Errands with Maskless ASD child?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]OP, I understand why you no longer do grocery delivery. I was doing it for a while, but honestly it got to be way too expensive between the jacked up prices, the delivery fee, the tip for the driver and not being able to use coupons. I now go to the grocery store when it opens at 6 AM on Sunday morning. There are four of us in the store usually. It’s a dream and I get everything that I need and I don’t have to worry that I was delivered rotten fruit, or missing items or wrong items. My kids are older and my spouse is immunocompromised. However, minimize exposure, I am the only one that goes into a store. I go into one store once a week and that’s it. Everything else I get is curbside pick up or delivery. So first, my question is why can’t you and your partner go to the store on the weekends and have the other person watch your child? Honestly, I also think you’re a troll since you refuse to answer the question about your partner.

I also think that you would know way NEED to take your child into a store unless you’re a single parent; which you have not stated. My older child is SN (not asd) so I do get the struggles, but even in the times of Covid there are solutions that are far better than taking an unmasked preschooler who is being exposed to adults indoors in therapy into stores where he is exposed to many other people unnecessarily.[/quote]

I think the problem you're perhaps forgetting is that during COVID, your support system falls apart due to social distancing. I can't drop my kids off with anyone else. They don't go anywhere else except for the one that still goes to daycare. There's only so many hours in the day when businesses are open, and most of those are hours I'm stuck with the kids.

I do understand that people here are freaked out. I want to be respectful of that as much as I can, but I'm not going to go so far that it prevents me from getting things I have to do done. I was able to find other paths when both kids were in daycare, but now I have one kid with me all day, every day. The stroller idea has grown on me, so I'll do that. And while I think it is a massive overreaction and wholly inappropriate, I'm going to get a plastic rain cover to put over the seat. If he tolerates the rain cover, then I'll use it. If not, then I won't, because I don't think screaming under a plastic sheet would be a net positive for anyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well do not try to take your child to brookside gardens, fwiw. I have a child with issues who is literally two weeks into being 3. Will not tolerate a mask. I had an urgent need for the bathroom and they wouldn't let me in. Would have been there for 2 min and there was no one around except the person standing guard to the building. This was a couple weeks ago. The trails were not crowded or anything.

Your child could start wearing a mask once he or she was 2, not 3. So he or she has been old enough to wear a mask literally the entire pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well do not try to take your child to brookside gardens, fwiw. I have a child with issues who is literally two weeks into being 3. Will not tolerate a mask. I had an urgent need for the bathroom and they wouldn't let me in. Would have been there for 2 min and there was no one around except the person standing guard to the building. This was a couple weeks ago. The trails were not crowded or anything.

Your child could start wearing a mask once he or she was 2, not 3. So he or she has been old enough to wear a mask literally the entire pandemic.

What makes you think the pp hasn't been trying to get their child to wear a mask since age 2?

[Anonymous]

What a truly ridiculous thread. I would be sympathetic if there was absolutely no way the child could be left home, but OP has a partner and, as many have pointed out, curbside and delivery are options. Not getting the best produce or having to suffer through a substitution is not an excuse for putting someone else's health on the line. I can't believe that actually has to be said.

I really don't see how special needs even comes into this. My NT toddler is under 2 and can't wear a mask, so I don't bring her shopping. That seems like an incredibly easy decision. You have options, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some stores still do seniors and people with disabilities hours. Maybe go during those hours?

Wtf? Please don't encourage the kid who can't wear a mask to go with the seniors.

[Anonymous]

Don’t have time to read the whole thread. Do you have a jogging stroller? Could you put a rain hood over it? It’s not great, but it is miles better than taking him anywhere unmasked.

