Toddlers under 2, Playgrounds and COVID

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UV rays (e.g. sunlight) are pretty good at killing any Covid on the surface of playground equipment, so by the time you show up, it's had a lot of time to do its job.

We sanitize our hands just before we get in teh car to go back home. Mine are 5 and 7. We go maskless in the playground unless other kids are around, then they mask up (I just keep my distance). Our kids are in private school in-person so they're used to it as they have to wear masks at school.

Are you saying that you, the parent, don't mask at the playground? WTF?

NP - i think that yes, they are saying as a parent they don't wear a mask if they are outside alone with their children, but if other parents show up they put a mask on. I am confused by your "WTF" .... that is proper social distancing protocol.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is you aren't as likely catch COVID from surfaces but more directly. So I avoid busier playgrounds and generally just go when it's just us on the playground. Son is too young to wear a mask. I wipe down our hands, but it's not possible to wipe down the entire playground either before or after.

[Anonymous]

I have a 14 month old.

Do you let your older baby or younger toddler play on equipment at the playground? - Yes

Do you wipe down swings before putting them in? - No

How do you handle handwashing right after you leave the playground? Are baby wipes enough? Is hand sanitizer safe for little ones? - I bring hand sanitizing wipes with alcohol. I don’t know if baby wipes are enough. I used hand sanitizer wipes well before Covid and used them with my older kid as well. It’s easier to manage than the liquid/gel hand sanitizers.

How assertive are you with keeping them distanced from other kids (bearing in mind little ones aren't masked)? - I don’t care about this at all, I’m more worried that a bigger kid will trip over him or something! 14 month old’s older brother is in half day in person preschool 5 days a week anyway and my husband works in an office 3-5 days a week so we’re much more exposed than the average person I’m guessing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UV rays (e.g. sunlight) are pretty good at killing any Covid on the surface of playground equipment, so by the time you show up, it's had a lot of time to do its job.

We sanitize our hands just before we get in teh car to go back home. Mine are 5 and 7. We go maskless in the playground unless other kids are around, then they mask up (I just keep my distance). Our kids are in private school in-person so they're used to it as they have to wear masks at school.

Are you saying that you, the parent, don't mask at the playground? WTF?

NP - i think that yes, they are saying as a parent they don't wear a mask if they are outside alone with their children, but if other parents show up they put a mask on. I am confused by your "WTF" .... that is proper social distancing protocol.

No, look at what's underlined. She says she just keeps her distance when other kids show up, and only her kids put a mask on. That is not proper social distancing protocol, and it's terrible behavior to model for the kids who are actually following the rules.

[Anonymous]

Ok, here’s my perspective:

If it’s absolutely overrun with kids, that’s one thing. I would have my kid (almost 4) wear a mask in that case.

However, she’s been in preschool this entire time and they don’t require the kids to wear masks on the playground. The teachers do, but the kids do not. They’ve had exactly one case this entire time (part-time teacher who didn’t pass it to anyone else). So I’m really not concerned about playgrounds being a transmission vector.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UV rays (e.g. sunlight) are pretty good at killing any Covid on the surface of playground equipment, so by the time you show up, it's had a lot of time to do its job.

We sanitize our hands just before we get in teh car to go back home. Mine are 5 and 7. We go maskless in the playground unless other kids are around, then they mask up (I just keep my distance). Our kids are in private school in-person so they're used to it as they have to wear masks at school.

Are you saying that you, the parent, don't mask at the playground? WTF?

NP - i think that yes, they are saying as a parent they don't wear a mask if they are outside alone with their children, but if other parents show up they put a mask on. I am confused by your "WTF" .... that is proper social distancing protocol.

Unless you’re in DC, where it is a requirement to wear masks outside of your home unless vigorously exercising away from others.

[Anonymous]

I'd try to go to less utilized playgrounds. Breathing the same air for extended amounts of time is the real way this spreads. Just being outdoors is already taking care of a LOT of that. After that, I'd just ensure she's not spending a lot of time (like 10+ minutes) RIGHT next to someone you don't know.

The fomite transmission is much less of an issue, and seems unlikely. I do use hand sanitizer before a snack or when we leave. 1 year olds are tricky because they put their hands in their mouth a LOT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UV rays (e.g. sunlight) are pretty good at killing any Covid on the surface of playground equipment, so by the time you show up, it's had a lot of time to do its job.

We sanitize our hands just before we get in teh car to go back home. Mine are 5 and 7. We go maskless in the playground unless other kids are around, then they mask up (I just keep my distance). Our kids are in private school in-person so they're used to it as they have to wear masks at school.

Are you saying that you, the parent, don't mask at the playground? WTF?

NP - i think that yes, they are saying as a parent they don't wear a mask if they are outside alone with their children, but if other parents show up they put a mask on. I am confused by your "WTF" .... that is proper social distancing protocol.

No, look at what's underlined. She says she just keeps her distance when other kids show up, and only her kids put a mask on. That is not proper social distancing protocol, and it's terrible behavior to model for the kids who are actually following the rules.

Im the above NP ... you are correct! sorry i misread! I thought they said "WE mask up" ... that is not good behavior modeling for the kids.

[Anonymous]

I've got an almost three year old. We go to playgrounds regularly, mostly trying to avoid busy playgrounds. We try to get him to wear a mask when others are around, but we don't force it if there's only one or two other mask-less kids around.

