The first year my kid attended school, she brought home every sniffle, sore throat, and cough for the whole family. Ask any teacher and they’ll tell you that schools are full of an endless supply of germs and stickiness. Teachers are constantly reminding kids to keep their fingers out of their mouths and noses. This year keeping our kids healthy and safe is even more important.
Back to School is different this year
It’s no secret that school will look a lot different this year. If your child is attending school in-person this fall, getting them to keep their masks on for the entire day is paramount. We all worry about how our kids will handle the changes at school; some kids will certainly struggle with the mask requirement.
I know firsthand that it’s not easy at first to wear a face covering all day. To keep everyone around us safe, we wear masks daily at Frogglez HQ in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. It was tough for me as an adult to get used to wearing a mask all day. Finding a mask that fit comfortably and was easy to adjust made a huge difference. Comfort and fit are two areas that we know very well at Frogglez.
Make it easier for kids to follow the rules
Wearing a mask will be an adjustment for your child too, but making that adjustment easier will help them be successful in the new school year. So, give your kids a better chance to succeed when it comes to wearing a mask by selecting one that fits, is easy-to-use, and comfortable.
Frogglez core philosophy is to give kids easy-to-use, comfortable tools. Children struggled with swim goggles for years before Frogglez. We took that same philosophy and applied it to our new kid's face masks.
Kids adapt much more quickly to new situations than adults – they learn to walk almost overnight, tackle swimming in a summer, and spend their days picking up advanced concepts like algebra, grammar, and science. Ten years ago, none of us had smartphones, and now they’re completely integrated into our way of life. Wearing mask is a new concept now, but so was wearing swim goggles!
Masks are the entrance fee to do something you love
As parents, it’s best to approach mask wearing like we do all social norms. We do lots of “unpleasant” things that don’t feel natural to kids at first. For example, we wear shoes inside restaurants and seat-belts in the car. How do we explain the need to for shoes and seat-belts to our kids? By letting them know that these things allow them to do things the love. We wear shoes so we can go to the yummy restaurant. We wear our seat-belts in the car so we can go to the park! Now, we wear our masks so we can see our friends at school!
Were those things hard to adapt to at first? Let’s just say some kids took to being buckled into a 5-point harness easier than others. Use the same tactics to encourage mask use and the change will be easier for your children. Help them see a mask as a safe way to do the things they love.
What to look for in a kids’ face mask
Children’s faces have different proportions than adults, so choose a mask specifically made for kids’ smaller, shorter chins and upturned noses. A properly contoured profile makes it more comfortable, so it's easier for kids to wear it when necessary.
- Choose a mask made from soft fabric to keep from irritating sensitive skin. Several layers of fabric help filter the air but also keep the mask from drooping or sagging.
- Look for easily adjustable, soft straps that will be gentle on little ears. A wire nose bridge keeps the mask from crawling up into eyes.
- For extra protection, look for filter pockets. Adding a carbon filter can help keep airborne irritants like dust, allergens, and pollen from penetrating the face covering.
- Lastly, make sure it’s easy to clean because you will be washing it after every use or at least nightly. It’s probably a good idea to get a few so that you always have clean masks on hand.
Frogglez designed our new masks with these design points in mind. We made our masks out of fun frog print fabric in two bright kid favorite colors. Just because its a rule, doesn't mean it has to be boring!
Frogglez delivers comfort without the headache
Thanks for trusting Frogglez with your family’s comfort. We put as much effort into designing the Frogglez Face Mask as we did our swim goggles. Rest assured that your children will adapt to the new way of doing things quickly. It’s a small price to pay for a chance to return to school and resume more activities.
