What are your family and kid COVID19 protocols/restrictions?

Anonymous
We're in NW DC. Pretty politically engaged neighborhood. We're both feds with Masters degrees, as way of background. Two HIGH ENERGY kids, 5 and 7 and an au pair. We feel extremely lucky and fortunate for our situation.

One adult will go to the store a few times a week or pickup takeout, masks and distancing observed.

Our kids go for walks or bike rides in the neighborhood. We manage their distancing so they don't need to wear masks. They play in the yard, and we've walked to friend's housesa few times to chat with us on the sidewalk and the friends at the front door.

The kids are coping fine, albeit with more screen time than we'd like. We're in a real conundrum about:

1) sending them to camp if it opens
2) visiting family in a state that is less cautious about distancing
3) considering outdoor playdates
4) playground visits

All of these things are on the cusp of being "allowed" and are tempting, as the sanity of the adults in the house is tangibly slipping. It's just hard to see some people totally locked down and others just out and about.

Curious to hear from others.
Anonymous
We are a physician and a biomedical researcher. We are both going to work, wearing masks as required. Our kids play with children from 2 other families in the neighborhood. We’ve been to one cookout with a third family (outdoors but not distanced). We go to the store whenever we need something, wearing masks and washing our hands when we return. We exercise outdoors without masks. We will probably visit family out of state soon as we have an ill family member who may not be around much longer. We decided to skip camp this summer but will send our kids to school in the fall if it’s in person.
Anonymous
Our kids are 4 and 5, both parents WFH. We will not do camps and haven't done playdate or playgrounds yet. I feel like it's still a bit too early. Playgrounds are tempting though. One of my kid came down with a fever and headache although we've been isolating. It wasn't Covid but it was so stressful. I'm not ready for that yet.
Anonymous
1. day or sleepaway?
2. no way
3. yes but with close monitoring
4. "
Anonymous
We are the same as you, but kids are older (teenager and preteen). We let the teenager do outdoor things (picnic in park, hang out in park) once a week with a small handful of friends.

We've just started allowing the preteen to have a once a week soccer playdate with one other friend.

But we're about ot go live large, and I don't know how it will work out.

- next week - beach for 3 days (mid week) (rental house, probably won't be on beach itself much, but will walk boardwalk with masks)
- week 2 - mid week camping with extended family only 1 night, but sleeping in their RV. (they live in a rural county with something like less than a dozen cases, I don't know exactly but it's really a low incidence) - we are meeting at a state park in between.
- week 3 - husband taking kids o grandparents, he'll come home and kids will stay a week, we'rll both go the following weekend and stay for weekend.

That is A LOT of exposure considering we've been pretty locked down since March 14.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:We are a physician and a biomedical researcher. We are both going to work, wearing masks as required. Our kids play with children from 2 other families in the neighborhood. We’ve been to one cookout with a third family (outdoors but not distanced). We go to the store whenever we need something, wearing masks and washing our hands when we return. We exercise outdoors without masks. We will probably visit family out of state soon as we have an ill family member who may not be around much longer. We decided to skip camp this summer but will send our kids to school in the fall if it’s in person.


Another family similar to this. Family bike rides are big for us. We’re now in a cabin, enjoying the outdoors. We wear masks when we have to go indoors to a store or in close proximity, but not when walking around our downtown neighborhood to walk the dog for instance. Have only had a couple play dates that were outdoors for walks or bike rides. Kids cannot stay apart but the fresh air and sunshine me feel better. Still worry but we take some risks.
Anonymous
None of the 4 for their age group. They are too young to be careful.

My 15 year old is helping around the house, doing online classes for credit, walking the dog, and working on his muscling plan (he has a routine with crunches and what have you).

My 10 year old is Facetiming friends, and will be allowed to do a horseback riding camp, because I trust the instructor: 5 students, one teacher, wearing masks, always more than 6 ft apart, the students need to *catch their own horse in the pasture, saddle and bridle themselves, then groom and release their horse after the ride*. Now that's distancing!

Anonymous
1) sending them to camp if it opens
- yes, my kids are at a day camp for 8 hours every day. 50 kids, 4 teachers, at an elementary school. No one wears masks except for the staff person who sits at the desk to sign kids in and out at pick up and drop off (parents not allowed in program area/past that desk). Not sure about overnight camp.
2) visiting family in a state that is less cautious about distancing
- sure
3) considering outdoor playdates
- 1000% yes.
4) playground visits
- 1000% yes.

Kids are 10 and 7. I have no idea what educational attainment has to do with anything but we are college educated. We are also politically engaged.
Anonymous
Two Feds, so probably can be labeled as risk adverse (advanced degrees in quantitative subjects but not biology)

We have been SIP as we have high risk household member (autoimmune). We go for walks and bike rides as a family, enjoy the backyard, and EVERYTHING is delivered, so we haven’t been inside any other structure since March.

We talk with friends over Zoom, kids (13 and 9) connect with their friends regularly over zoom, but they are definitely loosing touch with some friends. We have swung by some friends and talked in the driveway, social distancing but no masks b/c with the distance it was too hard to be heard.

No neighborhood friends, so can’t create a useful pod with another SIP family.

1) No camp
2) Thinking of visiting family but unsure how to get there safely
3) No playgrounds
4) Outdoor play dates would be socially distanced, which suggests we won’t have any b/c everyone else seems to be moving forward

It seems like the rest of the world has forgotten about the pandemic, and we can’t quite relax since its still endemic with community spread. So it seems like we won’t have many more social distanced play date or dinner party options as no one will want to be bothered.

As for school, we have no interest in the hybrid nonsense. Either school is safe or it isn’t, it depends on local case load.
Anonymous
Our child is back at daycare because there was no alternative. We hang out with one family regularly without precautions. We visit the store as needed, but try to limit it to once a week. We had to travel this week and stayed in two hotels and ate take out.

We will maintain seeing one family. We also know someone coming to town and will be seeing them. That’s pretty much it for the summer I think. No extra plans, for now.
Anonymous
Oh and yes to playgrounds for us! Anything outdoors I basically a yes and we wash and sanitize. We for lots of walks, bike rides and boating. It is the inside stuff we will be skipping.
Anonymous
We are similar to you, but no grocery store trips. Pick up takeout 3-4x a week. We are not allowing our kids to do any of the four things you listed.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:1) sending them to camp if it opens
- yes, my kids are at a day camp for 8 hours every day. 50 kids, 4 teachers, at an elementary school. No one wears masks except for the staff person who sits at the desk to sign kids in and out at pick up and drop off (parents not allowed in program area/past that desk). Not sure about overnight camp.
2) visiting family in a state that is less cautious about distancing
- sure
3) considering outdoor playdates
- 1000% yes.
4) playground visits
- 1000% yes.

Kids are 10 and 7. I have no idea what educational attainment has to do with anything but we are college educated. We are also politically engaged.


I have same age kids. I’m not judging, I’m genuinely curious, do you not think your kids will get it, or do you think it will be mild if they do?
Anonymous
Outside and distanced is fine, but we aren’t doing camps. We will send them to school when it opens. To me it’s about balancing the cost and benefit. School is essential, camp is desirable.
Anonymous
It seems weird to be considering doing all this as cases are going back up.

I get it. We’re being gaslit. Everyone else is going back to normal because there doesn’t seem to be a sustainable alternative here (unlike in other countries).

I think we’re not going to see as rapid a spread because people are outside. But the risk is going to be higher, but lower, in the coming weeks.

I *maybe* would do outdoor playdates — but if kids are coming inside for snacks, bathrooms, your risk goes up more.
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