For the record, I still think you should keep him home. My kids also haven’t been on an errand since March. I do grocery shopping after their bedtimes. Yes, stuff is out of stock. Yes, we have multiple food allergies/ sensitivities, so when “ my” bread is out, I don’t get bread. -gg

[Anonymous]

I want to stress OP, that you need to make mask wearing a priority with therapy and at home. A few seconds to a few minutes to 10 minutes - work your way up. It will be horrible to have your child who does not tolerate a mask end up needing to be intubated or have a nasal canula for O2 sat or anything else if he or she develops breathing complications. Many of the therapists and specialists I work with are pushing that hard with their patients, many of those who have sensory disorders or ASD, because they know that entrance into school and also just in case their is a medical need, being able to wear a mask is so important.

Please make this something you work on hard core at home. It might save your child's life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t have time to read the whole thread. Do you have a jogging stroller? Could you put a rain hood over it? It’s not great, but it is miles better than taking him anywhere unmasked.

For the record, I still think you should keep him home. My kids also haven’t been on an errand since March. I do grocery shopping after their bedtimes. Yes, stuff is out of stock. Yes, we have multiple food allergies/ sensitivities, so when “ my” bread is out, I don’t get bread. -gg

Why do you ask about a jogging stroller? No, but we have other strollers. I'm planning on using a tandem stroller that we already have. That way I'll have room for bags.

I thought about that rain cover idea a bit ago. I ordered one earlier tonight, although it's looking like I'm going to need to go into a bank before it arrives. With the limited banking hours, there's no avoiding bringing the kid along. I guess I can just drop the sun shade low as it goes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want to stress OP, that you need to make mask wearing a priority with therapy and at home. A few seconds to a few minutes to 10 minutes - work your way up. It will be horrible to have your child who does not tolerate a mask end up needing to be intubated or have a nasal canula for O2 sat or anything else if he or she develops breathing complications. Many of the therapists and specialists I work with are pushing that hard with their patients, many of those who have sensory disorders or ASD, because they know that entrance into school and also just in case their is a medical need, being able to wear a mask is so important.

Please make this something you work on hard core at home. It might save your child's life.

Some of these posts are rather hystrionic. If you've been following COVID at all, you should know the risk to young children is quite low. I'm trying to be respectful of the fact that the risk to adults- and the elderly in particular- is not low.

And yes, we have working with therapists on masks. There's no "working up" to anything, though. He just takes it off- immediately. And you can't exactly reason with a mostly non-verbal 3 year old. Clearly you have limited experience with anything besides neurotypical kids, so please try to recognize the very real possibility that you don't know what you're talking about.

There's a reason WHO specifically recommends against mask mandates for kids under 5. Some kids simply are not developmentally able to wear a mask- particularly at these young ages.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, I understand why you no longer do grocery delivery. I was doing it for a while, but honestly it got to be way too expensive between the jacked up prices, the delivery fee, the tip for the driver and not being able to use coupons. I now go to the grocery store when it opens at 6 AM on Sunday morning. There are four of us in the store usually. It’s a dream and I get everything that I need and I don’t have to worry that I was delivered rotten fruit, or missing items or wrong items. My kids are older and my spouse is immunocompromised. However, minimize exposure, I am the only one that goes into a store. I go into one store once a week and that’s it. Everything else I get is curbside pick up or delivery. So first, my question is why can’t you and your partner go to the store on the weekends and have the other person watch your child? Honestly, I also think you’re a troll since you refuse to answer the question about your partner.

I also think that you would know way NEED to take your child into a store unless you’re a single parent; which you have not stated. My older child is SN (not asd) so I do get the struggles, but even in the times of Covid there are solutions that are far better than taking an unmasked preschooler who is being exposed to adults indoors in therapy into stores where he is exposed to many other people unnecessarily.[/quote]

I think the problem you're perhaps forgetting is that during COVID, your support system falls apart due to social distancing. I can't drop my kids off with anyone else. They don't go anywhere else except for the one that still goes to daycare. There's only so many hours in the day when businesses are open, and most of those are hours I'm stuck with the kids.

