Anonymous wrote:DD just turned 2 this month and daycare sent a note home today saying that they had to send a child home with a fever and funny nose today and that from now on, all kids 2+ will have to wear masks.

My older daughter didn’t even have to wear a mask until she turned 3 during Covid and I have really mixed feelings about this.

We just started at this daycare after 18 months on the waitlist and I’m having second thoughts - except I don’t know that we’ll get in anywhere else now. I was never against masking during the pandemic and still wear one to travel but 2 seems way too young. WWYD?

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer a masking policy just for kids with cold symptoms. And then require a proper KN95 style mask. The issue with a mask mandate, especially for this age, is that it just results in a bunch of kids wearing cloth and paper masks poorly. They get damp almost immediately and it renders them ineffective, and the kids' small faces means it's hard to find a good fit. The kids get uncomfortable and are constantly taking them off or letting them sag, and the teachers have to decide whether to police them or just let it go.

To me the best policy is:

1) Strict guidelines for when kids are sent home based on fevers (easy to take temps when kids are on the way into school to enforce this -- lots of daycares do this at this point) and signs of lethargy or serious illness. Kids with those symptoms shouldn't be at school, for their sake and that of others. If you want to require tests for Covid/RSV/flu that's fine too, but be really clear about what kinds of tests are allowed (can it be OTC or does it have to be at a doctor, when or how often do you need to test, be realistic about what families can do).

2) Provide KN95 masks for kids who are fever free and who have cold symptoms. School should provide the masks -- in general I think in all settings where masks are required, the setting should provide appropriate masks because it's way easier to bulk supply them than to put that on individuals.

3) Enforce good hygiene habits generally. Especially in a preschool where they are learning these skills for the future. Regular handwashing especially after using the bathroom or before eating. Frequent reminders not to put things in their mouths or to keep their mouths away from other people (yes the kids will do it anyway but part of preschool is teaching them not to). Teaching kids when it's okay to touch things and when it's not okay to touch things -- I remember at that age having to teach my kids not to run their hands along every wall and railing when we were out in the city, and explaining why (very effective to just explain to kids that dogs pee on freaking everything everywhere). Again this is a normal preschool skill to teach. Preschool is about learning to be a person in the world.

I don't think we should just accept that illness is going to spread unchecked in schools and it's reasonable to ask people to make a good faith effort to limit it. But also blanket masking policies or draconian threats to send a kid home if they sneeze or cough at all don't make sense. They are impossible to enforce and just encourage people to try and skirt the rules because they are unreasonable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer a masking policy just for kids with cold symptoms. And then require a proper KN95 style mask. The issue with a mask mandate, especially for this age, is that it just results in a bunch of kids wearing cloth and paper masks poorly. They get damp almost immediately and it renders them ineffective, and the kids' small faces means it's hard to find a good fit. The kids get uncomfortable and are constantly taking them off or letting them sag, and the teachers have to decide whether to police them or just let it go.

To me the best policy is:

1) Strict guidelines for when kids are sent home based on fevers (easy to take temps when kids are on the way into school to enforce this -- lots of daycares do this at this point) and signs of lethargy or serious illness. Kids with those symptoms shouldn't be at school, for their sake and that of others. If you want to require tests for Covid/RSV/flu that's fine too, but be really clear about what kinds of tests are allowed (can it be OTC or does it have to be at a doctor, when or how often do you need to test, be realistic about what families can do).

2) Provide KN95 masks for kids who are fever free and who have cold symptoms. School should provide the masks -- in general I think in all settings where masks are required, the setting should provide appropriate masks because it's way easier to bulk supply them than to put that on individuals.

3) Enforce good hygiene habits generally. Especially in a preschool where they are learning these skills for the future. Regular handwashing especially after using the bathroom or before eating. Frequent reminders not to put things in their mouths or to keep their mouths away from other people (yes the kids will do it anyway but part of preschool is teaching them not to). Teaching kids when it's okay to touch things and when it's not okay to touch things -- I remember at that age having to teach my kids not to run their hands along every wall and railing when we were out in the city, and explaining why (very effective to just explain to kids that dogs pee on freaking everything everywhere). Again this is a normal preschool skill to teach. Preschool is about learning to be a person in the world.

I don't think we should just accept that illness is going to spread unchecked in schools and it's reasonable to ask people to make a good faith effort to limit it. But also blanket masking policies or draconian threats to send a kid home if they sneeze or cough at all don't make sense. They are impossible to enforce and just encourage people to try and skirt the rules because they are unreasonable.

Yeah no crazy lady - you’re not forcing 2 yr olds to wear KN95s. Sorry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Little kids are SO germy, and this is flu season. They're trying to prevent kids from spreading sickness and getting sick. That's great, and exactly what I'd want my daycare to do.

