Now that’s one blog post title I never thought I’d write…

But here we are. And protective face coverings aren’t going away anytime soon. The CDC now recommends that children over 2 years old (which includes my daughter) wear masks if they’re in a setting where they might not be able to stay 6 feet away from other people. If you have a very particular toddler, as I do, you already know this is going to be a huge ordeal. I’m hoping that by getting her a mask that she picks out and she thinks is fun and comfy, she’ll be more likely to wear it whenever the day comes without a fight.

As of now, I’ve yet to bring her anywhere besides walks and bike rides, far from other people, but at some point, she might have to go to the doctor or something and I want to be prepared in advance. Honestly, the thought of putting her in a mask feels very stressful but I know that it’s for the greater good and if it comes to it, we’ll do it. She and I have talked a lot about it and I think that I’ve prepared her pretty well for when the day comes but you never know with toddlers.

She also understands now, to a certain extent, that we can’t go anywhere in public or see her friends because a lot of people are sick. That’s about the extent of what she can conceptualize, but once it finally clicked it made our days easier to explain. For the first few weeks, she would cry on grocery days because she wanted to come with me. But now she’ll tell me to wear my mask and doesn’t complain.

Who knows if I’m handling it the right way with her but, like everyone else, I’m doing my best and she seems to be thriving at home which is all I could ever ask for.

Protective face masks for kids

If you have questions about kids and protective masks, this article was helpful for me.

I bought Amalia a simple pink one because it looked the softest and simplest. (Update: it’s a great mask and she actually likes to wear it.) I showed her this page and asked her to pick the color she wanted. This Etsy shop has a lot of kid masks with fun designs that might make your kiddo more likely to actually put one on. Of course, she asked for Peppa Pig.

I found this after that, but Cubcoats is also selling sweet kid masks with 10% of proceeds going to Feeding America.

When you purchase this set of (kid-designed!) rainbow kid masks, 100% of the proceeds go to public hospitals. And this one looks really sturdy and comes in 4 patterns. Amalia would go for the pink polka dots for sure. While pulling together this post, I found these masks on Etsy where you can get one for your kid and one for their baby doll. That might help little ones want to wear one more.

Update: Petit Peony is making mommy and me masks for both girls and boys. Proceeds are benefitting Boston Children’s Hospital.

Any other recs for kids’ protective face masks?

Protective face masks for adults

Finding a protective mask as an adult is a little easier. Getting one shipped in a timely manner is not. I posted an article about wearing masks in public on Instagram yesterday and got a lot of really interesting responses about what’s going on in different parts of the country. It seems like the use of masks heavily depends on where you live and how infected your area has been.

Where I live in Connecticut, everyone wears them at the grocery store and in more crowded areas like near the beach. But when we walk on our street, which we do multiple times a day, no one wears one because seeing another person is rare, and neighbors move to the other side of the street when they pass. What is it like where you live?

I saw this seersucker mask on a friend’s blog post and bought it right away.  The same seller makes a chambray one with tiny polka dots that I also like.

Uncommon Goods is selling a set of two rainbow masks (same as the kids set mentioned above) with 100% of the proceeds going to NYC hospitals.

And I couldn’t not include a lemon print mask.

One last-minute addition is Los Angeles Apparel that makes these super soft masks from their t-shirt material in a bunch of colors for both adults and kids.

Tuckernuck is now making homemade face masks. The sales benefit No Kid Hungry and Mount Sinai Hospitals in NYC. I bought this one and this one and would buy this 3-pack if someone wants to split it with you. Update: Out of all the masks I own, this is by far the most comfortable one.

And thanks to everyone who recommended the Sanctuary mask 5-pack!

Protective face masks pictured above

1. Organic cotton polka dot mask (kid), $15
2. Set of 2 rainbow masks (adult/kid), $25: 100% of proceeds go to NYC hospitals
3. Seersucker facemask, $15: I bought this in blue
4. Blue and white face mask (adult), $15: Back in stock tomorrow
5. Floral mask (adult), $15-$32
6. Solid pink mask (adult), $15: Buy one donate one to Direct Relief
7. Organic cotton lemon mask (adult), $24: I bought this one!
8. Solid cotton masks (kid), $12.50: ships in 1-3 business days