care
-
You can store your mask temporarily to reuse later. Remove your mask correctly and wash your hands after touching a used mask. Keep it in a dry, breathable bag (like a paper or mesh fabric bag) to keep it clean between uses. When reusing your mask, keep the same side facing out.
-
If you are taking off your mask to eat or drink outside of your home, you can place it somewhere safe to keep it clean, such as your pocket, purse, or paper bag. Make sure to wash or sanitize your hands after removing your mask. After eating, put the mask back on with the same side facing out. Be sure to wash or sanitize your hands again after putting your mask back on.
The Center for Disease Control
Tips on choosing kids face masks and mask quality
Do choose masks that
-
Have two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric
-
Completely cover your nose and mouth
-
Fit snugly against the sides of your face and don’t have gaps
-
Have a nose wire to prevent air from leaking out of the top of the mask
Find a mask that is made for children to help ensure proper fit
-
Check to be sure the mask fits snugly over the nose and mouth and under the chin and that there are no gaps around the sides
-
Do NOT put on children younger than 2 years old
Some tips to ensure a good fit
-
Use a mask fitter or brace
-
Use a mask fitter or brace over a disposable mask or a cloth mask to prevent air from leaking around the edges of the mask.
-
Check that it fits snugly over your nose, mouth, and chin
-
Check for gaps by cupping your hands around the outside edges of the mask.
-
Make sure no air is flowing from the area near your eyes or from the sides of the mask.
-
If the mask has a good fit, you will feel warm air come through the front of the mask and may be able to see the mask material move in and out with each breath.
New Discounts Available!
Family Shopping and Discounts
New Partnerships with Kidsmasks.org
-
While we are maintaining our not for profit mission of providing unbiased expert resourced guidance and news in as many languages and accessible formats as possible, we are happy to announce our recent partnership with Amazon and other brands to provide discounts on shopping for kids masks and other back to school and mask to school essentials. This partnership will help support our website and efforts at outreach in local and global underserved communities. We hope to provide a chance for you to access your back to school needs with their discounted memberships for mask to school season:
-
A percentage of any profits will go directly to programs at our chosen nonprofit beneficiary, Accessurf.org, which provides recreation and outdoor activities for children, veterans and people young and old of all abilities. If you would like to see a favorite nonprofit organization related to our mission benefit from a partnership with kidsmasks.org, please get in touch with us at info@kidsmasks.org-- thank you!