I agree- please tell me the name so I can sign up my kid! My 2 year old is great about wearing a mask and she has a bigger vocabulary than most adults so quiet down with your concerns about speech therapy-- her speech was well developed before 2

Why does your toddler wear a mask??

so she doesn't get sick or get us sick- i'm pregnant and immunocompromised, husband also has health issues. never quite understand the "kids won't wear masks" comments- she's been great about it for almost 6 months now... the parents who care about it and teach it it works, those of you who always thought they were useless chose masks that didn't fit and were uncomfortable to prove it doesn't work (as shared in many anecdotes above..)

most illnesses are spread through air, handwashing can only go so far. why is everyone posting about how important hand washing is without knowing that can't prevent most illnesses?

Sounds like your 2 yo is your first and you have not realized what most parents by now would have recognized - every child is different. Yes, some kids can keep masks over their noses. Most 2 year olds cannot, and any daycare teacher will tell you that.

I'm glad your child's speech is developing well! The issue with masks is that for kids with speech delays, masks are a problem. Speech therapy does not work as well with masks. And there are tons of research articles on the importance of seeing people's faces for social emotional development. Since most people aren't wearing masks, that's not an issue for your kid. For my kid, it absolutely was. And you dismissing that very real experience that so many parents had makes you a total jerk and not someone worth listening to.

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer a masking policy just for kids with cold symptoms. And then require a proper KN95 style mask. The issue with a mask mandate, especially for this age, is that it just results in a bunch of kids wearing cloth and paper masks poorly. They get damp almost immediately and it renders them ineffective, and the kids' small faces means it's hard to find a good fit. The kids get uncomfortable and are constantly taking them off or letting them sag, and the teachers have to decide whether to police them or just let it go.

To me the best policy is:

1) Strict guidelines for when kids are sent home based on fevers (easy to take temps when kids are on the way into school to enforce this -- lots of daycares do this at this point) and signs of lethargy or serious illness. Kids with those symptoms shouldn't be at school, for their sake and that of others. If you want to require tests for Covid/RSV/flu that's fine too, but be really clear about what kinds of tests are allowed (can it be OTC or does it have to be at a doctor, when or how often do you need to test, be realistic about what families can do).

2) Provide KN95 masks for kids who are fever free and who have cold symptoms. School should provide the masks -- in general I think in all settings where masks are required, the setting should provide appropriate masks because it's way easier to bulk supply them than to put that on individuals.

3) Enforce good hygiene habits generally. Especially in a preschool where they are learning these skills for the future. Regular handwashing especially after using the bathroom or before eating. Frequent reminders not to put things in their mouths or to keep their mouths away from other people (yes the kids will do it anyway but part of preschool is teaching them not to). Teaching kids when it's okay to touch things and when it's not okay to touch things -- I remember at that age having to teach my kids not to run their hands along every wall and railing when we were out in the city, and explaining why (very effective to just explain to kids that dogs pee on freaking everything everywhere). Again this is a normal preschool skill to teach. Preschool is about learning to be a person in the world.

I don't think we should just accept that illness is going to spread unchecked in schools and it's reasonable to ask people to make a good faith effort to limit it. But also blanket masking policies or draconian threats to send a kid home if they sneeze or cough at all don't make sense. They are impossible to enforce and just encourage people to try and skirt the rules because they are unreasonable.

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer a masking policy just for kids with cold symptoms. And then require a proper KN95 style mask. The issue with a mask mandate, especially for this age, is that it just results in a bunch of kids wearing cloth and paper masks poorly. They get damp almost immediately and it renders them ineffective, and the kids' small faces means it's hard to find a good fit. The kids get uncomfortable and are constantly taking them off or letting them sag, and the teachers have to decide whether to police them or just let it go.

To me the best policy is:

1) Strict guidelines for when kids are sent home based on fevers (easy to take temps when kids are on the way into school to enforce this -- lots of daycares do this at this point) and signs of lethargy or serious illness. Kids with those symptoms shouldn't be at school, for their sake and that of others. If you want to require tests for Covid/RSV/flu that's fine too, but be really clear about what kinds of tests are allowed (can it be OTC or does it have to be at a doctor, when or how often do you need to test, be realistic about what families can do).

2) Provide KN95 masks for kids who are fever free and who have cold symptoms. School should provide the masks -- in general I think in all settings where masks are required, the setting should provide appropriate masks because it's way easier to bulk supply them than to put that on individuals.

3) Enforce good hygiene habits generally. Especially in a preschool where they are learning these skills for the future. Regular handwashing especially after using the bathroom or before eating. Frequent reminders not to put things in their mouths or to keep their mouths away from other people (yes the kids will do it anyway but part of preschool is teaching them not to). Teaching kids when it's okay to touch things and when it's not okay to touch things -- I remember at that age having to teach my kids not to run their hands along every wall and railing when we were out in the city, and explaining why (very effective to just explain to kids that dogs pee on freaking everything everywhere). Again this is a normal preschool skill to teach. Preschool is about learning to be a person in the world.

I don't think we should just accept that illness is going to spread unchecked in schools and it's reasonable to ask people to make a good faith effort to limit it. But also blanket masking policies or draconian threats to send a kid home if they sneeze or cough at all don't make sense. They are impossible to enforce and just encourage people to try and skirt the rules because they are unreasonable.