We don't bother attempting to sanitize anything. It just doesn't seem realistic, nor does it seem like a significant risk. We don't even wash hands because by that point he's already stuck his fingers in his mouth and rubbed his eyes.

My spouse is immune-suppressed, but works in a hospital. So, the hospital-related risks probably greatly outnumber the playground risks. Still, we're not losing sleep over this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 3.5 year old and would just like to say to OP and others: I have no problem whatsoever with toddlers going unmasked at the playground!

My DD does wear a mask, but it took us months to get her used to it enough to keep it on for a playground visit. Even now, the minute we're alone at the playground she takes it off because she knows she can. It's hard.

No kid under 2 should be wearing a mask (it's a hazard), and I personally think at 2-4, I extend a lot of grace to parents because I know it's difficult. I wouldn't expect people to say away from the playground for several years for this reason -- that's not a reasonable expectation. And there are tons of gross motor skill benefits of playgrounds at that age. It's why they exist!

I rely on social distancing even at the playground. Does my kids sometimes come within 6 feet of an unmasked toddler? Yes, of course. But never touch each other, and if I see her getting close to another kid not wearing a mask, I just remind her "keep distance". Plus, we're all outside.

People who are uncomfortable with that range of behavior (all of which is legal and within epidemiological guidelines) should not bring kids to the playground. If you are only comfortable interacting with children in public spaces if everyone is masked and complying perfectly, I would recommend making other choices for your family where you can have more control over everyone present. But a public playground is not that place. You either have to accept the minimal risk or choose not to go.

Agree with all this. Going to playgrounds works for our family, but we have plenty of neighbors who don’t and find other activities that they are more comfortable with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UV rays (e.g. sunlight) are pretty good at killing any Covid on the surface of playground equipment, so by the time you show up, it's had a lot of time to do its job.

We sanitize our hands just before we get in teh car to go back home. Mine are 5 and 7. We go maskless in the playground unless other kids are around, then they mask up (I just keep my distance). Our kids are in private school in-person so they're used to it as they have to wear masks at school.

Are you saying that you, the parent, don't mask at the playground? WTF?

Why do you need a mask if there is no one else there? Some of y’all are insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UV rays (e.g. sunlight) are pretty good at killing any Covid on the surface of playground equipment, so by the time you show up, it's had a lot of time to do its job.

We sanitize our hands just before we get in teh car to go back home. Mine are 5 and 7. We go maskless in the playground unless other kids are around, then they mask up (I just keep my distance). Our kids are in private school in-person so they're used to it as they have to wear masks at school.

Are you saying that you, the parent, don't mask at the playground? WTF?

Why do you need a mask if there is no one else there? Some of y’all are insane.

Learn to read. She said they go maskless unless someone shows up. Then her kids put on masks, but SHE DOES NOT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UV rays (e.g. sunlight) are pretty good at killing any Covid on the surface of playground equipment, so by the time you show up, it's had a lot of time to do its job.

We sanitize our hands just before we get in teh car to go back home. Mine are 5 and 7. We go maskless in the playground unless other kids are around, then they mask up (I just keep my distance). Our kids are in private school in-person so they're used to it as they have to wear masks at school.

Are you saying that you, the parent, don't mask at the playground? WTF?

Why do you need a mask if there is no one else there? Some of y’all are insane.

Learn to read. She said they go maskless unless someone shows up. Then her kids put on masks, but SHE DOES NOT.

If she’s truly keeping her distance, who cares? Unless she’s in a jurisdiction where it’s the law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UV rays (e.g. sunlight) are pretty good at killing any Covid on the surface of playground equipment, so by the time you show up, it's had a lot of time to do its job.

We sanitize our hands just before we get in teh car to go back home. Mine are 5 and 7. We go maskless in the playground unless other kids are around, then they mask up (I just keep my distance). Our kids are in private school in-person so they're used to it as they have to wear masks at school.

Are you saying that you, the parent, don't mask at the playground? WTF?

Why do you need a mask if there is no one else there? Some of y’all are insane.

Learn to read. She said they go maskless unless someone shows up. Then her kids put on masks, but SHE DOES NOT.

If she’s truly keeping her distance, who cares? Unless she’s in a jurisdiction where it’s the law.

NP. Kids run around. One could run near her when she's not expecting it. Or after she moves away, someone could move into her old space while the aerosols are still lingering. It's also possible that whatever she thinks is keeping her distance isn't far enough---it's not 100% clear how far one must be at this point (six feet was a guideline to begin with, and overly simplistic now that we know it can also spread by aerosols). Sure, being outdoors makes this last point less of a concern, but wearing a mask would still help provide a little more protection in any of these scenarios.

It's socially responsible, not insane to wear a mask even when keeping your distance. It's good to do both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really wish there was better official guidance about this. My child is about to turn 1 and loves to climb on playground equipment and be among other kids. But I always leave the playground uncertain if I've made the right decisions and I'm not sure what to tell our nanny either.

Do you let your older baby or younger toddler play on equipment at the playground?
Yes

Do you wipe down swings before putting them in?
No

How do you handle handwashing right after you leave the playground? Are baby wipes enough? Is hand sanitizer safe for little ones?
Hand sanitizer when we're done, always. Not baby wipes.

How assertive are you with keeping them distanced from other kids (bearing in mind little ones aren't masked)?
I don't worry about distance if all kids are wearing masks. If one of the kids (including mine) isn't wearing a mask for some reason, then the kiddos need to keep their distance. Playgrounds with several play spaces make this easy.