INDIANAPOLIS — It's been a concern at home, in public, and now in the classroom: How are we going to get kids to keep their masks on?
One expert tells 13News it comes down to conversation and getting creative.
"So I actually haven't had to have that conversation with kids too much," said Dr. Brett Enneking, a child psychologist at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health. "More likely, I'm talking to their parents about how to have these conversations with your kids. I'm specifically advising them on how to talk about why we're wearing our masks and how to convince their kids to keep the masks on."
She said it's important to wear masks around your kids before sending them off to daycare or school.
"It's just really important that you introduce the masks at home in a safe space first," Enneking said. "If they go out into the world and they see that everything has completely changed, that's going to be a completely different experience compared to if their parents have gotten them used to the idea of the masks at home first."
Enneking said you should allow your child to pick a mask or fabric that they really want to wear. She said it's important to offer positive reinforcement while they're wearing the mask, not only negative reinforcement when they touch it or take it off.
