Tips for families on how to navigate the pandemic (series: part 4 of 5)
Lyndsey Frey - Writer
There’s truly no one-size-fits-all solution for families navigating our new normal amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. While one family can’t wait to stuff the pool floats in the car and head to the pool, another frets that their very young children will touch every surface possible with their hands while in public spaces.
Finding a comfort level that’s right for your family as sports, stores and public areas open can be stressful and unnerving. That’s why Akron Children’s is putting together a 5-part blog series to help families figure out what’s right — and not right — for them. After all, we’re in this together.
Now that summer is here and the sun is shining, our kids want to go outside. The question is how can we let them do summer activities and still be safe?
My family and I have decided that we’re going to take up camping. That’s something that we haven’t tried before. We actually went last weekend on our first camping trip and, boy, let me tell you it was so much fun. It was just the 3 of us. We didn’t have to worry about social distancing. We didn’t have to wear our masks because we were by ourselves on our camping site.
A hot topic that I’ve been asked about is public pools? Is this safe for our kids to be doing?
In that situation, we can’t be wearing masks while we’re swimming because it’s dangerous. If the mask gets wet, it’s very hard to breathe. So, the importance of social distancing really comes into play.
The other option would be to do pool time at home. Maybe put out a kiddie pool for the younger kids, break out the sprinkler or even a simple hose. The kids can have fun at home in the water and don’t necessarily have to be at a big public pool.
What about kids playing with other kids? Is this safe?
I would say it depends on the age. For adolescents, they’re more apt to social distance, possibly wear a mask, but they still need to be educated. Make sure your adolescents are aware of what steps need to be taken to be safe during this pandemic.
In terms of little kids, it’s a little more difficult to have them social distance. So, I would say limit the social circle to maybe 1, 2 or 3 kids and keep that same circle. Don’t go from one family to another to another and expose each other.
To schedule your child’s wellness checkup, call our appointment center at 330-543-2778.
Editor’s note: Read parts 1, 2 and 3 in this series.
Lyndsey Frey is a freelance writer based in Cleveland, Ohio. She specializes in blogging and content publishing, search engine optimization and social media marketing. Her work has been published online and in regional and national publications, such as Inside Business, Cleveland, Akron Life and Internet Retailer magazines.
Inside Children’s
Inside Children’s is an online community that provides inspirational patient and staff stories as well as information about health and parenting, hospital news, fundraising events and more.
There’s truly no one-size-fits-all solution for families navigating our new normal amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. While one family can’t wait to stuff the pool floats in the car and head to the pool, another frets that their very young children will touch every surface possible with their hands while in public spaces.
