I sprayed down mail with Lysol.
I scrubbed groceries clean before they crossed the threshold of our house.
I sterilized every toy my son could have possibly slobbered on.
It was a time-consuming, exhausting siege of sanitation.
Two weeks ago, my son returned to daycare.
His school has gone to great lengths to keep him healthy and safe while he is in their care.
Do I need to strip him naked in the garage before he enters the house?
Do I need to wash his clothes immediately in Earths warmest water?
Do I need to boil everything hes touched to near-surgery-level cleanliness?
I decided to seek out an expert opinion.
Sticking to the basics will get the job done.
Cleanliness is next to godliness, but dont do it with the intent for COVID prevention, Steed says.
Keep it simplebasic good hygiene to stop the transfer of germs.
Face masks
Steed recommends helping your child understand how toproperly wear a mask and why its important.
Steed says she understands this wont be easy, but encouragement and role-modeling good behavior may help.
Praise kids for wearing their mask, she says.
Show pictures of other kids wearing masks, put their favorite stuffed animals in masks.
it’s crucial that you confirm that cloth face coverings are cleaned routinely, Steed says.
It really depends on the child.
You just need to check that it gets washed on a regular basis.
Another pro tip from Steed: Stick with your own stuff.
Anything that goes in their eyes, nose and mouth is a vector for any germ, she says.
Check out the school, Steed recommends.
See how they are dealing with kids in the classroom.
Are they sufficiently apart from other people?
Also, verify your child is up to date on vaccinationsespecially with the flu.
We wont be able to tell the flu and COVID apart, Steed says.
see to it vaccinations are up to date.
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