Anonymous wrote:This thread popped up in 2025.

Are you all saying that there are daycares in 2025 requiring kids to wear masks?

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer a masking policy just for kids with cold symptoms. And then require a proper KN95 style mask. The issue with a mask mandate, especially for this age, is that it just results in a bunch of kids wearing cloth and paper masks poorly. They get damp almost immediately and it renders them ineffective, and the kids' small faces means it's hard to find a good fit. The kids get uncomfortable and are constantly taking them off or letting them sag, and the teachers have to decide whether to police them or just let it go.

To me the best policy is:

1) Strict guidelines for when kids are sent home based on fevers (easy to take temps when kids are on the way into school to enforce this -- lots of daycares do this at this point) and signs of lethargy or serious illness. Kids with those symptoms shouldn't be at school, for their sake and that of others. If you want to require tests for Covid/RSV/flu that's fine too, but be really clear about what kinds of tests are allowed (can it be OTC or does it have to be at a doctor, when or how often do you need to test, be realistic about what families can do).

2) Provide KN95 masks for kids who are fever free and who have cold symptoms. School should provide the masks -- in general I think in all settings where masks are required, the setting should provide appropriate masks because it's way easier to bulk supply them than to put that on individuals.

3) Enforce good hygiene habits generally. Especially in a preschool where they are learning these skills for the future. Regular handwashing especially after using the bathroom or before eating. Frequent reminders not to put things in their mouths or to keep their mouths away from other people (yes the kids will do it anyway but part of preschool is teaching them not to). Teaching kids when it's okay to touch things and when it's not okay to touch things -- I remember at that age having to teach my kids not to run their hands along every wall and railing when we were out in the city, and explaining why (very effective to just explain to kids that dogs pee on freaking everything everywhere). Again this is a normal preschool skill to teach. Preschool is about learning to be a person in the world.

I don't think we should just accept that illness is going to spread unchecked in schools and it's reasonable to ask people to make a good faith effort to limit it. But also blanket masking policies or draconian threats to send a kid home if they sneeze or cough at all don't make sense. They are impossible to enforce and just encourage people to try and skirt the rules because they are unreasonable.

Anonymous wrote:I would prefer a masking policy just for kids with cold symptoms. And then require a proper KN95 style mask. The issue with a mask mandate, especially for this age, is that it just results in a bunch of kids wearing cloth and paper masks poorly. They get damp almost immediately and it renders them ineffective, and the kids' small faces means it's hard to find a good fit. The kids get uncomfortable and are constantly taking them off or letting them sag, and the teachers have to decide whether to police them or just let it go.

To me the best policy is:

1) Strict guidelines for when kids are sent home based on fevers (easy to take temps when kids are on the way into school to enforce this -- lots of daycares do this at this point) and signs of lethargy or serious illness. Kids with those symptoms shouldn't be at school, for their sake and that of others. If you want to require tests for Covid/RSV/flu that's fine too, but be really clear about what kinds of tests are allowed (can it be OTC or does it have to be at a doctor, when or how often do you need to test, be realistic about what families can do).

2) Provide KN95 masks for kids who are fever free and who have cold symptoms. School should provide the masks -- in general I think in all settings where masks are required, the setting should provide appropriate masks because it's way easier to bulk supply them than to put that on individuals.

3) Enforce good hygiene habits generally. Especially in a preschool where they are learning these skills for the future. Regular handwashing especially after using the bathroom or before eating. Frequent reminders not to put things in their mouths or to keep their mouths away from other people (yes the kids will do it anyway but part of preschool is teaching them not to). Teaching kids when it's okay to touch things and when it's not okay to touch things -- I remember at that age having to teach my kids not to run their hands along every wall and railing when we were out in the city, and explaining why (very effective to just explain to kids that dogs pee on freaking everything everywhere). Again this is a normal preschool skill to teach. Preschool is about learning to be a person in the world.

I don't think we should just accept that illness is going to spread unchecked in schools and it's reasonable to ask people to make a good faith effort to limit it. But also blanket masking policies or draconian threats to send a kid home if they sneeze or cough at all don't make sense. They are impossible to enforce and just encourage people to try and skirt the rules because they are unreasonable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd give it a while. They'll prob figure out it doesn't work and the rule will eventually disappear.

With a lot of things in life, you can wait it out until others realize the idea is a bad one.

Yea it won't work because of parents intentionally sending sick kids and poorly fitting masks. Somehow mine has never been sick in 2+ years thanks to masks. And my kid was super verbal well before preschool age, unless you wear mask non stop at home I don't even understand the argument that masks are too blame for your kids speech issues. My niece had a speech delay and it was obvious we'll before she was old enough to mask or be enrolled in preschool where she was around kids during say in masks. Obviously her family didn't mask in their own home

Anonymous wrote:I'd give it a while. They'll prob figure out it doesn't work and the rule will eventually disappear.

With a lot of things in life, you can wait it out until others realize the idea is a bad one.