I do understand that people here are freaked out. I want to be respectful of that as much as I can, but I'm not going to go so far that it prevents me from getting things I have to do done. I was able to find other paths when both kids were in daycare, but now I have one kid with me all day, every day. The stroller idea has grown on me, so I'll do that. And while I think it is a massive overreaction and wholly inappropriate, I'm going to get a plastic rain cover to put over the seat. If he tolerates the rain cover, then I'll use it. If not, then I won't, because I don't think screaming under a plastic sheet would be a net positive for anyone.[/quote]

Curbside pickup is free

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t have time to read the whole thread. Do you have a jogging stroller? Could you put a rain hood over it? It’s not great, but it is miles better than taking him anywhere unmasked.

For the record, I still think you should keep him home. My kids also haven’t been on an errand since March. I do grocery shopping after their bedtimes. Yes, stuff is out of stock. Yes, we have multiple food allergies/ sensitivities, so when “ my” bread is out, I don’t get bread. -gg

Why do you ask about a jogging stroller? No, but we have other strollers. I'm planning on using a tandem stroller that we already have. That way I'll have room for bags.

I thought about that rain cover idea a bit ago. I ordered one earlier tonight, although it's looking like I'm going to need to go into a bank before it arrives. With the limited banking hours, there's no avoiding bringing the kid along. I guess I can just drop the sun shade low as it goes.

You know you can deposit checks online now or even at some atms? You can get money from the atm. Do you really need to go into the bank? Your spouse can't watch the child for 30 minutes so you can run into the bank before 5pm? Or spouse can't run into the bank quickly before or after work? Or at a lunch break? Honestly OP you are either a troll or totally out of touch with reality. (Also, nothing to do with child having ASD, I don't run any errands with my toddler who won't wear a mask!)

[Anonymous]

This thread is insane. I don't understand why OP can't just get things delivered like everyone else. nope, he HAS to take his unmasked kid to the store, for reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t have time to read the whole thread. Do you have a jogging stroller? Could you put a rain hood over it? It’s not great, but it is miles better than taking him anywhere unmasked.

For the record, I still think you should keep him home. My kids also haven’t been on an errand since March. I do grocery shopping after their bedtimes. Yes, stuff is out of stock. Yes, we have multiple food allergies/ sensitivities, so when “ my” bread is out, I don’t get bread. -gg

Why do you ask about a jogging stroller? No, but we have other strollers. I'm planning on using a tandem stroller that we already have. That way I'll have room for bags.

I thought about that rain cover idea a bit ago. I ordered one earlier tonight, although it's looking like I'm going to need to go into a bank before it arrives. With the limited banking hours, there's no avoiding bringing the kid along. I guess I can just drop the sun shade low as it goes.

You know you can deposit checks online now or even at some atms? You can get money from the atm. Do you really need to go into the bank? Your spouse can't watch the child for 30 minutes so you can run into the bank before 5pm? Or spouse can't run into the bank quickly before or after work? Or at a lunch break? Honestly OP you are either a troll or totally out of touch with reality. (Also, nothing to do with child having ASD, I don't run any errands with my toddler who won't wear a mask!)

If you need something notorized, you can call and have them come outside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately, ADA type allowances have clauses where an exception doesn’t have to be made for someone’s disability if that exception will put someone else in harms way. So a store could make you leave, even if your child won’t wear a mask. I would not bring him because that will happen eventually to you, and it will be upsetting to both of you.

Also- your son is having in home therapy sessions so he is being exposed to people, indoors, outside of his family. He could easily be an asymptomatic covid carrier. It’s irresponsible to bring him unmasked into a store. If you said neither of you ever left the house or socialized with anyone , indoors or out, I’d be more on your side, but what you are contemplating doing is dangerous for your community.

And health care workers. Please think of the health care workers before you do this OP! Hire extra child care or get delivery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some stores still do seniors and people with disabilities hours. Maybe go during those hours?

Wtf? Please don't encourage the kid who can't wear a mask to go with the seniors.

If the kid has a disability then why not? A lot of seniors are not being responsible with covid measures and they are still allowed. I think its perfectly fine for OP's kid to go and use this.